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Floatation volume for sailboat safety device
Last Post 23 Dec 2013 11:35 PM by Colby Hadel. 1 Replies.
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Mark Walker
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Posts:1

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09 Jun 2013 07:38 PM
    Hello!
    I am a sailor and a member of the Boatdesign.net forum, and active in the "Multihull Collision Survivability" thread.

    We have been discussing the difficulty of preventing multihull sailboats from firstly, capsizing, and then, in the event of such a capsize, enabling them to self-recover, making the use and operation of such boats safer for sailors and their families.

    One such proposal, first propounded by NZ-based trimaran designer Ian Farrier, is to mount an inflatable bag at a yacht's masthead, that could be filled from a remote-mounted cylinder of CO2. He proposed to include a mercury switch that would 'fire' the airbag when the heeling moment of the boat reached beyond 80 deg, the additional floatation the airbag would provide thus preventing the vessel from a full inverted capsize, which is unrecoverable without external assistance, and thus extremely dangerous for the multihull sailor.

    The company of which he was then a director, Corsair Marine, declined to take the design further, after a protype had been made, but not tested.

    Ian had calculated his 27ft trimaran would require "200lb" of floatation to achieve its objective, preventing capsize.

    I and my fellow contributors to the thread are seeking assistance from an engineer who could calculate the necessary volumes and dimensions such that sailors could use the figures to manufacture a "DIY" option of the type of device propounded by Ian Farrier.

    We have discussed whether or not the type of automated 'cafe-style cream whip' device operated by a small cylinder of nitrogen could not be adapted to this purpose, or such similar and readily available cyclinders of CO2 - such as those used to power paintball markers and home-soda-makers - could not be so adapted as to enable a moderately skilled handyman to construct such a device, and thus provide a greater level of safety to their sailboat.

    We do not seek a 'paid opinion' but rather seek the kind offices of someone willing to assist with what is, in effect, a 'cloud-source' 'freeware' project, the results of which would be made available to any and all who request them.

    The relevant thread on the Boatdesign forum is here, should any public-spirited engineer be curious enough to take this request further:
    http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/mu...47-14.html

    My moniker on that thread is Buzzman, and I can be contacted via email on buz_zook (at) hotmail.com
    Colby Hadel
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    Posts:1

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    23 Dec 2013 11:35 PM
    How this remote-mounted cylinder will be used here..??

    http://www.hotelsafes.com/
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