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Old 02-07-2019, 10:31 AM   #85
codeman671
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Originally Posted by fatlazyless View Post
'Vermont State Police adds two air boats to their arsenal' ...... google that to see the videos or ... https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Ve...505429451.html ... interesting, the incredibly high, loud, noise of the airboat engine has been removed ..... another appropriate name for an airboat is a lake shaker ..... combining the engine noise and beat'n down on the ice like a moving thundering drum .... is a real lake shaker-upper ... with all that loud noise!

For use in ice and thin ice, open water rescues, the VSP has recently received two 20' air boats, reported to cost $75,000 each, using federal grant money. Just looking at this boat in the video, $75,000 seems like way, way, too high a price for what it is .... looks like $20,000 .... maybe $25,000 tops for a 20' jon boat modified into an airboat like this .... is too much price!

Do you think the NH Marine Patrol could actually need one to be kept at their Glendale dock for use on the big lake ice?

Nah ...... no way ...... all you need to stay relatively safe out on the ice is a home made foam noodle belt worn under your coat, and a couple large nails/spikes attached to an old, sturdy shoelace, threaded down your sleeves, used as ice rescue picks, and you are much more safe out on the ice than having a $75,000 air boat and driver that most likely would not get to you in time. Is one more big expensive rescue boat that would just get there too late.

You know a foam noodle belt has as much foam flotation as a pfd, and is less bulky to be wearing because it fits snug around your waist. And, the noodle belt holds you about six inches higher up in the water, which helps a lot while struggling to climb and kick yourself out of the water, and up, onto the ice sheet (only to have it break again?).

Your personal ice safety is up to yourself, because you be frozen drowned dead before any help got to you. Drowning in icy cold water can happen fast, like in 90-seconds of coughing, choking, panicked chaos.

Here in New Hampshire, the ice-goers have to take care of themselves because they know a police ice boat will simply not get to you soon enough to help ..... help ...... what help ..... you need to help yourself ...... out on the ice.

And besides, ice boats like this are unbelievably very noisy, disturbing the quiet winter solitude and serenity, and can break up the ice as they power across the water/ice which creates some open water, safety issues for snowmobiles. And, as you may not know, there's no speed limit for snowmobiles out on the NH lake ice.

https://www.emsworld.com/news/107067...rescue-lawsuit ..... on August 22, 2006: 64-year old Virginia Yates of Rockingham Vermont, with just an injured ankle ended up drowned dead, here in New Hampshire, while transported by the local fire dept in an airboat rescue across the Connecticut River from Vermont to New Hampshire .... she would have been better off with a foam noodle belt, slowly swimming to shore, and then hitch-hiking to a hospital, or just to back home in Vermont .... plus there's no ambulance or emergency room bills to pay .....

So's ..... this 2006 airboat rescue from NH done drowned a perfectly healthy woman from Vt, who had an injured ankle, like a sprained ankle or something, while transporting her across the river to NH ...... like, what was they think'n ...... just say'n?
Bad choice on the part of Vermont to going with that style boat for rescue. A 1000 Islands is considerably safer and much faster. While an 18' is about $100k instead of the $75k they spent, they are completely different machines. Having one of these on Lake Winnipesaukee in a centralized location would be a game changer for rescue situations.
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