GB2240748A

GB2240748A - Marine recovery device

Info

Publication number: GB2240748A
Application number: GB9000784A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David John House
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-01-13
Filing date: 1990-01-13
Publication date: 1991-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-13
Also published as: GB2240748B; GB9000784D0

Abstract

A recovery device (10) for a boat (12) comprises a net (40) secured along one edge to the boat, a buoyant pole (30) secured to the edge of the net opposite the edge secured to the boat, a weighted rope (34) secured to the net between the buoyant pole and the secured edge of the net and hauling-in ropes 36, 38. The combination of the buoyant pole (30) and weighted rope (34) produces a recovery net having a troughed portion below the water surface, In use, the boat is manoeuvred until the troughed portion of the net is beneath the object to be recovered and the net is hauled in by the ropes (36, 38) which are secured to the net in the vicinity of the buoyant member. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION RECOVERY DEVICE The present invention relates to recovery devices, and in particular to devices for recovering objects floating in water.

When it is necessary to lift a casualty floating in water onto a rescue boat, the effort required is considerable, since it is necessary to bend over the side of the boat and pull the casualty up and out of the water into the boat. It is difficult for personnel on the boat to assume a good weight-bearing stance within the boat and the necessity to lean out of the boat over the casualty reduces the weight which can be lifted.

The problem is exacerbated if the clothing of the casualty is thoroughly soaked with water.

It is also difficult to obtain a firm grip of the casualty, and a firm grip is required particularly if the casualty is unconscious or injured and thus is unable to assist in the rescue. It is alsc often difficult to obtain a firm grip if an object, rather than a casualty, is being recovered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a recovery device for use with a water-borne craft which enables casualties or objects to be retrieved from the water more simply and with less effort.

In accordance with the present invention, a recovery device for a water-borne craft comprises a net securable at spaced-apart locations to the craft, a buoyant member connected to the net at a location remote from the securing locations, a weighted member connected to the net between the securing locations and the buoyant member, and a rope or other elongate member one end of which is connected to the buoyant member.

With the above device, when it is secured to the side of a water-borne craft such as a boat, the weighted portion draws a portion of the net beneath the water surface but the buoyant portion, which is then located outwardly of the weighted portion, prevents the net from sinking. The result is that a troughed portion of the net is formed beneath the water surface, and by appropriate manoeuvering of the craft, the troughed portion can be located beneath a casualty or object to be recovered. Once in this position, the rope or other elongate member can be hauled in to move the casualty or object towards the craft, and eventually to pull the casualty or object onto the craft by further hauling in which results in a parbuckling-type action.

Preferably, the buoyant member and/or the weighted member are elongate. If the weighted member is elongate it produces an elongate troughed portion of the net beneath the surface of the water, which is especially suitable for recovering casualties or elongate 61 jt.nc objects. If both the buoyant member and the weighted rope are elongate, they are preferably arranged substantially parallel to each other.

In one embodiment, the buoyant member comprises a hollow tube which is sealed at both ends. The buoyant member may be provided with a handle, which assists in the final stage of hauling of the casualty or object onto the craft.

The weighted portion may comprise a heavy or weighted rope.

Advantageously, there is more than one rope or other member for hauling in the net. For example, the device may comprise two ropes connected fore and aft to the net in the vicinity of the buoyant member.

Preferably, the net comprises means adapted to secure the net to the boat, and these may advantageously be located along an edge of the net.

Preferably, the device further crises a plurality of further ropes or other elongate flexible members secured across the net in a direction, in use, cutwardly of the craft. Preferably, te further ropes or other elongate flexible members are arranged parallel to one another, and some of the further ropes or other elongate flexible members may be spaced apart by distances corresponding to the separation of parts of a typical human body. For example, ropes may be provided to engage the shoulder area, back area and leg area of the body in order to reduce the sagging of the net when being hauled in.

By way of example only, a specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a boat fitted with a recovery device in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the recovery device of Fig. 1.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the recovery device 10 is shown attached to a boat 12 of the fast rescue craft type having buoyant sponsons 14 and powered by an outboard motor 16 at the stern. The recovery device comprises five parallel but unevenly spaced support ropes in the form of a fore support rope 18, a shoulder support rope 20, a back support rope 22, a leg support rope 24 and an aft support rope 26. The shoulder, back and leg support ropes are intended, in use, to support the corresponding parts of the body, and are spaced apart by the appropriate spacings for a typical person.

