For use on SAILBOAT ~ STORM DROGUE w/ LINES, SWIVEL, & STORAGE ~ NEW for sale in Cross Key, Florida

$480

SPEED-LIMITING STORM DROGUE
with Bridle Lines, Heavy-Duty 5/8" Gal. Swivel, & Dacron Storage Bag
A MUST-HAVE EMERGENCY ITEM TO KEEP ABOARD!
ALL BRAND NEW!
Doubles as Man Overboard Retrieval System
32" Diameter by 48" Deep
$750.00 + value!
(Compare it to the ?Galerider? on the internet.)
I have sold many of these and everyone who has purchased one is very pleased with this drogue?s performance.
This size is best for boats displacing from 15,000 to 40,000 lbs. (But can be used with boats displacing slightly more or less than this.)
? Better than a traditional Sea Anchor in Storm Conditions
? Easy Launch, Easy Retrieval, No Trip Lines
? Rugged Construction
? Easy and Compact to Stow
? One of the Best Defenses Against Heavy Weather at Sea
A Speed-Limiting Storm Drogue is towed off the stern to stabilize and slow the boat in severe conditions and in strong following seas. It assists in steering, reduces the boat?s angle of yaw, and helps avoid broaching and pitch-poling.
In storm conditions, sailors have used the tactic of towing some type of drogue?a traditional sea-anchor, a trailed warp, or even the boat?s ground tackle?since antiquity. Many vessels that survived storms would have gone down had it not been for some sort of drogue that slowed the boat down and kept the boat?s stern to the wind.
In a severe storm, if you must run off downwind under bare poles, you do not want to allow the vessel to move faster than the waves. If you do, you run the risk of climbing up the back of a swell, going over the crest, and sliding down the face into the trough. Unfortunately, that often results in a broach, which causes the boat to turn sideways in the trough, broadside to the seas. The breaking wave can then crash into the vessel, damaging it or rolling it over completely. You definitely do not want that to happen to you! Instead, you want to slow down the boat, so the waves pass safely under you.
If you cruise bluewater far enough and long enough, you will encounter storm situations that require a drogue. My husband & I lived aboard and cruised our 43 foot sailboat for more than 10,000 miles in a 5 year period. We had our share of scary storms at sea. We designed this drogue with safety and affordability in mind. This is a MUST HAVE item for anyone considering any bluewater cruising!
Most bluewater sailors would agree that the traditional, conical, webbed design of the drogue offered here is one of the best possible design for a Speed-Limiting Storm Drogue. The webbed construction slows the flow of water instead of simply blocking it. In that way, the stresses created during sudden acceleration (as when the boat runs down the face of a monster wave) are dissipated, without creating a shock load. Such shock loads have been known to rupture conventional sea anchors and to strip attachment hardware from the deck. This drogue provides high resistance to eliminate surfing, yawing, and pitch-poling tendencies, yet it is elastic to reduce stress on the boat and gear.
This design also preserves the ability to steer, since water flowing through the webbing?s apertures allows you to maintain the two or three knots necessary for good steering control. Even in the trough of a wave, it continues to provide low resistance for steering control, making it possible to set and keep a downwind course.
In addition, the webbed design results in a drogue that can be deployed smoothly, provides positive control, and is easy to retrieve without trip lines. You can simply pull the drogue back aboard when conditions have calmed (at very low speeds this drogue offers very low resistance).
Moreover, it is VERY COMPACT TO STOW. When rolled up and stored in its dacron storage bag, this very large storm drogue with its lines and swivel compacts down to an efficiently small bundle of about 4" D x 12" L x 14" W. It takes up very little storage space and is readily usable for immediate deployment in emergencies.
This very heavy-duty Drogue is designed for the most severe conditions. It is constructed with high-strength, very durable, non-rusting materials and is manufactured with craftsmanship of the highest quality.
Although specifically designed for storm survival, the Speed-Limiting Storm Drogue has other uses.
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Towed off the stern with a bridle, a Speed-Limiting Drogue can be used as an emergency steering device to yaw the boat if steering fails.
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Towed off the windward quarter, a Speed-Limiting Drogue can help maintain directional stability while negotiating a dangerous harbor entrance.
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Towed off the stern of a vessel in tow, a Speed-Limiting Drogue can all but eliminate the "whiplash" effect and contribute to better control by the towing vessel.
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Because of its extreme stability and large volume basket, in a man-overboard situation, the Speed-Limiting Drogue can be affixed to the end of the boom and used to lift a person aboard, even under extreme conditions and even if the person is weakened or injured. It is also a great way to lift your dog aboard!
This Drogue and everything that comes with it is BRAND NEW and in MINT CONDITION!
Feel free to come to Key Largo, in the Florida Keys to inspect and purchase this drogue.
I can also mail the storm drogue to you for $13.00 in the US through the United States Postal Service by Priority Mail. I sell these drogues on eBay so if you want to purchase it through ebay and use Paypal, email me and I will list one on ebay for you.