In the mid 1970s an early boat was being sailed in the vicinity of Waiheke Island, in relatively challenging conditions, for which it was somewhat over canvassed. It suffered a complete knockdown and, since the sails were not released, could not recover, which caused the loss of life of a crew member from a heart condition. Later investigation confirmed that, had the sails been released in a timely fashion, the boat could have recovered from a 90 degree position, albeit that the ballast was a little light to do so. The Press, at the time gave rather negative attention to the type of vessel involved, resulting in the Beachcomber gaining, for a while, a reputation it did not deserve, being markedly better in stability than many contemporary trailer sailers. The redesigned keels resolved any lingering issues about stability.
