main hatch

The main hatch is the large opening above Seeker's cargo hold. The deck crane can lift machinery, tanks, supplies, and research equipment directly through it.

Comments

Junk Sails and Beautiful Frames

Starts at 3:58

Junk Sails and Beautiful Frames

Starts at 6:54

Zonker regarding the cargo hold frames: That is the actual structure supporting the plate. I once told him in a Youtube comment that they were very silly with the huge cutouts so they'd collapse if ever loaded. He was not appreciative of the suggestion to change them.

Its not uncommon for hull strength to be misunderstood and for some reason the cargo hold frames got a lot of attention.

Frist off, they are not even needed. The frames not not part normal Origami boat plans. And no Origami steel boat has ever been known to have suffered structural failure.

The frames were added to Seeker as an extra measure. They do stiffen the hull sides, but they more importantly attach to the frames in the keels helping Seekers ability to withstand a grounding in rough seas.

And yes the lightening holes are on the inward side of each frame where compression loads would be greater but they were not cut to save weight. They were cut because they are beautiful and provide attachment point for tables, equipment and securing cargo.

Sailing Anarchy

Montgomery Point Lock and Dam Collision

Starts at 0:06

Fiberglass boats become a serious flotsam pollutant when they come into contact with anything harder than fiberglass (and shred into pieces on the rocks). Most of the shipwrecks I have seen have been fiberglass. Steel boats just end up beached in a storm. Seriously, why does anyone want to be on a boat made of glass?

Safety First! ---Yeah, They keep saying it.

Fiberglass vs Steel. It seems obvious to me. I have run Seeker into a pile of rocks on the Arkansas river. It brought the front of the boat up 10 inches out of the water. ...backed her off, did and inspection and there was nothing more than scratches in the paint. And I have seen enough damaged done to fiberglass boats from little more that rubbing against a piling. Fiberglass will burn all the way to the waterline and then sink. Steel may be gutted but it will still float. And Seeker has steel bulkheads to keep a fire from spreading beyond the compartment. And then people put gasoline on their fiberglass boats. I don't understand it. ABYC (American Boat & Yacht Council) will loose their minds with propane below deck and wire nuts, but they are perfectly fine with fiberglass boats with gasoline engines? Now tell me that has noting to do with who sits on their management and technical boards.

Want to know?38 organizations total
10 sell fiberglass boats or gasoline engines
0 sell sell boats as a primary product.

ABYC Leadership: Industry Representation

All Boat & Yacht Inspections — Marine surveysAmerican Composites Manufacturers Association — Composites trade association
BoatUS Foundation — Boating safety education
Brunswick Boat Group — Recreational boats
Chisholm Marine Consulting — Marine safety consulting
Coté Marine — Electrical and corrosion consulting
Dentons — Legal services
Dometic — Onboard marine equipment
EDS Marine Consulting — Marine safety consulting
Engineer (unidentified) — E ngineering
Explico — Forensic engineering
HCB Center Console Yachts — Center-console yachts
Horizon Holdings — Marine investments
ICOMIA — Marine trade association
IMCI — Marine product certification
Kolb International Consulting — Marine engineering consulting
Lippert Components — Marine components
Malibu Boats — Watersports boats
Massach usetts Marine Trades Association — Marine trade association
Mercury Marine — Marine engines
Navico Connect — Digital switching systems
Navico Group — Marine electronics
NMMA — Marine trade association
Ocean Bay Marine Services — Marine surveys
Padebco Boats — Custom boats
Saunders Yachtworks — Yacht repair and refit
Scanstrut — Electronics mounts and chargers
Seaman Consultants — Marine engineering consulting
Sound Maritime Enterprises — Marine safety consulting
Suzuki Marine USA — Outboard engines
Transport Canada — Marine safety regulation
U.S. Coast Guard — Boating safety regulation
Volvo Penta — Marine propulsion
Wards Marine Electric — Marine electrical systems
West End Consulting — Marine industry consulting
West Marine — Marine equipment retailer
Winnebago Industries — Powerboats and pontoons
Yamaha Motor Corporation — Outboard engines

All 16 organizations on the list that sell physical marine products describe them as safe, reliable or standards-compliant.

