COLLISION BANDAGE

HEARD A BANG - BOAT MOMENTARILY STOPPED OR SCRAPING SOUND? WATER GUSHES IN!

Peel open storage valise
and pull out rope and air
hose from bottom pockets
opposing sides.

STOP VESSEL!
Quick look in area, if source is not obvious – removing stores or ripping out liner is risky since might increase flow. Your bilge pumps should be on full speed!! Flick on your EPIRB and move at lightning speed to DEPLOY COLLISION BANDAGE! STOP FOR NOTHING ELSE!

As over leak area – pull as tight as you can – secure ropes both sides to strong points available on deck. Then try to confirm visually outside if C.B. is set over the hole. Alternatively check below, can you see the orange fabric from inside?

Full flow of 1.5” seacock 0.46 m 18” bellow water line admits 57 litres 15 U.S. gallon per minute. Can your bilge pumps keep up with this or larger hole? If yes, for how long? Will they get clogged up? Engine belt driven large capacity bilge pumps are a good way of maximizing vessels bilge pumping capacity.

50 x pump strokes flow diminished to a trickle in this example - time to breathe easier… Note, orange fabric visible clearly as C.B. fabric pushed into hole by air pressure inside device.

100 x pump strokes in this demonstration. STOPPED FLOW! Time to smile and NOW get on the radio to get help if all hands needed to stem the flow. Unless had crew to spare, radio calls could disrupt and panic some crew members and likely make them run for the life raft instead of saving the ship. This apply to “guest crews“ taken for the ride.

WORKS BY AIR PRESSURE

Inside inflated COLLISION BANDAGE air produces buoyancy - lift pressure for air to rise - this force smooths out wrinkles and forces fabric to conform and press firmly against hull shape sealing the damage.

Not dependant on water inflow pressure like ancient collision mat.

HOW LARGE A HOLE
CAN BE SEALED?

Turtle-PAC Pipe Seals hold tide flow back for days in ø1.78m ø70" underground pipes.

WOULD A CANVAS MAT DO ??

GALWAY BLAZER II a 42 ft yacht was rammed by a killer whale. Skipper Commander William King describes the experience to plug the hole:
“I dragged the triangular storm jib up on deck and it took hours, but by degrees I hove the sail down taut over the damage and slipped bellow to inspect the effect it had. To my dismay the sail tied on over the hole caused more water than ever to pour in. I could see why – the sail was too big and clumsy to adapt itself to the shape of the wineglass hull; the edges of the canvas sagged and acted not as a collision mat but as a water scoop.”
Hours later Commander King managed to reduce the flow and eventually made port in Fremantle. Luckily most of the damage was over the water line. TURTLE-PAC’s experiments with traditional Collision Mat showed very uncertain results and need of great ingenuity to make one work. Smallest sagging will let water behind the mat and accelerate the flow. Wrinkles also will act as channels for water flow. Furthermore as water level raises inside vessel the water inflow pressure on the mat, the force to seal the mat will be reduced as pressure difference is reduced.
Therefore diminishing mat’s seal effect.

REAL WORLD FACTS:



• EVEN THE BEST CAN HIT OR DRAG ONTO A REEF ON THE FINEST VESSEL…

• SOME GET HOLED BY LOGS – FLOATING DEBRIS – COLLISION WITH OTHER VESSELS…

• YOU CAN SAIL TO SAFE PORT WITH THE AID OF COLLISION BANDAGE.