Catastrophic tube failure...would it be a domino effect?

Pack Rat

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
186
If your suppose to evenly inflate to not put strain on the internal divider between the tubes what would happen if one tube had a catastrophic failure? Lets say the tube hit something in the water with a sharp edge. Lets also say I'm out there a couple miles. Should I decrease all the other tubes a pound or so to take the stress off the rest? Could it be a domino effect on the other tubes to fail too?
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Re: Catastrophic tube failure...would it be a domino effect?

Hey Pack Rat good to be a cautious boater knowing theory in advance, you should place all weight to other side of tube and head at slow speed to nearest port, beach specially if severely overloaded. You could take advantage to dump not so cool passengers and unwanted gear and head faster to safe port :D

Happy Boating
 

lncoop

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
5,147
Re: Catastrophic tube failure...would it be a domino effect?

No. The risk to the baffle is present when inflating because when one tube is as full as the laws of physics (or whatever the applicable science is) allow the additional air will look for the easiest place to go, which is right through the baffle and into the next tube, hence the care taken to inflate carefully and evenly. The baffles are actually there for just the scenario you presented. They contain the deflation to one tube, thereby allowing you to maintain the buoyancy necessary to get to safety, hence Sea Rider's advice to get thee to the floaty side.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Re: Catastrophic tube failure...would it be a domino effect?

If you happen to be using a well inflated oldie undergoing ungluing issues, you could burst adjacent chamber's baffle too. On the other hand when you lose a tube, all remaining will deflate a bit. Plainly in agreement with Incoop about inflating a flat sib carefully and evenly in small air increments on a merry go round on all tubes. Like the 0.5 psi small increments in each chamber untill you are at 3.0/3.5 psi. Less stress on internal baffles once sib is top inflated as all tubes will be sharing very near equal pressures.

If you like to play being Rambo, get these, comes in different sizes, first one designed for bullets, arrows, spears, you can insert one if you still happen to be alive and sib is not a already a strainer, the second one is for cuts, small fabric abrassions, easy to install as there is a hinge to position correctly once inside tube, both works well, can turn your awful day saving nicely your boating day.

Happy Boating
 

Attachments

  • Bullet Patch.JPG
    Bullet Patch.JPG
    37.5 KB · Views: 0
  • Cut Patch.JPG
    Cut Patch.JPG
    57.3 KB · Views: 0
Top