Zodiac International

Zodiac Milpro International

Survitec Sas

Zodiac International S.a.

Zodiac Solas

Marc Lavorata

Pascal Michaud

Alain Richard

Lionel Boudeau

Cédric Dronne

Guillaume Simon-Bouhet

Franck Palomba

Erwann Ravary

Joseph Hernando

Guillaume Simon Bouhet

Cedric Dronne

The device comprises at least one pair of flexible ballasts which extend laterally along the length of the inflatable structure and each comprise an orifice, acting as a vent, situated at the front, and a scoop system situated at the rear. Between the ballasts, at least one pipe connects the cavities of said ballasts to equalize their level of fill and the stagnation pressure of the water obtaining in said cavities when the inflatable structure is pulled along in the inflated state. This scoop system consists of a component moulded in a rigid or semirigid thermoplastic or is made of an assembly of cutouts from a flexible material of watertight fabric. This scoop system is bonded and/or welded to the ballast.

Device for stabilizing an inflatable structure

A semi-rigid boat, includes a rigid hull () provided, at the bridge thereof (), with two types of holders for the inflatable tube(s): a gutter-shaped holder for receiving, at the bow and/or at the stern, a section () of tube () having a circular cross-section; and a planking wall-shaped holder () that extends between the bow and the stern, which is provided so as to engage with an inflatable section-shaped structure () having a D-shaped cross-section that extends longitudinally between the sections (). The section () of inflatable tube having a D-shaped cross-section is attached to the bottom portion and to the top portion of the planking wall ().

Boats having inflatable planking

The invention relates to methods and devices for launching into the water, from a height H greater than a predetermined height h, a life-saving object designed to be able to be launched into the water in free fall from this maximum height h. One end of a halyard is fixedly hooked to the life-saving object or to the launch site; the halyard functionally cooperates respectively with the launch site or the life-saving object so that the life-saving object falling by gravity is braked on and/or by the halyard over at least one part (H-h) of its drop height. By controlling the braking effect, the life-saving object, falling from the height H in a braked manner over at least one part (H-h) of this height hits the surface of the water () with a kinetic energy not exceeding that which it would have at the end of a non-braked free fall from at most the height h.

Method and device for launching into the water a means for life-saving at sea from a height greater than its maximum launch height

Life raft () launched by davit () and comprising for this purpose hanging means () able to be held in a hook () suspended from the davit (), this raft () being fitted out with equipment comprising at least one load () that is heavy or heavier than the others, which raft is characterized in that the heavy or heavier load () is attached to the aforesaid raft hanging means (), as a result of which, when the raft is hoisted by the davit, the heavy load or at least the heaviest load remains suspended from the raft hanging means without touching the raft, and the raft, being much better balanced, occupies a more horizontal position.

Davit-launched life raft

A floating inflatable device which is to be able to be inflated on the surface of liquid and which for this purpose comprises inflation means including an on-board source of pressurized gas, wherein said inflation means comprise a venturi supplied by said source of pressurized gas and capable of entraining ambient air which contributes to the inflating of the device, and wherein said venturi inflation means, being mounted on a wall of said device, are protected by protective means covering them in such a way as to allow ambient air to pass freely while at the same time preventing liquid from being able to gain entry to the device to any appreciable extent.

Floating inflatable device, particularly an inflatable life raft, equipped with venturi inflation means

A pneumatic boat comprising at least one inflatable fender (,) forming two approximately parallel branches (,) and a transom (,) extending between these two branches (,), each branch (,) being constituted by several tubular compartments (,) placed side by side longitudinally and superposed having a poly-lobed cross section the major axis of which is tilted in relation to the horizontal; the lower compartment (,) of each branch (,) includes a flexible casing (,) integral with the compartment immediately above (,) and retaining a detachable float (,); the casing and the float are mutually shaped so that the float is applied by the casing against the compartment immediately above and that the external lateral part (,) of the casing is stretched approximately tangentially between these, forming with a horizontal plane an average angle of between 5 and 45&deg; approximately.

Pneumatic boat with auxiliary floats

High-capacity life raft (1, 10) comprising an inflatable peripheral edge (2) forming a tubular buoyancy chamber and a central bottom (3) secured thereto, characterized in that the said central bottom (3) comprises at least one region (4) forming a platform for receiving those embarking and at least one region (5) for mustering those who have embarked, the said muster region (5) occupying an area of the said bottom that is quite distinctly larger than the area occupied by the said reception platform region (4).

High-capacity life raft

Self-righting inflatable life-raft (1) comprising a peripheral edge (2) consisting of at least one inflatable tubular chamber surrounding a bottom (3) secured in leaktight fashion to the said tubular chamber, at least one inflatable tubular hoop (4) extending above the raft between two opposite sides of the inflatable tubular chamber (2); at least two more or less parallel hoops (4) are provided; each hoop (4) is equipped with a reserve of gas (8) projecting from the outside of the hoop (4) and in a region thereof which is at an angle (.alpha.) of approximately 30 to 60.degree. above the horizontal, the assembly formed by the hoop (4) and the reserve (8) being asymmetric with respect to the vertical mid-plane (5) of the raft; and a heavy weight (6, 7) is secured to the raft along that one of its edges that is on the same side as the abovementioned reserves (8).

Self-righting inflatable life-raft

A device (1) for survival at sea, comprising a pneumatic raft (2) or the like in the uninflated and folded state, together with at least one reservoir (3) of inflation fluid, which raft and reservoir are enclosed in a rigid container (4), the device being characterized in that the container (4) includes a hatch (9), and in that the reservoir of inflation fluid (3) is provided with at least one sensor (10) for detecting at least one magnitude characteristic of the state of the fluid contained in the reservoir, in particular its pressure and/or its temperature, and is organized in such a manner that said detected magnitude can be measured through the open hatch of the container, thereby enabling the state of the survival device to be inspected without opening the container.

Growing community of inventors

Paris, France

Marc Lavorata