Corky Scott wrote:

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 17:01:18 -0400, Matt Whiting
wrote:


No, concrete designed to withstand hurricans beats wood that wasn't so
designed. The old wood sailing ships took a lot more beating on a daily
basis than is dished out by a hurricane. And they held up rather well.
It is a matter of what loads the structure is designed for, not the
materials used in the construction.


Matt


Matt, this sounds a like hyperbole. "Old wood sailing ships took a
lot more beating on a daily basis than is dished out by a hurricane"?
Really? Catagory 1 storms begin at 74 miles per hour. Have you ever
been in deepwater in a wooden sailing ship when it was blowing at only
74 mph? Because that's the lowest windspeed of the least violent
classification of hurricane.

I was talking about the hull hitting the ways. Hitting a wave at 15-20
knots is a LOT of force. I'd have to do some research to find the
equivalent wind speed to provide the same force as hitting water at 20
knots, but it would be a lot of wind given the density difference
between wind and water.


I've been on a fiberglass sloop on a large lake when it was blowing
steady at 30 knots and gusting to 50 knots. I don't ever want to do
that again, and I for SURE would not want to be out at sea in a wooden
sailing vessel while a category anything hurricane was blowing.

Those old wooden ships demasted on a regular basis and the sea bottom
is littered with their wrecks.

Again, I was talking hull, not masts, sails, etc.


Matt