Silly idea - mylar balloons as safety gear?

[Canopus]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Why Hydrogen or Helium.. compressed air is perfectly adequate.. the object is to have a lightweight luminescent sphere maybe 10 x the size of a human head.
Why do humans have to always opt for the most complicated methods when KISS is under their nose..

Buoyancy - Hydrogen and Helium will cause the balloon to rise above the victim/vessel - helping with visibility and being able to reflect radar.

Air would work if heated of course.

[Canopus]

Originally Posted by jalmberg

Go all the way and carry hot air balloons on deck. Boat sinking, no problem! Inflate balloons and carry on!

But that wouldn't be sailing would it?

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Canopus

There's all kinds of required safety gear and some is very fancy with self inflating vests etc.

So... I was thinking...

Would a self inflating helium mylar balloon, tethered to a sailor in the water, or to a life raft, help through increasing their visibility and or acting as a radar reflector?

I'll go grab the popcorn now...

As a 200T Master, I wouldn't even entertain such a question. Stick to what the experts have proven to work as safety equipment.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Canopus

There's all kinds of required safety gear and some is very fancy with self inflating vests etc.

So... I was thinking...

Would a self inflating helium mylar balloon, tethered to a sailor in the water, or to a life raft, help through increasing their visibility and or acting as a radar reflector?

I'll go grab the popcorn now...

There’s an emoji for that.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by JBsurfin

As a 200T Master, I wouldn't even entertain such a question. Stick to what the experts have proven to work as safety equipment.

Yet none of the 'experts' have come up with an idea/solution for spotting a head in an active sea...
Yes personal beacons are now commonly available but are expensive ($400+) whereas the balloon is an easy addition to a life jacket.
Also it seems to me many of the experts are manufacturers who then tout their wares to various agencies with sweeteners if approved.
Personally if my idea saved just one life that's good enough.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by JBsurfin

As a 200T Master, I wouldn't even entertain such a question. Stick to what the experts have proven to work as safety equipment.

So you are saying an 8-10" diameter human head at water level with a 12" orange life preserver is easier to spot than a 10ft diameter orange ball floating on the water?

I think the flaw in your logic is assuming it's "proven" to work. Its not at all uncommon for a person in the water not to be found.

Of course, some of the sillier examples don't make sense but it doesn't mean there isn't a better option.

[Cynara]

They were practicing rescuing downed pilots using a ballon and a capture rig on the front of an airplane this was in about 1967

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by boatman61

So you'll constantly move around the boat with 1 or 2 smoke grenades strapped to you..???
Good luck with that..
Height
114 mm (4.5 inches)
Diameter
82 mm (3.2 inches)
Weight
365 g (12.85 oz)

I would before I carry a deflated large-enough-to-be-seen and durable-enough-to-survive balloon, which would be several times the size of that canister and much heavier. Basically, what is being suggested is similar to an inflatable dan buoy. I have one mounted on a rail. I'm not keeping that strapped to my back.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

So you are saying an 8-10" diameter human head at water level with a 12" orange life preserver is easier to spot than a 10ft diameter orange ball floating on the water?

I think the flaw in your logic is assuming it's "proven" to work. Its not at all uncommon for a person in the water not to be found.

Of course, some of the sillier examples don't make sense but it doesn't mean there isn't a better option.

Dan Bouys, smoke, plb? Equipment has to be used to work. Someone in the water alone and with just a life preserver wasn't using what is currently available.

What is this 10 ft diameter ball going to be made from or filled with? Mylar is too thin to survive more than a couple minutes in bad conditions. A CO2 tank to fill a 10 ft balloon is going to be quite large and heavy as well. Think of the package a life raft comes in. That is what a durable 10 ft balloon is going to look like when deflated.

[boatman61]

I am sure today's technology can come up with a tough expandable material durable enough to last 24hrs max..
Let's face it except in tropical waters, after maybe 6hrs it often becomes a recovery mission unless the MOB is wearing a survival suit.
I doubt a balloon folded and rolled, fine line + a cannister of compressed air would equal a backpack, maybe a bumbag across ones belly with a clip to the harness.

[HopCar]

Oh Oh my turn!
Inflate your life jacket with helium instead of CO2. That way you’ll float up into the air, flap your arms and fly home.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I am sure today's technology can come up with a tough expandable material durable enough to last 24hrs max..
Let's face it except in tropical waters, after maybe 6hrs it often becomes a recovery mission unless the MOB is wearing a survival suit.
I doubt a balloon folded and rolled, fine line + a cannister of compressed air would equal a backpack, maybe a bumbag across ones belly with a clip to the harness.

A 10 ft balloon is 500 cubic feet. That works out to about 50lbs(22kg) of liquid CO2.
A 5 ft balloon, probably the smallest to be effective for this use, is 65 cubic feet. That works out to 6.5lbs(2.9 kg) of liquid CO2.

A 10lb/5 kg(a common size) cylinder is about 6" in diameter and 20" tall.

Even without the balloon itself, you would need a backpack to carry a cylinder large enough for a 5 foot balloon. A cylinder for a 10 foot balloon would not fit in a backback.

[Weatherbird]

It's not that farfetched.
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/hist...nched-by-kite/

[boatman61]

Personally methinks a 10ft or even a 5ft balloon is to large.. I would consider maybe 2 to 3ft max.. considering an 11" balloon takes around 11L of air to fill, 22L to 33L of pressurised air should be sufficient to fill the above size balloons enough to be a positive aid to visibility for MOB detection.
I fail to see why the standard CO2 cannister for a life jacket would not be enough to inflate a 2-3ft balloon if it can inflate something like the picture below.. remember the pack you see also contains a drouge which a balloon attached to a person would not need.. he is the drouge.

[wholybee]

I happen to have that exact mob dan buoy on my stern rail. It's heavy. The drogue is small, and doesn't contribute much to the weight. It is far too heavy to have strapped to your person all the time. It only works as something you can release from the rail if someone goes overboard.