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Sort of sailing enhusiast here. Not surprised that they are trimarans, but surprised they are so small. AFAIK anything under 30 feet is a poor choice in many co

Sort of sailing enhusiast here. Not surprised that they are trimarans, but surprised they are so small. AFAIK anything under 30 feet is a poor choice in many common ocean wave conditions. Self-righting is a nice feature if you can get it, but these things look like they would topple fairly easily even if they have a heavy keel, with no way to self-right. (Update: Watched the video, which shows a diagram of the boat and its sensors and explains that the keel has a 250lb (113kg) instrument at the bottom)

garrettgrimsley 9y ago
According to this NYT article[1] the Saildrone is self-righting. There may also be some hollow space in the upper portion of the mast to prevent it from turtling, like how a Hobie Cat has the mast-blimp. >Underneath the boat are both a rudder to aid in steering and a keel, which will right the boat if it is knocked over. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/05/technology/no-sailors-needed-robot-sailboats-scour-the-oceans-for-data.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/05/technology/no-sailors-nee...