Lost power in heavy seas - which hull shape?

My experience in the open sea is ZERO, so I've learned a lot in this thread.

Days of my youth spent on the Rouge River and Detroit River, plus a little Great Lakes action and inland lake experience fishing has been enough to get me to thinking that there is much to learn, and much to respect when around water.

As some of you may know my thing is "hovercraft". Few watercraft are as flat bottomed as hovercraft, so you might see where I'm viewing this topic from. A hovercraft with retractable daggers and retractable keel, one day I'd like to build one.

As an FYI below are two hovercraft at sea stories. What you walk away with is that "off-power" and in rough seas, a hovercraft would not be the first choice in "hull shapes".

Story-1
The World's first rescue by Lifeboat of a hovercraft
http://www.rhyl.lifeboat.btinternet.co.uk/hovercraft.htm
(click link above for story and pictures)
...........................................................................

Story-2
Loss of 5 lives by rescue attempt
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/graham.alland/mypage2.htm

The Hovercraft in happier times

 

You ask about hull shapes and we talk about buckets

 

"Finding that there was nothing on the hovercraft to which he could make a line fast ..."

More than just hull shape, there seems to have been some basic marine issues neglected in early hovercraft designs. Designers thinking "aircraft" and neglecting "boat" aspects.

 

I have tow connections on my small hovercraft (1989) and have used them three times on water (towed twice, once towed someone else) and they quite handy on land to grab on to.

 

Yup, you get it, George! Gotta have that boat stuff in the design if you're going to travel on water!

 

UPDATE: 02/28/2008

Daggers and Keels.....retractable.....I had a vision of what that might look like, thinking of setting them at 45 degrees and doing both tasks at the same time.

Did I say that before?

Then I found this post by forum user Docker:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=16015

Image alone:
http://boatdesign.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11843&d=1172929062

Related images and text here:
http://www.rugludallur.com/index.php?id=28


Good article and pictures:
http://www.aeroyacht.com/NEWS/Articles/daggerboards.htm


Around The World Of Sailing
http://www.torresen.com/sailing/content_archives/2004_11.php

I'm not really sure what this is:
http://www.projectsomewhere.com/2007/04/19/alinghi-has-a-bendy-keel/


Lifting Keel thread:
http://www.heymanyachtdesign.com/in3a.html

Article posted by Yipster:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5798