Boat shoes . . . right.
Hey Ebb, West Marine sells an 8 foot dingy that has a floatation device that fits your description (no container, however, for the deflated tube). I think they classify it as a "RIB." Comes with oars and available sailing gear.
Great ideas have always been scoffed.
But, you know I'll get rich - and the time will come
when Anna K will be sitting in MY cockpit.
And while I muddle with her pumps we'll be
scoffing apple knocker martinis
and be admiring life saving flotation devices over
a platter of haut hors doeuvres
Of course you're going to need more than one boat, maybe a Friendship 40.
Wait a minute...look at that cockpit...a deathtrap!
Cancel my order.
Anna has been taking some sailing lessons with Ellen McArthur for 'ya ebb
Always had something for fast women
Somebody should have pointed out that:
total vessel displacement is to the load waterline.
Emergency bouyancy is the minimum extra to keep the vessel from sinking.
Am I correct in thinking, that once completely swamped the boat reverts back to its actual total material weight? IE, using the classic illustration, pushing a basketball into the water requires more effort the deeper one pushes. But if the ball broke, it would take little effort (weight) to immerse.
Once totally flooded, awash, only actual total weight of vessel plus occupants needs to be kept afloat for rescue.
To float boat above the sheer much more flotation is required.
Therefor the reserve flotation airbags (noodles) idea put forth here should be attached below the sheerline and calculated to provide enough bouyancy so that the swamped vessel could pumped out and 'refloated' at sea. That's what I had in mind.
Poof!
As to the original problem. These days, after decades of forced air-holding boats and fabric, there shouldbe something, some air bag, that is tough enough to be expanded into a void with sharp protrusions such as the lazarette (viz ob motor) to act as space filling reserve bouyancy.
Last edited by ebb; 02-06-2005 at 08:19 AM.
Now I get ya Ebb.
How about airbags strategically placed in these "emergency" voids, which could be deployed when needed, then repacked when all is well... Kind of like an air bag in a car.
I understand that styrofoam has better floatation than the equivalent volume of air - makes me wonder if it wouldn't be better to permanently attach enough of the stuff in the nooks and crannies to make the boat positively buoyant - if that's possible.
Although, the styrofoam option would take up a constant amount of volume, whereas the airbags in their deflated state would take up much less valuable volume...
Last edited by mbd; 02-06-2005 at 08:13 PM.
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