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Sailing Performance Report Clips

Starts at 1:57

Inflexible Schedule Ends Expedition

Starts at 16:32

Anchor Winch Rebuild - Part 7 - Lost Wax Casting - Failure

Starts at 8:16

Pulling the Prop Shaft and Cutless Bearing in the Water

Starts at 18:50

George Graves said: Doug wants to prove the haters wrong and show that Seeker is a sailing machine. He's gonna use AI and cameras to do it. He talks a lot about "the trolls" in this video. Apparently, he's thinking a lot about his "haters" these days. FredTheSailor said: My money says we don't see the results of that because he's not gonna like what he discovers. YOU HEAR THAT, DUG? I DARE YOU TO PUBLISH THE FULL RESULTS. My prediction: you will hide some of these to conceal your lies: SOG, STW, VMG, wind speed, wind angle, Rudder Angle, sea state, sail state. (If she's so damn stable, why do you never carry full sail?) And after 5 years, we're still waiting for a full video of a gybe. We already know you cannot tack that heap.

Fred, I do not know what I have done that makes you think I would hide or lie about the results. If you have something specific, then say what it is. Hell, my videos are full of failures. I cast the capstans at least twelve times before getting them right, and I showed it. I have shown broken parts, bad ideas, mistakes, repairs, and repeated attempts throughout the entire project. I believe failures are one of our best resources for learning. A success tells you something worked. A failure often teaches you why it did not work and what needs to change. Hiding failures would defeat much of the reason I make these videos. I think people need to lean from their failures. A quick database search and running it through AI shows you have a crystal ball that is very prone to failure. October 2023, you predicted that one of Seeker’s trips would be measured in “three U-joints”:
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sv-seeker.222077/post-8480070
You were not entirely wrong. We have broken two U-joints. I do not presently remember the dates or whether both happened during the same trip. The transfer case is currently removed. It will be carefully realigned when it is reinstalled because I believe alignment may be the underlying problem. I hope that fixes it, but I do not know that yet. If it fails again, I'll be happy to show it.

August 2025, you predicted that changing the cutless bearing would become an annual job:
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sv-seeker.222077/post-9355313
More than three years later, that cutless bearing is still in good condition. That prediction? A failure.

March 2026, you repeated a list of predictions about the NURD equipment. They included catastrophic heel, failed hydraulic hoses, the operator not knowing when a hose failed, someone being blamed for it, and the equipment becoming caught and unrecoverable:
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sv-seeker.222077/post-9766315
Wrong on all counts. Another Failure -- Learning opportunity as I like to think of them.

You have also used the absence of a video as proof that something did not happen. For example, you said that if I had properly cleared into another country, there would have been a video:
https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/threads/sv-seeker.222077/post-9832921I document a lot, but I do not make a video about everything. The absence of a video is not proof that something did or did not happen. And by the way I did make a video of not properly clearing into a country.

Do I enjoy proving people wrong? Yes. It motivates me when I get told I can't do something that I have and idea for doing. But I don't like proving you wrong, because I really don't get anything out of it. But maybe you will? Others certainly can. And it's a reminder to myself. Don't get too wrapped up in being right that you ignore the obvious. Wanting to prove someone wrong does not give me permission to ignore evidence I do not like or hide a failure. I will apply the same standard to success and failure. I will work to acknowledge accurate criticism, correct my mistakes, and say what evidence would change my conclusions. I expect anyone evaluating Seeker—including me—to be judged by those same standards. When the sailing results are published, if you find missing data, an error in the method, or a conclusion the evidence does not support, point to the specific problem. If you are right, I will say so and correct it. And I expect you to do the same. So "If she's so damn stable, why do you never carry full sail?" ...Maybe you have not see all of the videos? And maybe your boat can carry full sail when it's blowing 35 knots. And you are more than welcome to take the same collection of clips I gave to AI for analysis and run it yourself. The video clips are right here: https://svseeker.com/videos/1495.html

"YOU HEAR THAT, DUG? I DARE YOU TO PUBLISH THE FULL RESULTS" -- Yes, I can even imagine you screaming it like a Karen. And I will be happy to oblige.

Sailing Anarchy

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Cargo Hold and Deck Crane

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main hatch

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