A first cross-rope 28 extends perpendicularly to and is secured to one end of the support ropes 18 to i, and a buoyant aluminium pole 30 sealed at each end extends perpendicularly to and is secured to the other end of the support ropes 18 to 26. A rubber insulated recovery rail 32, best seen in Fig. 2, is secured to the buoyant pole 30 and to the support ropes 18 to 26. A third cross-member in the form of a weighted rope 34 also extends perpendicularly to, and is secured to, each of the support ropes 18 to 26 just over half way towards the pole 30. It will also be noted that fore and aft recovery ropes 36, 38 are secured to opposite ends of the insulated recovery rail 32.A rectangular piece of fishing net 40 is secured to the support ropes 18 to 26 and to the cross-members 28, 30 and 32 in the conventional manner, with the net on top of the ropes and cross-members.

The recovery device is attached to the boat 12 by means of eyes 42 formed in the end of each support rope 18 to 26 adjacent the first cross-member 28, which are used to secure the device to five ccrrespondingly-spaced and/or points 44 on the deck of the boat.

Normally, the recovery device is positioned completely within the boat by hauling in the fore and aft recovery ropes 36, 38. The device can then be folded and stored relatively flat on the deck of the boat without taking up too much space. It becomes necessary to effect a rescue of a person or object from the water, the boat would normally proceed to the required destination with the recovery device in this stored position, to reduce the drag on the boat.

When the boat is in the immediate vicinity of the rescue area, the boat is manoeuvred so that the object or person to be rescued is slightly ahead of the boat and to the side of the boat where the recovery device is mounted. The device is then cast out of the boat over the side sponson while retaining the free ends of the recovery ropes 36, 38 within the boat. The weighted central rope 34 tends to sink below the water surface, but is prevented from sinking completely by virtue of the buoyant pole 30. The combined effect of the weighted rope 34 and the buoyant pole 30 produces a recovery net having a troughed portion below the water surface, as illustrated in Fig.

1.

In order to recover an object from the water, the boat 12 is manoeuvred very slowly, with the recovery device in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, until the troughed portion of the net is beneath the object. If the boat is manoeuvred only very slowly, it is possible to keep the recovery device roughly in the configuration shown in Fig. 1. The fore and aft re(-zvery ropes are then hauled in, and this causes the toughed portion of the net to be lifted upwardly, and displaces the object towards the side of the boat. If a person is being rescued, the shoulder support rope 20, the back support rope 22 and the leg support rope 24 will be under the area of the shoulder, back and legs respectively, and will thus reduce excessive sagging of the net.

Eventually, hauling in the ropes causes the object to be displaced to a position adjacent the side of the boat, and further hauling in of the recovery ropes causes the object to be rolled onto the sponson and eventually into the boat by means of a parbuckling-type action.

The device is particularly useful for rescuing people from the water, by virtue of the provision of the shoulder, back and leg support ropes 20, 22, 24 which help to reduce the sagging of the net, but it can be used for recovering any object floating in the water.

The invention is not restricted tc the details of the foregoing embodiment.

Claims

1. A recovery device for a water-borne craft comprising a net securable along an edge to the craft, a buoyant member connected to the net at a location remote from the securing edge, a weighted member connected to the net between the securing edge and the buoyant member, and means for hauling in the portion of the device situated in the vicinity of the buoyant member.

2. A recovery device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the buoyant member is elongate.

3. A recovery device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the buoyant member comprises a hollow tube sealed at both ends.

4. A recovery device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the buoyant member is provided with a handle.

5. A recovery device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the weighted member is elongate.

6. A recovery device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the weighted portion comprises a heavy or weighted rope.

7. A recovery device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a rope or other elongate member, one end of which is attached te oE attachable to the device in the vicinity of the buoyant member.

8. A recovery device as claimed in claim 7, comprising more than one rope or other member for hauling in the net.

9. A recovery device as claimed in claim 8, comprising two ropes connected fore and aft opposite sides of the net in the vicinity of the buoyant member.

10. A recovery device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising means for securing the net to a boat.

11. A recovery device as claimed in claim 10, comprising means for securing the net to the craft at a plurality of spaced-apart locations.

12. A recovery device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurali&commat;y of further ropes or other elongate flexible members secured across the net in a direction, in use, outwardly of the craft.

13. A recovery device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the further ropes or other elongate flexible members are arranged parallel to one another.

14. A recovery device as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least some of the further ropes or elongate flexible members are spaced apart by distances corresponding to the separation of parts of a typical human body.

15. A recovery device as claimed in claim 14, wherein ropes are provided to engage one or more of the shoulder area, back area and leg area of a body.

16. A recovery device for a water-borne craft, substantially as herein described, with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

17. A water-borne craft fitted with a recovery device as claimed in any of the preceding claims.