Cheap Way to Make Unsinkable

[seandepagnier]

I figure the cheapest way is to just get some inner tubes:

DURO TIRE INNER TUBES FOR BOAT, CAMPING AND UTILITY TRAILER TIRES - CarParts Quality Discount Parts and Accessories

like maybe 10 or 15 of them. Then stuff them in the corners of the boat and inflate. If I do my math right, I should have an unsinkable boat for $60.

[cdennyb]

You're kidding right?

LoL

I hate the smell of fresh rubber... how about the two part urethane expanding foam? Any place you can stick a 1/4" dia nozzle it'll fill with foam.

I like aromatic solvent smells to inner tubes any day. LoL

[Cheechako]

So I think you get 64 lbs of floatation from air per cubic foot less the weight of the "container". Rubber tubes would be fairly heavy containers. For a 10,000 lb boat that's 156 cubic feet or about a 5.25 ft cube of air needed. At neutral bouancy, the weight of the rig may cause the boat to turn turtle..

[cdennyb]

you guys are killing me....

wouldn't it have to sink first... before it could flip over?

[Cheechako]

speaking of kicking farts out of a dead horse.... I guess the devil's in the details as to when sh'ell turn turtle, but yea, after filling or mostly filling with water it will be a question as to where the floatation sits in the boat. I have done the ABYC Level Flotation test before, it's surprising what will turn over! even without a rig standing up there... I see no emergency flotation value in trying to get up onto a round bottomed sailboat that floats but is upside down!!

[sailorboy1]

I'm thinking maybe real large helium balloons, like for weather ballons. No only would they lift the boat, but they could act like sals to pull the boat along.

[Cheechako]

Yes... there you go, not inside the boat but tied to the rig! in fact with enough balloons, some of these really light cat's may be able to avoid the sea state entirely....

[Pblais]

like maybe 10 or 15 of them.

OK, lets assume it would be enough (it won't). Just where do you put all the crap you need to carry with all the storage inflated with inner tubes?

There is another alternative. Seal the boat up air tight so no water can get in or air get out. Being able to breath is way over rated so it could work better.

The weather balloon idea seems fine but I'm thinking Zeppelin with the boat inside nice and dry.

[sailorboy1]

Yeah, Zeppelin I like that. If only passager is the boat then there is enough space available to surround the boat with a moat with nice blue water, a sandy beach on one side. And of course some beach babes running around.

Time to restart my search for the next boat.

[Ex-Calif]

Carrying around the helium would be a PITA for the rare eventuality of having to deploy the lift balloons. Dual purpose your water maker to also be hydrogen generator. just remember to shut off the cooker before deploying...

[ColdFusion]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

Carrying around the helium would be a PITA

Exactly! Something you've all overlooked is that methane is also lighter than air and cows are known to produce lots of the stuff. Simply buy a small cow and keep it in the forecabin - sealed airtight of course. This has the added advantage of the cow being in the right place in the event of a collision, thus also acting as a shock-absorber and reducing injuries to crew.

[sailorboy1]

I don't know about the cow thing. Sounds great in theory, but after a while I would be looking at that cow and thinking STEAK!

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by cdennyb

I hate the smell of fresh rubber... how about the two part urethane expanding foam? Any place you can stick a 1/4" dia nozzle it'll fill with foam.

I like aromatic solvent smells to inner tubes any day. LoL

What about having the boat shoot foam inside when the water level gets too high and it can't pump fast enough?

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by geckosenator

What about having the boat shoot foam inside when the water level gets too high and it can't pump fast enough?

Ping Pong Balls.

Just carry... oh I don't know.. Lots of them.

Maybe 10,000 of them. You could stick them in all your lockers and under the settess...

[ColdFusion]

Or, putting some of these ideas together, what about a ballistic deployment system for a Zeppelin, powered by methane from the cow. Once the Zeppelin has lifted the boat clear of the water, expanding foam would automatically fill the whole boat, thus plugging the hole. Of course, the cow will still be on the boat, so the supply of methane will be cut off and the Zeppelin will gradually lower the boat back into the water, by which time the foam should have cured.

All I need to get this idea off the ground is the first customer willing to pay say, $100,000 and a donor yacht for testing purposes. Any takers?