Inflatable Rescue Boats: They Float for Life
Boats are built for certain purposes. Some of these boats are made for search and rescue. Boats are watercrafts that are designed to float and move through water, providing marine transport.
While many rescue boats are built traditionally with metal or fiberglass hulls, inflatable rescue boats or IRBs are fast becoming popular. IRBs, or "ducks" as they are commonly nicknamed, are utilized for most types of search, rescue and retrieval operations at sea.
The inflatable rescue boat is the brainchild of Warren Mitchell, a lifeguard who was stationed in UK. He conceptualized the idea of a rescue boat that could be rapidly deployed in any surf condition. He developed the first IRB with the help of the Dunlop Company. This initial IRB was 4 meters in length and uses a 20 horsepower outboard motor.
An inflatable rescue boat is usually made out of rubber which makes them light and portable. It consists of two side tubes, a bow tube and a keelson tube. For better visibility in the water, it is often colored in a certain degree of red or orange.
An inflatable rescue boat usually has a solid floor piece and a rigid transom. This transom is used to fit an outboard motor. The motor can provide the boat a cruising speed of 25 to 30 knots on calm water. Fuel is usually stored in a flexible fuel bladder, secured by several clips to the floor near the bow of the boat.
An inflatable rescue boat is usually manned by an operator and an IRB crewman. The operator drives the boat. The crewman helps balance the light boat during high speeds and rough sees. Depending on its size, the boat can carry from two to four additional people to help with search-and-rescue efforts.
Aside from search and rescue, an IRB is used for patrolling beaches. It is especially useful when the surf is too powerful or the beach is too large to effectively perform rescues on a board.
Some enthusiasts outfit IRBs with more powerful outboard motors. They use these IRBs for racing.
Even though IRBs are fast, there are limitations to the speed. This is mostly due to the fact that they are too light to effectively deal with wind resistance during high speeds.
Before any search-and-rescue operation or a patrol is executed, the crew makes sure that an inflatable rescue boat is packed and stored with the necessary gear.
