Tenders & Toys 2024

©Ullman - Giant
And then there is impact from a rough and troublesome sea
where seating technology has advanced in leaps and bounds
too. With a golden passport from their roots in military and
automotive industries, they now have a solid footing in recreative
boating too. Impact at speed when negotiating a rough chop in
a Mistral in the Med or a confused water in the Solent - hurts!
It hurts the spine, jerks the neck, dislodges vertebrae and can
even break bones. I’ll elaborate on this later on in this article.
Military use demands long term extended high performance
in any sea condition and so does the highest echelons of car
racing over rough terrain. In fact four shock absorbers are
fitted on every land based vehicle in the world and has done
so for decades for a reason – comfort and avoidance of injury,
so why not on a boat?
The obvious answer had to come through seat shock absorption
technology which arrived on the recreational scene about
25 years ago but there were hurdles. The sector was much
smaller by volume and price sensitive to compared with the
aforementioned military and automotive sectors. Today, there
are many key players in the market that cater for this sector
which has rapidly expanded over the past decade.
Anecdotally, my time racing in Class III (UK and World
Championships) there was no seat technology and yet ‘the
torture’ came from the seat. In rough weather (which we used
to excel in), every wave we hit, transmitted to the back of my
neck in a weird way. Like a Zulu spear that pierced the back of
my skull. It was a unique and unpleasant feeling. At the time it
was about the winning not the discomfort. To avoid any injury
to my back, the technique was to ride the boat like a horse
jockey holding onto grab handles so the potential sudden
10G impacts (yes that’s a force equivalent to ten times your
own weight), had less effect. Newton’s laws of motion about
action and reaction are as relevant now as they were in the
17th century…there’s no escape but there is now a solution!
If ever there was a competitive sector of the business then
companies involved in making shock absorbing seating systems
and the seats that ‘sit’ on them, take the lead! It is surprisingly
technical and borne out of scientific research. This is why anyone
that makes investments in this respect needs to refer to their
websites and do some homework.
They are informative and a few have published bona fide scientific
data which eludes to the infamous 10G impact if only for a few
milliseconds and how that is successfully mitigated with their
individual mechanical solutions. When a boat goes airborne
and that’s when the propeller is well clear of the water let alone
the boat, a 10G impact is surprisingly common in a 30+ knot light
boat in a 3-4 ft/1m sharp chop.
However I was drawn to Ullman’s website
with a whole section of their site devoted
to research and a notice of the EU directive
that is ‘supposed ‘ to preside over this.
Passed in 2002 and I am paraphrasing,
the directive makes owners responsible
for passengers’ exposure to dangerous
impacts on high speed vessels and the
onus on being on them to provide the
best available technical solutions such
as seats. Ullman concluded that no
high-speed boat operations can be
SHARK SEATING
Starting 10yrs ago with FLEX, a patented 3-axis suspension, Shark launched
the world’s only injection-moulded jockey suspension-seats. With combined
weight from only 7kg these robust, corrosion-proof shock-mitigation seats
provide superb comfort and unmatched safety. During rough transits the
225mm (9”) travel of FLEX provides the ultimate ride, eliminating both
vertical and lateral vibrations. Now with FLEXpod, Shark adds half-height
(8.5”) suspensions with unbeatable 6” travel and weighing only 3kg. They
replace standard 8-inch seat-posts to transform the ride of any seat at
unbeatable pricing. Combining this with a range of super-lightweight Shark
seats, you not only save your back but space and money at the same time.
Shark seats are routinely put through a regime of tests including life-tests,
drop-tests, crash-tests, fatigue tests and in-boat testing. Thousands of the
20 NATO-approved modules have been in use all over the world in rescue
and border patrol for 5 years now.
www.sharkseating.com
ONBOARD | TENDERS & TOYS | 29