A challenging new
water sport
for the
New Millennium
From a newspaper article
By Blitz Robinson, Marine Editor
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PHOTO GALLERY - COMING SOON
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How does an inflatable manufacturer prove to the world that his inflatable boat is as good
or better than his competition?
Some would suggest; competitive testing,
testing under adverse conditions, as well as creating or seeking conditions which are
worse than any conditions, normally anticipated. All of these would be reasonably
acceptable answers, but Gemini Inflatables has come up with a novel and
extraordinary solution of their own. Their method invites their competitors to compete in
a grueling test that destroys all but the most hardy.
"Rubber-Ducking",
is the name of the water sport they created. Inflatable boats are being created by these
race competitors which are now achieving speeds greater than 135 kph or 85 mph. These are
fully inflatable boats weighing less than 75 kg (165 lbs) yet are beefed up to take an
unbelievable amount of abuse. |
The secret to their
speed and agility seems to come from their "tunnel hull" design. The tunnel
hull is constructed with two parallel skegs or keels running the entire length of
the hull on both the port and starboard pontoons made of tubular high pressure inflatable
compartments called "hijackers". The pontoons are heavily reinforced and
maintain directional stability as well as horizontal stiffness, keeping the inflatable
from buckling when it reaches maximum impact, whether running headfirst into a heavy sea,
falling off the top of a ten footer, or running out of the trough and falling into a hole.
One of these racing inflatables is called the Gemini Surf 420,
which is derived from two other race boats, the Gemini Sprint and the Gemini
400. These forerunners have been the most successful racing inflatables in the
world. This model is so-constructed to carry a full complement of divers or lifeguards,
where, in South Africa, they must penetrate the high sea conditions on a daily basis.
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The testing of
these super-inflatables has created a spectator sport for either calm waters where the
boats literally seem to fly around a race course, or in the wave-breaking areas of the
surf, where the boats run a long course along the coast, beaching themselves occasionally
to refuel or clock in, before returning to the sea, charging over the breaking seas and
leaping into the air as the head over the larger waves. Some of these
"Rubber-Ducks" have been photographed as high as 36 feet above the water level.
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 The videos of
these boats are amazing, as they are photographed racing onto the beach, literally leaping
off the breaking waves, ahead of the white water, and settling into the next sea ready to
leap forward again and climb the next sea. Over 50 of these boats can be seen competing in
a single regatta, from flat water circuit racing to longhauls to surf circuit.
These racing models are designed with multiple locations for grab ropes
and footstraps, which are made to hold both the driver (pilot) and his co-pilot in place
as they challenge other racers in the waves. The Surf 420 is 4.2 meters (13’ 9")
long and has a payload capacity of 700 kg or about 1500 lbs, is made with 5 compartments,
weighs 160 lbs and holds 7 passengers. This model can tow skiers with as little as 15 HP
and will take up to a 50 HP motor for competition. In this configuration, the hull will
run at an estimated 50 mph.
We will be taking a demonstration run in the Surf 420, and if I come
back in one piece and live to tell about it, I will write up the test results in a future
edition. |
