Do any of you have a buoyancy bag mounted on the transom?  In 2806 I have two fairly small (30" x 9" Crewsaver, 27kg each) bags each side, and it doesn't really look like enough buoyancy.

We're racing at the Bloody Mary on 7th Jan, and I don't want to sink when it's so cold, so could I mount one more bag across the transom?  I'm feeling too poor to replace the two side bags!

That doesn't sound right to me.  What you should have as a minimum (class rules) is 3 units of buoyancy each giving a minimum 150lbs or metric equivalent of lift.  This is the crewsaver 36x12 inch size & needs a minimum of 3 straps fastening it (even tho there are only 2 sets of loops).  In theory you can get a bag across the transom but in practice it gets in the way too much particularly when it is doing it's job after a capsize I would imagine.  You will always have more trouble getting the water out of a boat of your vintage than a more recent one with a low bow tank - see previous threads on this.

A bag accross the transom will not only block the transom flaps but will lift when the boat is full of water. This could impead your tiller or lift it off the pintles altogether! Having the boyancy right at the back could also lift the transom higher than the norm making it harder to empty and inclined to nose diving. Would suggest you invest in some new 36X12 bags, makes the boat class legal and will save you money and time in the long run!

I had this system in a N12 some years ago. It worked very well becuas the bag lifed enough to allow the transom flaps to work but not high enought that it fouled the tiller. You will need to ensure you fit one that will meet this criteria. I would doubt if a small bag will lift the transome too high, you will probably only get a 50 lb bag in the space which will only lift the transome an inch or two; that could be the difference between water coming in over the top or not. (Sorry for all the imperial units but hey, my boat is 14 ft long!). Dave C

Hmm, contrasting replies!  It sounds like I'm under buoyant according to the rules so I think investing in the bigger bags sounds like the best option.

Better go and scrape together some pennies...

Thanks guys.

P.S. In fact the regulation is about having enough buoyancy left if one unit is completely flooded IIRC and 2x150lbs just does it if the bow tank goes.  So you would still be class legal as long as you end up with more than 300lbs (135kg in fact, just checked) of buoyancy.  The small bag in the transom would have to be small though, would you get enough lift from the one that would fit in the space?  I'd still replace the existing bags with the correct size for preference though.