The earliest attempt of Inflatable Boats were observed by ancient carved images of animal skins filled with air being used as one-man floats to cross rivers. These were before the days of air compressors so they were inflated by mouth. Often these images were mistaken for early scuba gear, but in fact they were the first generation of Inflatable Boats.
Back in the year 1839 the Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington tested the first inflatable pontoons while he was Leader of the House of Lords. Shortly thereafter in 1900 to 1910 the advances of rubber manufacturing made it possible to attempt rubber Inflatable Boats. These crude creations were only usable as inflatable rafts using paddles. There were inherent manufacturer defects as they tended to split at the seams and folds due to less than optimal manufacturing processing of the rubber.
With the 1912 loss of the RMS Titanic and then the World War I losses of war ships to torpedoes launched by submarines, inflatable boats for use as life rafts was obvious. The most prominent cause of the loss of life on the Titanic was the lack of lifeboats. There was such a shortage of life rafts that no more than 50% of the passengers could have been saved if each one had been used to its capacity.
The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, the second in 1929, the third in 1948, and the fourth in 1960. The most prominent focus was to ensure that ships had sufficient lifeboats so that every person aboard the ship had access to a place on a lifeboat. [http://www.imo.org/Conventions/contents.asp?topic_id=257&doc_id=647#1]
This was not a difficult feat with cargo ships because their crews were small and the ships had sufficient of deck space. Passenger ships on the other hand had a difficult task as in order to accommodate this requirement they had to stack lifeboats one on top of the other in order satisfy the requirement for the large amount of passengers and crew. In addition, warships had a hard time with this as their crews were also large crews and deck space was not abundant.
Goodyear had discovered a way to better manufacture the Inflatable Boats in between the two World Wars but unfortunately, the conservative though of the time held back its production. The inflatable boats that get produced were life rafts of square-shaped inflated rubber cylinders with a rigid floor. These inflatable rafts were stacked vertically aboard warships on deck.
In 1937 the design of the Inflatable Boat took a major turn. Pierre Debroutelle was the first person to develop the current U-design of the Inflatable tube. The French Navy adopted the design and gave it certification under their provisions. Then in 1943 with the inclusion of the wooden transom was patented. If you compare the Inflatable Boat of that time with today's modern Inflatable Boat.
As with many things, World War II changed the need for and thereby the industry on Inflatable Boats. Submarine attacks in the Battlefield of the Atlantic created escalated numbers of casualties among merchant ships as well as the many warships.
It was at this point that the US warships really started to use rubber life rafts. With the further advances in the rubber processing and manufacturing process over the last 35 years, the Inflatable Boat was accepted and here to stay, and now it was shaped like a boat.
Today's modern Inflatable Boat is no longer just a Life Saving device, it has now crossed over to the recreational side of things due to its low cost of entry and it varied use. If you are looking for a boat on a budget, you definitely need to check out an Inflatable Boat!
Back in the year 1839 the Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington tested the first inflatable pontoons while he was Leader of the House of Lords. Shortly thereafter in 1900 to 1910 the advances of rubber manufacturing made it possible to attempt rubber Inflatable Boats. These crude creations were only usable as inflatable rafts using paddles. There were inherent manufacturer defects as they tended to split at the seams and folds due to less than optimal manufacturing processing of the rubber.
With the 1912 loss of the RMS Titanic and then the World War I losses of war ships to torpedoes launched by submarines, inflatable boats for use as life rafts was obvious. The most prominent cause of the loss of life on the Titanic was the lack of lifeboats. There was such a shortage of life rafts that no more than 50% of the passengers could have been saved if each one had been used to its capacity.
The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, the second in 1929, the third in 1948, and the fourth in 1960. The most prominent focus was to ensure that ships had sufficient lifeboats so that every person aboard the ship had access to a place on a lifeboat. [http://www.imo.org/Conventions/contents.asp?topic_id=257&doc_id=647#1]
This was not a difficult feat with cargo ships because their crews were small and the ships had sufficient of deck space. Passenger ships on the other hand had a difficult task as in order to accommodate this requirement they had to stack lifeboats one on top of the other in order satisfy the requirement for the large amount of passengers and crew. In addition, warships had a hard time with this as their crews were also large crews and deck space was not abundant.
Goodyear had discovered a way to better manufacture the Inflatable Boats in between the two World Wars but unfortunately, the conservative though of the time held back its production. The inflatable boats that get produced were life rafts of square-shaped inflated rubber cylinders with a rigid floor. These inflatable rafts were stacked vertically aboard warships on deck.
In 1937 the design of the Inflatable Boat took a major turn. Pierre Debroutelle was the first person to develop the current U-design of the Inflatable tube. The French Navy adopted the design and gave it certification under their provisions. Then in 1943 with the inclusion of the wooden transom was patented. If you compare the Inflatable Boat of that time with today's modern Inflatable Boat.
As with many things, World War II changed the need for and thereby the industry on Inflatable Boats. Submarine attacks in the Battlefield of the Atlantic created escalated numbers of casualties among merchant ships as well as the many warships.
It was at this point that the US warships really started to use rubber life rafts. With the further advances in the rubber processing and manufacturing process over the last 35 years, the Inflatable Boat was accepted and here to stay, and now it was shaped like a boat.
Today's modern Inflatable Boat is no longer just a Life Saving device, it has now crossed over to the recreational side of things due to its low cost of entry and it varied use. If you are looking for a boat on a budget, you definitely need to check out an Inflatable Boat!
About the Author:
Don't even think about Buying an Inflatable Boat without checking out Wyatt Crouch's editorials on Inflatable Boats so you do not get Sunk buying the wrong one.
