How "easy" -- or difficult -- is it for boats with flybridge to tip over?

A lot harder to do than you would think.

High? It is just canvas and clear plastic. Any wind strong enough to blow the boat over will rip it off and reduce the windage pretty quick.

If the boat rolls far enough to worry about you will most likely be tossed off the monkey island and the GM would increase. While you are swimming back to the boat you will see that it did not capsize.

Sounds like a little tuna fishing is in order. (with a beam sea, while fishing in the trough)

Will give you a whole new perspective on a boat righting itself.

Without intending to be pedantic, why worry about something fictional?

If you really really want to know if the worry is ficitonal or not but don't want to spring for a real inclining experiment, try this:

http://www.uscg.mil/forms/cg/CG_4006.pdf

Something to keep in mind is that the Carver is not known as a big water boat. So, while its not going to tip over if you have the seats filled on the fly bridge while riding in normal conditions, you will feel the effect on the handling and probably be a happier Captain with the weight distributed. And if the weather begins to pick up, my guess is that the guests will quickly look for a seat below.

I have a Bertram 28 that we will sometimes load over 10 on. I distribute the weight within reason and the guests are happy to ablige.

There are boats and there are boats. Everyone except Bert seems to have missed that this is a 36 Carver AC, and not a Bertram SF. I've had Carvers to the edge in Quartering seas. Wouldn't want to see this in more than 7', and sure wouldn't make any guarantees past that point.

I was once informed by a very knowledgeable delivery Captain that he used the following guidelines when doing long coastal deliveries.

A typical cruising style motoryacht may be considered at risk if in a fully developed beam sea, the combined wind wave and swell height of the sea is equal to or greater than 20 % of the water line length of the vessel.

So, a boat with 60 ft w/l could be in serious danger for turning over if laying in a beam sea of 12 ft.

So I was told....seems a reasonable guideline and good place to stay away from....

You're not far off on your conclusion, however there are a lot more factors to be considered. A deep draft, keeled, heavy or low vessel would be far more stable than a light, tall, shallow draft one. Wider beam, hull shape, cat or mono, balast, etc. are also factors. More math than my feeble mind can compute. I just know it when I feel how the boat reacts or by the stability cert.

"Centrifugal force" is fictional no matter how many pieces of paper you have to claim yourself an "expert" about boats, guy. Knowing one's way around the bilge doesn't give one license to defy laws of physics.

? There seems to be something missing, care to elaborate?

Seafarer: Elaborate PLEASE!
Why the defensive/offensive retort?

So far: centrifugal force is fictional to you and qualifications, confirmed by documentation are just “pieces of paper”.
How about gravity? Does the fact that your rear still points to the ground prove anything to you?

sorry, but I had to google "pedantic"

Im going to try to remember what it means and tomorrow Im going to try to use it to impress someone.


Now back on topic:
FYI, They do stability test on commercial fishing boats for a reason.

Also, i would bet that the Carver in question is much more stable than you think. Use the Carver as designed, dont overload it and dont use it in conditions not appropriate for the boat and you will enjoy years of safe boating with the vessel.

If my daily work was delivering boats, then this would probably be a fair guide to being safe and warning my clients.
However, as a person who has spent a quite a few hours (uplanned) in similar type sea conditions and managed to stay afloat, albeit, sometimes a bit wet and bruised, your friends rule is over simplified.
There are too many other factors to take into account.
Going by his rule, I would rarely venture offshore.