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cntry141iq

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Ok folks need a little help on this one .. I want to figure out how to make a device to mark a boat in the event of sinking in deep water. It needs to be stable until needed but then either deploy automatically or via a ripcord type release. any suggestions .. by the way if it is possible it might could be marketed by SA online.

However I suggest we test an automatic release with a concrete block as oppsed to an actual airboat.
 
How about a floatabel seat cushion on a tether. It just floats free when the boat goes down.
 
Cntry, just get hold of one of the small styrofoam bouys that the crabbers use to mark their traps and tie some parachute line to it ..... I use 100'. Wrap the line around the bouy to keep it from gettin' tangled up, and tie the free end to your seat stand. Mine lays in the floor of the boat, forward, between two of the stringers and has never tried to fly out. If you think it might, throw a duffle bag on it.

If you sink 'er, the bouy will float to the surface and mark the spot.

It's also a constant reminder to me to not Get Stupid .... Ha!

Ken
 
you might want to consider it being attached to a pulling point with a strong enough line to pull it up just in case you sunk it in deep water with no divers around. some places on the oxbows of the saint johns the water is upwards of 50'deep.
 
Pellican makes a small marking device. I keep one in my floating "ditch bag". It is manually deployed. An automatic device may be tricky as to the position of the sinking boat, and also could be dangerous for entanglement of the red necks trying to get free of the sinking boat. I love my boat, but don't want to go down with it----unless my wife is really giving me heck for sinking it in the first place. I'll get info on the Pel. floats soon.
 
Try looking into the way life fest auto inflate when they hit the water.
A small device like this on a tether Make it easy to install
 
And don't forget the PFD's .... I can swim, but not for as long as I used to. You'll want to be around for the recovery. :wink:

K.
 
There are now available small compact EPIRBs - Emergency Position Indicating Beacons - that are designed to float out of their mounts if / when a boat goes down. Mount & attach a lanyard to the top of a cage and the EPIRB will let the USCG know there has been a sinking and also provide a floating marker / radio beacon for easy SAR location & recovery.

As to PFDs, as cold weather and hunting season approaches and all airboaters put on heavier clothing, swimming out of a sunk airboat becomes a whole different deal, add hydrilla and it becomes almost impossible. KRVSA has available hunter safety orange inflatables at very reasonable pricing. These meet the requirements for hunter orange and will provide the flotation needed to save your life.
 
Good ideas .. I am leaning towards the auto inflate pfd with a 1/2" double braided line which has significant breaking strength which would make the diving part not required for recovery. I have heard of several boats that were sunk and never found. I figured since one of THUNDERS children was going on my boat I at least would like to get it back on top if needed.
 
Cntry, the only thing wrong with the auto inflate stuff is that it's somethin' else that can malfunction.
My old crab bouy could lay in the hull for 5 yrs., but I can promise you that if I ever sink this old barge and need it, it'll do it's job. k.i.s.s.

Ken
 
Hey Cntry, How about a piece of pvc, 6" diam., about a foot long, attached to your grassrake kinda like a frog chute. In it would be a coiled rope attatched to a float. Make sure the empty end of the rope is secured to a strong point such as grassrake or better. If the boat goes down, the float would due its job and mark the spot.


Bob
 
A1, in a perfect world, that's the best advice, but Swampjet just came up with a great idea ....

Bob, tell us how to do that. Sounds like a REAL good idea.

Ken
 
Use floating rope. I think I will change my bow line to floating rope. I'll also take your advise and make every attempt not to sink it in the first place. I like the idea of having a rope attached so you won't have to dive through the gators and stuff to get a line attached.
 
Swampjet that is an excellent idea. The pvc pipe would keep the rope contained except for a vertical ascent. That combination with the floating rope if it is strong enough would be a great combo. I am also working on a pvc pipe housing for an emergency kit. It would include all needed items and a few luxury items as well.

