Yacht Serena III sinks off Ft. Lauderdale

That makes a lot more sense than touching leaving Port Everglades.

How on Earth do you have 7 crew and only 6 guests and nobody notices some major flooding going on in a little 106' yacht? You're practically tripping over each other on a yacht that size with a crew that size. It really is not making much sense. Also "it may have hit bottom" is another weird thing. That's something you'd really notice.

Per the last video; water in the passenger compartments.
Hummm.
Stabilizer location??

Possible, but the stabilizers should be pretty high up on the hull and not likely to get torn if bumping bottom at hull speed where they aren't sure it even happened.

I've never seen stabilizers mounted up high before?

Either way I'm sure the insurance company isn't happy with the first officer speculating like he did in that interview.....

They're usually mounted on the hull, but near the hullside or outside of the bottom of the hull, which is typically much higher than the keel or bottom of the V. So typically if you just bump bottom, the bottom is nowhere near the stabilizer fin.

They often stick out further than the envelope of the hull, striking something as you go past is a known risk and why there needs to be a separate water tight compartment in the fin strike area or the fin strike area needs to be within a water tight compartment on modern steel vessels built to any recognised class. Striking bottom hard enough to punch one through the side would in my opinion result in a jolt everyone could feel.

Ok, the touching bottom and not knowing or doing something about I can't figure out. No matter what, get a guy in the water and look.

Not to defend anything because the facts still aren't known, I could see how water could make it's way in. Everyone is excited about leaving for the Bahamas. The crew and guests are getting along and everyone is top sides on a beautiful day watching the beautiful view. It's that start of a trip narcosis. The boat was fully checked before the left the dock so nobody is in the engineering spaces. By the time the alarms go off it's too late?

I've worked on several Feadship's where the aft end of the stabilizer fin at the center position is every so slightly lower than the keel. In the Bahamas you would look aft from the sundeck and see only the fin trail marks in the sand.

Agreed. I also don't understand how apparently no high water alarms were going off!?

The boat is 121' from what I understand.

I can see how you might have dragged a fun across the bottom and it wouldn't feel as violent as hitting the bottom.

While it sounds like the leak may have been located in an area other than an engineering space, you would think with a crew that size some one would be checking the ER and other spaces on at least an hourly basis for any issues.

Not necessarily:

I agree and that's what should be going on. That said, and at the risk of offending many of the crew people on this board, I've seen crew not play their position many times. Still way too early to surmise what happened but the stabilizer makes the most sense to me. I didn't think of it because I've never run a boat with stabilizers.

no bilge pump indicators and no high water alarms??

If they had bumped the bottom leaving, the keel would have touched, do the fins really extend that deep?

Posted while others replied...

I can see it happening on a planning hull but on an 11' draft expedition yacht?

Is there any spec on stabilizers installation on a Class Build ? Separate bilge area?
I guess depending on the mfg, but I would think if a shaft fell out, some position sensor would miss read and raise a flag?

In those choppy seas, I would think a damaged or missing stabilizer fin would be apparent and drawing concern when just entering the ocean?

These are my thoughts, on a planing hull that size like a Westport 112' I could see it. But with an 11' draft the stabilizer fins shouldn't be anywhere near the lowest point of the vessel are my thoughts.

LROS have rules pertaining to watertight integrity with these installations, It appears from my quick enquiries that ABS do not share the same interest in what happens when a fin goes through the hull.

Perhaps. But they could project out from the hull to where you could clip something with them. Especially if the hull is rounded.

Like this you mean?

Here is a pic of the stb'd stabilizer on my 70 ft Aluminum Stephens, is a Vosper maxi fin and above the keel bottom does not project beyond the hull sides