Inflatable collar for survival Dinghy

Having sat in a life raft , I would consider making the survival bouyancy of a yacht tender to be installed INSIDE of the tender...to displace water and provide insulation to its occupants. Insulation and a decent canopy are the key to survival. How much ? and what size is a good question.

 

I posted years back about adapting Helicopter style emergency

inflatables to a boat, especially a keelboat that would have neg buoyancy if flooded.

Basically, you would have the inflatables sections ring the boat, probably just below the gunnels where they would also serve as fenders and splash defectors in their normal, sealed standby mode.

They could be activated manually, or if water pressure stays at 3ft for more than 20 seconds(or something).

I remember most folks not being too keen on the idea.

I'd rather have a 40' keelboat flooded with a RIB collar around it rather than be in some 6' diameter life-raft.

Seems to me, once you get a hole in any keel ballast boat, it is a going down fast, and forever.

I'd also want an Emergency Keel Release with explosive bolts or something, just so the hulk would stay afloat even if swamped.

But I guess lots of those boats don't sink often.

 

My hard dinghy is also my life raft. It was made to fit on the foredeck of my Gulfstar 37. I modified (with Sam's approval) Sam Devlin's guppy design to be a "V" chine power dinghy. I created four floatation chambers spread around the dinghy. Two aft and two under the center seat. I looked into a tube to attach to the gunnel but thought they were way too expensive and ugly to boot. I looked at "dinghy dogs" and the Walker Bay tubes. I saw in another forum that Walker Bay is not happy about people using their tubes on non Walker Bay dinghy's and that use now voids all warranties. Since I am a coastal cruiser I didn't try to come up with any type of canopy. But it wouldn't have been hard to do that. I plan to mount a long fender on each side this season to make it a little easier to get in over the side. The dink is very stable and I can get in from the water fore and aft and from either side. It has exceeded all of my expectations. I have attached some photo's

 

Inflatable = Deflatable

If something is inflatable it is also deflatable, something I would not want to happen in a survival situation.

Something like this would be better IMHO
http://www.kaptenboatcollar.com/

 

No. I have a LOT of experience in this area, I used to be a US distributor for Henshaws who made the most inflatable survival dinghies anywhere.

You don't want the tubes inside because that would leave little or no room for the occupants unless they are made to go under seats. They are perfectly good outside if they are made from typical dinghy vinyl or hypalon fabric. It's very easy to make your own tubes to measure for your dinghy, using a small tub of cheap bostik type glue. Make one for each side and build in tabs with bronze ferrules to tie them on before you go offshore.

Unless the dinghy is very heavy, you should have little trouble righting it if capsized (at least, no more difficulty doing that than with a typical liferaft, and I've done both.

I will not be getting a liferaft for my next adventure - I'd rather be in the dinghy with oars or even a sailing rig any day (remember, most sinkings are within sight of land, the last thing I'd want is to be hopelessly drifting offshore in a liferaft!).

Have your sailing rig in a bag attached to a line with one of those foam swimming flotation tubes inside and tow it after you if you have to abandon ship.

 

If you use typical vinyl or hypalon inflatable material, I hardly think this is likely. Think of the abuse the average dinghy or RIB gets over many years. Though your idea looks good if you have room for it.

 

in response to last post on page one-i have righted many an inflatable white water rafts- with beams in and around 10' and with a pile of gear still attached, and oar frames and big heavy oars- you just need a flip line to help it a little.- we have even done it where one person holds onto the raft- and upon righting they are flipped into the boat- in order to assist with medical casualties- this was only done in drills- and was never used in practical situations- as a guide is able to quickly re- enter the righted raft and deal with the situation- thats just to give you an idea as to whats possible- from experience!!

 

It would be really interesting to be able to actually sail back to shore in your own dinghy. But realistically, a sailing dinghy must be a certain size to be able to make any progress in rough water. And if you went down, there is a good chance that rough conditions were involved. I had a 12' cartopper dinghy that sailed well and was corky enough to handle some relatively steep chop. I would love to keep it rigged as a lifeboat. But it's too big to be a dinghy for my boat, and most boats under 35' I think.

