Using breathing aparatus instead of escape hatches?

[valhalla360]

If makes you feel better, go for it. I don't see it hurting anything but I just can't see you having the thought process going in that frantic couple of minutes to find the spare-air and use it. Far better to keep the hatches functional and get out quickly.

[akprb]

Go sailing.

[ontherocks83]

It definitely can't hurt and if I had a Cat I would probably do the same just for the hell of it. However training is KEY! I know it is very difficult to replicate that type of scenario for training purposes, but in those situations muscle memory is what helps save lives. Just ask any of the pilots or any prior military. When things go bad the only action you take is the one that has been beaten into you. If you've never breathed under water then trying to learn on the fly is going to be ugly.

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Takes a while to get used to breathing without holding your nose as water gets in your nose / sinus but during training we weren't allowed to pinch off our nose so we had both hands to get out of the helicopter.

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Clothespin, or some of us call it nipple clamp

[seasick]

I always thought that opening those hatches would let the air that was keeping an upturned cat afloat, out. I know of three people who lived in their turtled cat "Pipe Dream" for weeks.

[alansmith]

When a cat or tri goes turtle I believe that the manufacturer's have already built in buoyancy to keep her a float. Opening the hatch will not sink her. One of Chris White's Atlantic Cats went turtle due to an unexpectedly strong gust during a squally day. The two man crew stayed in the turtled boat...if I remember the facts correctly. You can read a synopsis on Chris's web page.

The other factor, and my compliments to Uncivilized in his writing, that can readily come into play is a good chance of being seriously injured when a boat goes turtle. It doesn't take much to damage the human body. I can easily see head injuries and broken bones with this sort of mishap. So, add that possibility to the "furry" factor.

I think the greatest thing you have going for you is your intelligence. If the weather is kicking up you are doing everything you can to slow her down. You aren't sailing in marginal weather situations like BVI in August. You have reduced sail to way below necessary prudent. That "Pucker" sensor in your fanny is giving you full warning. You won't turtle. Most boats, and I am not saying "all" boats, turtle due to skipper error.

I think having a "Pony" on board is a great idea for quick "check it out" things where you don't have time to retrieve all of the associated gear for dive mode.

As an aside question....do you carry the repair items if you get a hole in the hull and water is pouring in?

[44'cruisingcat]

If you should happen to capsize, there should still be a considerable air space in the hulls. You MIGHT need to duck underwater to reach the escape hatches. The air tanks MIGHT come in handy for this. Can't hurt to have them aboard.

[HopCar]

A64, I was told I should change the air in my scuba tanks every time I change the air in my truck tires. Don't you do that?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by HopCar

A64, I was told I should change the air in my scuba tanks every time I change the air in my truck tires. Don't you do that?

Well, yes you really should let the Winter air out and put in Summer air if you want to get the best mileage. Winter air is denser.


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[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Air or compressed gas will escape from a tank, but I believe it takes years to get low enough to matter, the "spare air" tanks can be re-charged from a Scuba tank if you have the hose.
I've got fifteen to twenty Scuba tanks, some like my Daughter's aluminum 60's that haven't been used for a couple of years and are still I believe at 3,000 PSI.
I use one for airing up the tires in my little airplane and it hasn't lost any appreciable pressure in a couple of years.

Hey Pilot
trying to remember, how often do dive tanks have to be re-certified? I see them for sale everywhere, but most of the low $ say needs to be re-certified. also I would assume that should be done on any tank at those pressures? even if no longer used as a dive tank? I would think a dive tank could inflate a 9-10 dink more than a couple of times? Thanks.

[a64pilot]

Kid tells me 5 yrs for a hydro. He used to work at a cave dive shop.
Average Scuba tank is an aluminum 80 and holds just shy of 80 cu ft. I have no idea how much a dink holds but being so low pressure I think that is sort of wasting a tank. I just use a foot pump myself for my RIB and if I had a roll up, would look hard at an electric pump.
I have a flying tube in storage you pull behind a power boat and it flies, has probably a 10 or 12 ft wingspan and takes a huge amount of air to fill it, a little electric pump made short work of it.

Normally a dive shop will not fill a tank out of hydro, I believe that is a federal law, and almost all shops want a VIP sticker each year. That is not law, just an industry standard, but it makes shops lots of money.

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[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Kid tells me 5 yrs for a hydro. He used to work at a cave dive shop.
Average Scuba tank is an aluminum 80 and holds just shy of 80 cu ft. I have no idea how much a dink holds but being so low pressure I think that is sort of wasting a tank. I just use a foot pump myself for my RIB and if I had a roll up, would look hard at an electric pump.
I have a flying tube in storage you pull behind a power boat and it flies, has probably a 10 or 12 ft wingspan and takes a huge amount of air to fill it, a little electric pump made short work of it.

Normally a dive shop will not fill a tank out of hydro, I believe that is a federal law, and almost all shops want a VIP sticker each year. That is not law, just an industry standard, but it makes shops lots of money.

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Thank you. I was thinking that maybe a small tank, like 12 cf could maybe serve three or more needs. With a regulator, you could use to clear lines from prop, scrub bottom, emergency egress, fill inflatable, more? I see used at less than 150 for tank and reg. I have no idea how much room it would take up or weight. but for some it might turn out to save both if used as multi-purpose. I don't think it's something I really need but wonder if others have done so? or considered. Thanks!

[hellosailor]

Hydro every 5th year, but also a VIP annually if you want anyone to fill it.


The "new" current model Spare Air is only 3 cubic feet, and if someone is stressed they may burn that in three minutes--at or near the surface. Might get six minutes out of it, you'd have to check it personally to see what your lung capacity and breath rate is.


I'd also suggest a pony bottle and regulator, for maybe $50 more than the Spare Air you can get a 6/13/19/30/40 cubic foot tank, and those larger sizes would give you time to clear a prop or check an anchor. (Ignoring the need to learn diving safety, because it is surprisingly easy to kill yourself with compressed air at any depth.)


But surely, if Mercedes can put explosive bolts in some of their door hinges (the gull wings) and use similar explosives to extend the "head rest roll bars" in some open coupes...A cat manufacturer, or owner, could install similar hardware to literally blow the hatch if need be. Upside down and under water is not a time to be screwing around with hand tools, when there are stronger ways to do the job.

[darylat8750]

I carry a small shop vac for cleaning and inflating dink.

Shop Shop-Vac 2.5-Gallon 2.5-Peak HP Shop Vacuum at Lowes.com

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Privilege

I was discussing on another thread how to free-up corroded escape hatches that had become stuck. On my cat, even though I maintain the escape hatches, the handles are notoriously difficult to open. I suspect that if faced with the unfortunate situation where my life depended upon it, I would find the strength but the possibility got me thinking about these;

'Spare Air' is a small portable all-in-one breathing scuba tank available in many places for around $200. A couple of these placed strategically low in the boat as a back-up to the escape hatches would allow peace of mind and possibly allow me to climb in and out of an upturned hull. (As well as being useful for other stuff).

I know that the mono owners will have a giggle at the thought of owning an upturned boat but any thoughts?

Attachment 121158

They're mandated for some of the racing sailors now.

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