Silly idea - mylar balloons as safety gear?

[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...

[Nekton73]

Lol, crazy idea, yet again maybe not.


In high winds, or with lightning present, I can see a problem but in calmer conditions it just might be of help.


What about as an emergency buoyancy device for the boat if holed? Instant water tight compartment .


There's a million dollar idea in here somewhere.

[TrentePieds]

Lemme tell you a story germane to the OP's post:

Just after hurricane Katrina, Lisa LaFlamme, ace reporter for CTV, a Canadian TV news organization is leaning on the rail of a pier in North Carolina chatting up a local fisherman. A Canadian frigate is lying off, obviously busy doing SOMETHING. The crew of the frigate is busy stuffing inflatable dinghies into the man's fishing boat, which had sunk, and inflating them.

Lisa, soothingly: "Don't worry - they'll raise 'er!"

Local: "Yeah. Damn, them guys are good!"

Lisa, diplomatically: "But so's YOUR navy!"

Local: "Sure, but they ain't here, are they?"

Fraternally :-)

TrentePieds

[skipperpete]

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...

Well it raises the bar a couple of notches for the helicopter rescue crew.

[Idaho]

You want a Helikite.

https://www.helikites.com/

They are a hybrid balloon/kite. When inflated they rise to the end of their tether even in low to no wind. When the wind increases, instead of the balloon being blown down to crash into the sea, the kite part lifts the helikite to nearly overhead.

I bought one, had it shipped from the UK, and a bought a small helium tank to have as safety gear.

When I went to fill the tank, I found that there now is a severe helium shortage and supply chain bottleneck. In a city of 1 million, in the USA, I was unable to buy 33 cubic feet of high pressure helium.

So my helikite and helium tank will be sitting on the shelf in my relative's garage, when I sail away in 2 weeks, cruising 6 months to Tahiti.

A waste of about $500.

[Canopus]

Very interesting. Thanks for the link.

[HopCar]

Not the first to think of it.
https://gearjunkie.com/adventure/res...istress-signal

[Fore and Aft]

Canofpuss while you have your inventing hat on why not invent some sort of anti-sinking device. You could use all those cans of builder's foam to instantly start spraying inside the hull if you start to sink. Then you can just wait until you get rescued. Beats a life raft and as long as you keep a serrated knife in the cockpit so you can hack your way inside to the beer fridge there should be no problems.

Cheers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aUj5ilB0jw

[Idaho]

Air bag systems have been installed inside boats as an antisinking device. They take up a lot of storage space until deployed. Then they take up pretty much all of the inside space.

[boatman61]

I had an idea for a self inflating balloon fitted in the collar of a purpose built life jacket (crotch strapping harness) with a fine yet strong line (500kilo BS) attached for use in MOB situations.
A fluorescent balloon for increased visibility and around 5metres of line with a ring at the end to which a halyard could be clipped on.
Approach from downwind to pick up the balloon/line then heave to and haul in the MOB on the Lee side of the boat.
Whether it's doable I know not as I have never had the finances or skills to try it out.. just another one of the random thoughts that drift in and out of my head..

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I had an idea for a self inflating balloon fitted in the collar of a purpose built life jacket (crotch strapping harness) with a fine yet strong line (500kilo BS) attached for use in MOB situations.

A fluorescent balloon for increased visibility and around 5metres of line with a ring at the end to which a halyard could be clipped on.

Approach from downwind to pick up the balloon/line then heave to and haul in the MOB on the Lee side of the boat.

Whether it's doable I know not as I have never had the finances or skills to try it out.. just another one of the random thoughts that drift in and out of my head.. [emoji3]

Sounds very practical. Clever idea.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Sounds very practical. Clever idea.

Thanks Fran... who knows, maybe some wealthy entrepreneur on here will give it a go and simplify the current complexity/risks in MOB scenarios.. both the locating and the recovery.

[Rumrace]

I have a Scuba Sausage it rolls out of a pouch 4” diameter 8’ tall.inflates off a valve. It has a radar reflecting tape. It’s possible on a decompression dive to get detached from the up line. In a current you can drift so far from the dive boat you’ll never be found. Prime example is diving the Andrea Doria which is 287’ below the Gulf Stream. I dove it 20 years ago. Same sausage back up then.
I think your idea is brilliant and could save lives.

[Rumrace]

In a severe storm a tether aloft could cause damage I’m sure. I wouldn’t want to be the tester.
Having a choice when to deploy it would have some benefit

[Tellie]

Get a little bigger kite and a rudder.