The pvc pipe with a crab trap float attached to the coiled rope is what I am leaning towards as of now. I will attach it to the bow area maybe with a seperate bow eye so it can be used for recovery.

A1.. I am extremely careful in deep water but doo doo does happen. I have found the biggest failures are the result of failing to plan. If I can put something on my boat that doesn't cost a fortune and is not a hinderance to its enjoyment and it will aid in the recovery in the event of a catastrophic error , well that makes sense to me. I have a serious investment in my boat and the idea of it sitting on the bottom of lake george or the st. johns in 50 or 100 feet of water is not an option to me.

PARTS LIST: 6" or 8" pvc pipe 12" long, 100' of 1/2" double braided nylon rope, one crab trap float, two stainless steel hose clamps, anchoring point for rope.

Big Daddy .. The epirb in my opinion is a bit of overkill for a sunk airboat under normal sinking scenarios. The cost is significant and the deployment of the COAST GUARD is a serious matter to me. I am not sure but I don't believe they worry about the boat much anyways. They mostly want to rescue people. If I was seriously lost or hurt then the epirb would be a lifesaver for sure but they might get mad if it went off and they responded for a sunk airboat. The FWC and sheriffs dept did spend some time looking for that boat my buddy's kid was on that sunk however they didn't find it at last report I had. It was in deep water. HOWEVER for lifethreatening injury situations they would be the berries and I have considered putting one on my boat for discretionary use.
 
Cntry,

The EPIRB's purpose is to advise the USCG from a remote location of an emergency boating situation. They will never object to that situation developing into a non-life threatening event. That is what they always hope for. An EPIRB mounts in an upside down position with the antenna folded against the unit. The antenna is also a switch. When the unit floats out of its mount, it inverts and the antenna flips up - activating the radio beacon. They are a bit pricey. They deploy much in the same fashion as what Swampjet is describing.

In order for a crab float to work, you might want to use floating polypro rope as 1/2" braided rope can become water logged and sink a 6" round crab float. I do what is described here and use my frog chute as the storage for the float and line. My orange cone float is the same one I use for gator hunting. It has a rope running through the cone float and a loop knot on the bitter end. My 30' bow line stays attached to the through bolted bow eye and is simply snapped to the float while the boat is in the water.
 
just playing "devil's advocate' with Swampjet's PVC stack pipe idea... (That's a beautifully simple idea Swampjet!) :)

But would it work if the boat did not land upright in the deep water? i.e. laying on it's side or upside down? Would there be a way to make the crab float (about a 6 inch stryo ball, right?) be the cap for the pipe and lightly attached so it would not be knocked off on a bunpy ride, but be ripped off during an accident?

Could it be attached with some kind of string that will dissolve when immersed in water? (if not ripped off by the force of the wreck)

Is it a Cottonmouth hull that has that trough instide the transom to catch a stern wave and drain it out of the boat? What about a similar trough across the bow to lay out the floating bow line?

Always with the questions. :)

matt.
 
Mood,

I don't know if a cottonmouth has the splash well but I know alot of the old apache's do. I have one that has one and one that does not (per my choice).

Due to the dinamic nature of an airboat I don't know if there will ever be a perfect answer, but, I would maybe look at mounting something on the top of the cage. Seems to me there would be less to interfere with the bouy, line, epirb or what ever else goes up. The other thing to think about is 100 ft of 1/2" line takes up some space, but is that strong enough to pull the boat out of 50 ft of water. I assume that if the boats in 50 ft you would pull it to somewhere shallow and then try and float it. ( I don't know I have never sunk one in that deep of water.) If not then do you need 3/4" line and if so that takes up a ton of space. And finally one other thing would be maitenance. This is something that you would definetly want to keep a close eye on. If the rope gets to much UV or rought then could defeat the whole purpose.

Just my thoughts.
 
tensile strength of most 1/2 inch nylon ropes are well above 5000 lbs
most airboats weigh in less than 3000 lbs .1/2 should be fine .
 
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