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.
The 1st Duke of Wellington in 1939, Arthur Wellesley had tested the development of the Inflatable Pontoon Boat during his term as the Leader of the House of Lords. Then in the early 1900s due to technology advances in the manufacturing process of rubber, it was then possible to make the Inflatable Raft from rubber. Obviously during this time period, the Inflatable Boats were not mechanically propelled, so the only way to navigate these Inflatable Rafts was to paddle. Due to inherent flaws in the rubber manufacturing process the Inflatable Boats tended to split at the seams.
The loss of the Titanic in 1912 and the ensuing WW1 and the losses of many war ships that fell casualty to the indefensive tendencies to the submarine torpedo, Rubber Rafts gained popularity. The main reason for such a loss of like on the Titanic was due to the unthinkable fact that there were less than half the necessary lifeboats aboard her than were necessary for each person aboard to have a space.
This disaster was shortly there after created the initial SOLAS treaty to avoid such catastrophes again. The main premise of the SOLAS treaty was to ensure that there were adequate numbers of lifeboats aboard all vessels so that every person had a space on a life boat in the event of an emergency. [http://www.imo.org/Conventions/contents.asp?topic_id=257&doc_id=647]
Cargo ships did not have a difficulty in meeting the new standards at the time as they did not carry many hands on these vessels; however War Ships and Passenger Liners had a very difficult task at hand. For the Passenger Liners to accommodate this had to stack the lifeboats where ever they could in order to meet the new requirements.
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.
World War II created a prominent need for a new version of the Inflatable Life Raft with the escalation of the number of submarine attacks against the War Ships and Merchant Ships due to the number of casualties
It was now that the War Ships found the real need for Rubber Life Boats which helped the rubber industry to yet improve again in quality of materials and production " now the Inflatable Boat was shaped like a traditional boat and was better than it had ever been before.
The Inflatable Boat has now traversed the battlefield into the recreation field due to its economical and versatile nature. If you ever wanted a boat, but did not have the finances for a traditional boat, today's Inflatable Boats are a logical and safe choice. - 31901
The 1st Duke of Wellington in 1939, Arthur Wellesley had tested the development of the Inflatable Pontoon Boat during his term as the Leader of the House of Lords. Then in the early 1900s due to technology advances in the manufacturing process of rubber, it was then possible to make the Inflatable Raft from rubber. Obviously during this time period, the Inflatable Boats were not mechanically propelled, so the only way to navigate these Inflatable Rafts was to paddle. Due to inherent flaws in the rubber manufacturing process the Inflatable Boats tended to split at the seams.
The loss of the Titanic in 1912 and the ensuing WW1 and the losses of many war ships that fell casualty to the indefensive tendencies to the submarine torpedo, Rubber Rafts gained popularity. The main reason for such a loss of like on the Titanic was due to the unthinkable fact that there were less than half the necessary lifeboats aboard her than were necessary for each person aboard to have a space.
This disaster was shortly there after created the initial SOLAS treaty to avoid such catastrophes again. The main premise of the SOLAS treaty was to ensure that there were adequate numbers of lifeboats aboard all vessels so that every person had a space on a life boat in the event of an emergency. [http://www.imo.org/Conventions/contents.asp?topic_id=257&doc_id=647]
Cargo ships did not have a difficulty in meeting the new standards at the time as they did not carry many hands on these vessels; however War Ships and Passenger Liners had a very difficult task at hand. For the Passenger Liners to accommodate this had to stack the lifeboats where ever they could in order to meet the new requirements.
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.
World War II created a prominent need for a new version of the Inflatable Life Raft with the escalation of the number of submarine attacks against the War Ships and Merchant Ships due to the number of casualties
It was now that the War Ships found the real need for Rubber Life Boats which helped the rubber industry to yet improve again in quality of materials and production " now the Inflatable Boat was shaped like a traditional boat and was better than it had ever been before.
The Inflatable Boat has now traversed the battlefield into the recreation field due to its economical and versatile nature. If you ever wanted a boat, but did not have the finances for a traditional boat, today's Inflatable Boats are a logical and safe choice. - 31901
About the Author:
Don't even think about Buying an Inflatable Boat without checking out Wyatt Crouch's editorials on Inflatable Watercraft so you do not get Sunk buying the wrong one.
