Click the image above to read about the testing performed on the Givens Buoy Life Raft.
Testing the Givens Buoy Life Rafts
The U.S Coast Guard has performed controlled tests of all major life raft manufacturers' products and in every case they have determined that the Givens Raft cannot be capsized by high winds or rough seas.
On multiple occasions, the Coast Guard performed batteries of tests to determine the seaworthiness of various life raft designs and models. These tests included simulated rescue hoists from Coast Guard rescue helicopters, simulated hurricane force winds from a C-130 aircraft slipstream, drift tests, weight distribution and stability tests, subjective "at-sea testing", along with other tests.
Click one of the topics listed below to see the test results.
The U.S Coast Guard has performed controlled tests of all major life raft manufacturers' products and in every case they have determined that the Givens Raft cannot be capsized by high winds or rough seas.
On multiple occasions, the Coast Guard performed batteries of tests to determine the seaworthiness of various life raft designs and models. These tests included simulated rescue hoists from Coast Guard rescue helicopters, simulated hurricane force winds from a C-130 aircraft slipstream, drift tests, weight distribution and stability tests, subjective "at-sea testing", along with other tests.
Click one of the topics listed below to see the test results.
The most dramatic results came from tests involving the use of rescue helicopters. The large Coast Guard helicopters hovered about 30 feet above the surface of the water, directly over the rafts being tested. The powerful downdrafts from the rotors reached speeds in excess of 100 m.p.h. The lightly ballasted competitors' rafts were flipped over by the helicopter blade downwash and the canopy immediately filled with water trapping the mariners inside. Those capsized rafts now sat upside down, the canopy rapidly filling with cold seawater. Meanwhile, the Givens Buoy Life Rafts stabilized by the patented hemishperical stabilization system sat perfectly still beneath the rescue chopper.
Airflow deflected by the stabilization system and canopy as the raft crests a wave. The stabilization system keeps the center of gravity below the surface. Click here to see how this system works.
The Givens raft is able to resist capsize from high winds because the hemispherical ballast chamber extends 5 feet below the ocean surface, which does not allow winds to catch the underside of the raft. Even directly below the rescue helicopter the Givens raft was absolutely stable.
The Givens raft is able to resist capsize from high winds because the hemispherical ballast chamber extends 5 feet below the ocean surface, which does not allow winds to catch the underside of the raft. Even directly below the rescue helicopter the Givens raft was absolutely stable.
Similar results occured when the Coast Guard tested the rafts with winds generated by a C-130's four propeller engines. The aircraft was positioned on a runway close to a lagoon where the rafts were deployed. At a distance of 500 feet, the aircraft produced a slipstream of wind about 150 m.p.h., which capsized every raft but the Given Buoy Life Raft.
A low drift rate is essential for a good reason.
A low drift rate aids rescuers. Search and Rescue teams will be directed to the last known location of the vessel, and if a Givens raft was known to be used, the response team will know the drift will be minimal. If it takes several hours to reach the disaster area, lightly ballasted rafts with high-drift rates could by then be miles from the original location.
The heavy ballasting of the Givens Raft helps to keep it in place. The hundreds of gallons of water in the ballast chamber act as a sea anchor - wind pushing on the canopy of the raft cannot move the thousands of pounds of water below.
A low drift rate aids rescuers. Search and Rescue teams will be directed to the last known location of the vessel, and if a Givens raft was known to be used, the response team will know the drift will be minimal. If it takes several hours to reach the disaster area, lightly ballasted rafts with high-drift rates could by then be miles from the original location.
The heavy ballasting of the Givens Raft helps to keep it in place. The hundreds of gallons of water in the ballast chamber act as a sea anchor - wind pushing on the canopy of the raft cannot move the thousands of pounds of water below.
Givens Double Ballast Self-Stabilizing Buoy Life Raft Will not Capsize. Divers in survival suits attempted to intentionally capsize a Givens Buoy Life Raft and were unable to do so. The Givens Buoy Liferaft remained upright and would not capsize.
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Competitors' lightly ballasted raft capsizes. This photo illustrates how a single diver is able to capsize a competitors lightly ballasted raft by simply attempting to board it!
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"Survivors" wearing exposure suits were able to capsize unballasted and lightly-ballasted rafts. Those rafts also capsized when two or more raft occupants were positioned on the same side of an un-ballasted raft. (Click here to see a comparison explanation of the ballast systems on life rafts.) The testing teams were unable to capsize a Givens Buoy Life Raft, even with 800 pounds of body weight on one side of the raft.
At-sea tests demonstrated the Givens Buoy Life Raft's amazing wave riding ability. In 30-35 foot breaking seas, the Givens raft did not capsize, but rode the swells as if it were anchored to the sea surface. All the lightly ballasted liferafts capsized.