Pete Hall
August 10, 2014
So you are paddling your IRB in some class 3 rapids and suddenly things go sideways, your boat flips. Thankfully the equipment is all secured safely to the craft per your Department’s SOPs. But now you find yourselves in a defensive position heading downstream clinging to an upturned craft. How will you right it?
Ok, so this is not as dramatic as it all sounds, righting your craft can be done quickly and easily following a few simple steps
First someone has to get up onto the hull of the upturned boat, the best way is to use the righting straps by flipping them over the hull from the opposite side (righting straps can be webbing or rope daisy chained or stowed and attached to the boat tubes at the gunnel).
Next position the boat so that any wind or environmental forces will assist you in righting the craft (wind should be blowing into the empty hull as you start to lift the boat off the water)
Ideally with two personnel now standing on the upturned hull you can start to lean back on the straps. Another crew member should position themselves in the water holding onto the gunnel that is about to be lifted. As the crew continue to lean back against the straps the boat will start to lift up on the one side. Keeping the feet firmly placed on the tube, you now need to just “ride” it out until the boat rights itself. Ideally flipping the third member into the now righted craft.
Finally the member in the boat can assist the crew back into the boat, take PAR and you are back in business.
This is just one of the skills that we at CTR can teach your department in a customized boat operators class.
As always, contact us with your questions, comments or any topics you would like to see discussed at the “kitchen table” and be safe out there.