It was only big enough to sail with two people, and possibly row, overloaded, with three. Sailing an 8' dinghy back home in any kind of chop just isn't happening IMHO... especially if loaded with more than one person... hell rowing it would be nearly impossible too...

 

Ray, my tender's gunnels are beat to pieces and sunburnt from day to day use. How would you carry a wrap around tube on the gunnel and keep it viable for the next ten years until you need it ? A small seaworthy dingy with abundant internal bouyancy may cramp its occupants but it will stay robust and reliable until you may need it.

 

I'ce actually done it... Click here for a report sponsored by West Marine on a lifeboat/liferaft trial.

As for trying to row or sail back to land in rough conditions - well, of course not! But you ain't going to do it in a conventional liferaft either - even if tranquil as a lake!

Agreed that you need a dinghy that will hold your crew, however depending on your crew size I contend that a typical inflatable will hold your crew more safely and with real options, if you've equipped it with positive flotation and the usual safety equipment.

 

You don't identify what type of beat up tender you have - inflatable or hard? If an inflatable, you don't need another inflatable ring to get positive flotation, so I assume you mean a rigid dinghy, though I've never heard of a wood or fibreglass boat getting "sunburnt", so that leaves me confused. If rigid and the gunwales are so beaten up, it seems to me that it's time to replace or repair!

As for putting an inflatable ring inside, give it a try with balloons or something to see if you and your crew can actually get in. If not, you might be surprised at the amount of positive flotation you can get with air bags under seats etc.

One thing to bear in mind about liferafts - there have been a number of reports about crew, in severe conditions, panicking before the yacht is really sinking, into inflating the raft "so that it's ready". This creates an immediate emergency decision point - abandon ship NOW - because if you don't, the raft will be blown away.

Even if I had a conventional liferaft (which I don't), I would prepare the dinghy on passages for lifeboat use. Read Steve Callaghan's story (Adrift) to find out just how uncomfortable it is in a liferaft...

 

First off...anyone who ventured offshore without a proper liferaft is a fool.

I would consider a tender with abundant flotation as an additional piece of survival gear that may save your life in special circumstances. Consider abandoning ship one mile off a lee shore. A life raft would deliver its occupants into the breakers to be beaten to pieces against the rocks. A tender may very well be able to maneuver enough to allow its occupants to select a best option landing zone.

Consider a fire at sea. the life raft will be floating helplessly like a jellyfish...a tender may be able to stand off the smoking vessel..then return to the floating hulk to either reboard or scavange supplies

 

Utter, complete and absolute nonsense. I assume by this you mean "proper liferaft" as the usual emergency inflatable Switlik-type raft.

I will happily venture offshore (as I have for over 22,000 miles) with a well-rigged, rugged dinghy such as an inflatable or boat with flotation, with a sea anchor and bag with well thought-out survival equipment. As many ships and mariners have for thousands of years before. Even better if you can launch a bag on a painter that contains oars and sailing rig. If you can afford both then you'll have peace of mind if that's your wont.

Every option has its advantages and disadvantages, so you have to make your own decisions, but to call someone a fool because they don't choose your preference is particularly arrogant.

 

Sorry Ray, youre a beginner , keep your " utter , complete, absolute nonsense " comments to yourself. I'm a full time sailor for the past 40 years. I sail 15,000 miles per year, more than a half million miles in small craft and dozens of oceanic crossings.

You may venture offshore unprepared, but I would never sail as your crew.

A life raft is a semi automatic, self contained, purpose built, survival device able to be deployed and used effectively by a disabled crew in difficult conditions.

Any tender type device will have to be physically deployed in difficult conditions by a fit crew member and can only ever be considered an additional safety device.

 

You certainly spout a load of bull droppings. You have a lot of certainty in your pronouncements that have little grounding in reality. There have been many boats in trouble that have deployed their wonderful "semi-automatic" liferafts, only to find the flimsy thing blew away before they could get into it. That's IF they could get into it - many tried and failed.