Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds. The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO.sub.2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations. CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.

A survival craft for maritime evacuation of passengers and crew members from a vessel or an offshore facility is disclosed. The survival craft has a hull, predominantly made of non-rigid inflatable tubes and one or more shells, the hull has a length, a width and a centerline, a bow and a stern. The survival craft further comprises a first pair of engine-powered propulsion means arranged at the stern on opposite sides of the centerline, and a second pair of engine-powered propulsion means arranged at the bow on opposite sides of the centerline, each engine-powered propulsion means has a propeller or a water jet, wherein a horizontal angle of each propeller or water jet of each engine-powered propulsion means can be independently set in relation to the centerline.

An inflatable vessel is provided, the vessel comprising an enclosed flexible membrane having an interior, a first end and a second end; and a rigid elongate member extending within the interior of the membrane and attached to the membrane at a first attachment point at the first end of the membrane and to the membrane at a second attachment point at the second end of the membrane. The vessel finds use, for example, in a floating dry dock assembly.

Disclosed is a buoyancy tube for a life raft having: a first panel including: a first panel top edge and a first panel bottom edge, the first panel top edge defines a first repeating pattern, and the first panel bottom edge defines a second repeating pattern that is a rotated version of the first panel top edge; a second panel that has a same shape as the first panel, the first and second panels connected by a first elongated seam and a second elongated seam that are non-overlapping with one another, the first and second panels, when connected, define outer an inner boundaries of the life raft, the outer boundary defines an outer polygon having outer sides and the inner boundary defines an inner polygon having inner sides such that each of the plurality of outer sides is parallel with one of the plurality of inner sides.

The present invention provides inflatable watercraft that arc light weight, easily stowed in relatively small spaces and formed from inflatable drop stitch panels. A preferred watercraft is a boat having a bow. stem, keel and an open transom for self-bailing. A deck can be provided as a separate panel that is cither permanently, or detachably, connected to freeboard sides of the watercraft. When connected, the deck provides a sitting area, and enhances the strength and rigidity of the watercraft by functioning like a deck beam. Optional features include a bucket held in place by, and fitted through, a hole in the deck panel. Preferred inflation pressures are between 2 and 25 p.s.i.. and more preferably between 12 and 18 p.s.i.

Disclosed is a buoyancy tube for a life raft having: a first panel including: a first panel top edge and a first panel bottom edge, the first panel top edge defines a first repeating pattern, and the first panel bottom edge defines a second repeating pattern that is a rotated version of the first panel top edge; a second panel that has a same shape as the first panel, the first and second panels connected by a first elongated seam and a second elongated seam that are non-overlapping with one another, the first and second panels, when connected, define outer an inner boundaries of the life raft, the outer boundary defines an outer polygon having outer sides and the inner boundary defines an inner polygon having inner sides such that each of the plurality of outer sides is parallel with one of the plurality of inner sides.

A sensor platform is provided with a rigid hull having a planar shape having a bow, stern, a port and a starboard side. The platform includes an inflatable perimeter tube having sides extending along a perimeter of the hull. A tow connection is at the bow and rigid control surfaces are at the stern. A planar sensor array is disposed within the platform. The planar sensor array includes inflatable sensor panels attached to the port and a starboard side of the perimeter tube. Each of the inflatable sensor panels has a plurality of sensors embedded with electrical conductors for power and data transfer. A manifold disposed within the platform operationally connects to the inflatable perimeter tube and the inflatable sensor panels. An electrical controller disposed within the platform connects to the sensors and the manifold.

An inflatable motor boat with a U-shaped hull in plan view and configured to operate in shallow water. An inflatable bottom is attached to the hull and comprises an inclined longitudinal tunnel having an arc-shaped form in cross section. A portion of the tunnel is wedge-shaped with an angle of inclination from 5° to 45°. The width of the tunnel can be reduced in a rearward direction, and an upper surface of the tunnel can have a sinusoidal shape in a longitudinal section.

The present invention provides inflatable watercraft that are light weight, easily stowed in relatively small spaces and formed from inflatable drop stitch panels. A preferred watercraft is a boat having a bow, stern, keel and an open transom for self-bailing. A deck can be provided as a separate panel that is either permanently, or detachably, connected to freeboard sides of the watercraft. When connected, the deck provides a sitting area, and enhances the strength and rigidity of the watercraft by functioning like a deck beam. Optional features include a bucket held in place by, and fitted through, a hole in the deck panel. Preferred inflation pressures are between 2 and 25 p.s.i., and more preferably between 12 and 18 p.s.i.

A boat strap is described herein, as well as a system and method of attaching two boats with the boat strap. The boat strap is made up of a main strap, a free cam, a lower cam strap, and a lower cam. The free cam is mechanically connected to the main strap, where the main strap loops through a free cam strap connector. Additional stitching connects the main strap to itself forming a free cam loop to connect the free cam to the main strap. The lower cam is mechanically connected to the lower cam strap. The lower cam strap loops through a lower cam strap connector, and a primary stitching connects the lower cam strap to itself forming a lower cam loop to connect the lower cam to the lower cam strap, wherein the primary stitching further connects the lower cam strap to the main strap. The main strap loops through a connector on one boat and runs through the lower cam to attach the boat strap to the rail. The main strap then is run through the cam on a second boat strap on the other boat, attaching the boats.