Sank my sidewinder! Help with righting a capsize?

Brought my sidewinder out for the second sail I’ve done with it and during the course of the sail I capsized (as you do) but instead of being able to grab onto the centerboard and right it, it just kept going down till it was sitting on the lakebed...
apparently both of the porthole covers came off when it capsized and the hull just completely filled with water. Two power boats pulled me to a boat lift and helped me bail it and towed me back to the launch.

Once it was off the lakebed I saw both of the porthole covers had gone missing and are now somewhere underwater. So now I guess I need to get new porthole covers at least, and likely just new portholes entirely.

My understanding is that the boat should be able to be capsized for a decent amount of time without actually sinking, right?

Anyone have experience righting capsized sidewinders?

Also does anyone have any experience replacing the portholes?

Terrible story! As best I recall, and it has been a while since I capsized, the boat should float high enough that the portholes are above water. So something else might be a problem. Perhaps water is getting in at the seam between the hull and the deck. Or my memory is faulty....

Depending on the year of your sidewinder you either have the covers that press over the rings or ones that screw in. I'm assuming you have the earlier style that press over the rings. I call those coffee can covers. If those are what you have, you won't find any covers the same size at best I have ever been able to find. So you will have to put in new portholes. It is not hard, and in the end you have a better setup because the new ones will certainly be screw in.

Losing the centerboard is a whole other matter. Maybe a local diving club will retrieve it for you. It is worth asking. I knew someone once who waited until his lake was drained and walked around and eventually found his board. Not too many of us are on lakes that are regularly drained.

It is critical, and too late for you now, that the centerboard be well fastened with a line. But normally it is fastened because the line is how you pull up and hold the centerboard to a raised position. But that line has to have a knot in it so it does not pull through the cleat! I'm guessing yours did not have a knot?

I knew someone (the same guy referenced above) who made special brackets out of aluminum that slid down into the slots where the plastic pivot goes. After inserting the centerboard he screwed the brackets into the metal framing around the centerboard slot. His centerboard was never going to fall out ever again. I had a copy of those brackets once but they are long gone so I cannot post a picture.

Righting a capsized sidewinder is easy if the centerboard is still in. Just swim around and climb up on it and the boat rights itself. Experienced people could swing their leg over the side of the boat as it capsized and be riding on top of the boat as it was on its side. Then they would just step onto the centerboard and swing themselves back into the boat as it came up. It's actually easier that you think - I've done it.

I hope you can get your boat back in the water soon. When on land, turn it on its side and see if water is getting in at the seams. I do not know a way to fix that problem if that is what is happening. But even if it were coming in from the seams, it would come in rather slowly.

Paul
Webmaster: sailmfg.com

My bad, that was poorly worded. The centerboard was tied to the boat so that stayed and i was able to try to get on it and tilt it but the boat just kept sinking further until it was entirely underwater.

I definitely had the "coffee can" style covers! So I guess i'll look for some other port-holes at the local marine store. Do you happen to know if theres a standardized size i should be looking for that will be a replacement?

Thank you for all the info! I'm definitely keen to figure out why it sank instead of floating and letting me right it, since i was immediately on the centerboard like I've seen in the videos. I'm not sure how to troubleshoot the boat without risking putting it back on the lakebed again and I don't know if next time there will be as helpful of people with a boat lift that I can use nearby!
The centerboard bracket sounds like a good idea but do they allow for the centerboard to be removed for trailering?

I'm glad you did not lose your centerboard! OK a few more suggestions. Make sure you are at the end of the board for maximum leverage.

Important: Point the boat into the wind and release the main sheet.

Pull the centerboard fully out because it may have slipped in a bit. Put you feel on the gunwale that is in the water and try pulling down on the board and pushing with your feet to pivot the boat upright. If that does not work you need to get up on the centerboard, but at the tip and not hear the hull.

This is something you can practice in shallow water. Make sure it is deep enough so that the centerboard can be fully extended and at least three feet deeper than that (so in case you get caught under the centerboard when the boat uprights you won't get hurt. Do it without any sails on to get a feel for it. At this point you can stand to get on the board. It is much harder when the wind is blowing and the sails are full, that is why you need to point the boat into the wind. Otherwise you will never right it.

If fact, I would start with about two or three feet of water and no centerboard. Put the boat on its side and make sure it floats and does not take on water. See how fast or slowly it sinks down. It could be that the insulation inside the hull is worn out, gone or waterlogged. Always make sure the inside is dry before sailing.

Paul
Webmaster: sailmfg.com

Oh yeah, and no the brackets he made could not easily be removed. That is why I never used them. I trailer my boat, like you.

Paul
Webmaster: sailmfg.com

Thank you so much for all the info
I definitely want to do whatever I’ve got to in order to get this old boat back into perfect sailing shape and all this info is invaluable!
I washed out the inside of the hull today, there was about 20 pounds of acorns, leaves, twigs and dirt and crap but mixed in with that was a whole bunch of insulation/foam pieces. So it seems likely that the insulation could need to be redone? I was unaware that there was insulation inside the hull at all! Do you have any resources that I could learn how to redo that kind of stuff from? And how can I be sure the inner hull is dry before sailing?

I am definitely going to do a bunch of practice capsizing before I put the mast/sails back on and bring her to deeper waters. I definitely want to make sure I don’t end up needing a power boat to drag me to a lift again.