Proactive
Lifeboat|
How is the Pudgy Lifeboat Different? Exposure Canopy and other Survival Components Technical Specifications Videos: Adrian Flanagan's "Over the Top" circumnavigation (Pudgy on deck): 1, 2 More videos on Lifeboat Details page |
Portland Pudgy lifeboat during North Sea test Portland Pudgy during North Sea test (photo from Zeilen). |
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The Portland Pudgy self-rescue lifeboat is different from an inflatable life raft in two major ways. First of all, it’s an unsinkable boat, made of the same rigid, rugged UV-resistant polyethylene that heavy-duty ocean kayaks are made of. The Portland Pudgy is made of intrinsically buoyant polyethylene with closed cell foam under the floor, and has 1855 pounds of buoyancy. It doesn’t need to inflate and it can’t deflate or sink. It cannot be punctured by a fish hook, shark fin, or by sparks from a fire or flare. The exposure canopy adds another 400 pounds of buoyancy. Second, the Portland Pudgy is proactive: You can sail, row, or motor it. The Portland Pudgy lifeboat concept respects the abilities and responsibilities of the sailor to protect himself and his crew. It is carefully engineered as a tough, rugged self-rescue boat that handles well and incorporates many safety features. All of the survival gear, including sailing rig, sea anchor, exposure canopy, oars, ditch bag, provisions, and fishing gear can stow inside the storage chamber of the double hull (with the exception of the rudder and leeboards, which stow under the stern seat). You can also pre-set the exposure canopy and sea anchor. The passive life raft seems to encourage people to passively trust that the life raft will inflate and stay inflated, and that help will come, when unfortunately, too often this has proved not to be the case. The Portland Pudgy is a new concept that is actually the proud descendant of a very old concept (after all, Captain Bligh and Shackleton used proactive lifeboats in their epic journeys). It challenges many of the assumptions we have grown accustomed to about life rafts. Life rafts have saved many lives, but tragically, many life rafts have failed, and sailors should do some hard thinking about what their options are in protecting themselves, their loved ones, and their crew. It's also interesting to note that large passenger ships use proactive lifeboats, not life rafts (see photo below).
To learn more, go to Lifeboat FAQs. |
