Shock consequences of Seawork encounter
The new Shock Mitigation Seats are seen installed on the new Redbay 1050 Patrol Boat at the Southampton Boat Show last month.
The seeds of collaboration planted only three months ago at Seawork have been quick to bear fruit, with a new range of shock mitigation seating making its debut at the Southampton Boat Show last month mounted in a Redbay RIB.
KPM Marine carried away the coveted Spirit of Innovation Award at Seawork 2009 for its KPM 80 series Run Dry Pumping System and their stand was subsequently deluged with interest for the rest of the show. But that did not stop KPM and Scot Seats Marine finding time to launch a joint venture there and then to collaboratively design shock mitigation seating based upon Jules Morgan’s vast experience as a power boat racer. He knew that back injuries were not only the consequence of vertical pounding at speed but of abrupt lateral movement as well.
Scot Seats Marine had already been manufacturing seats for boats, mainly for Northern Ireland’s Redbay Boats Ltd. These seats have mainly been helmsman and passenger seats for their cabin ribs, which Scot Seats Marine had been fitting on another manufacturer’s air bases. Due to problems with these bases constantly breaking, the company had been looking at designing its own suspension/shock mitigation base for its seats. A process of gathering information from boat builders and users to assist in building the new Shock Mitigation Seating System was accelerated by the Seawork meeting with KPM.
In the new joint venture, KPM manufactures the suspension components of the seats and Scot Seats manufacture the seat parts. Scot Seats Marine then handles all the sales and marketing of the seats.
The new seats give the user three forms of shock mitigation, not just one as with other shock mitigation seats currently available. Scot Seats have the standard up and down movement which is done with a progressive spring assisted damper, incorporated in a swingarm system. Beyond this, it has installed a shuffle suspension system which allows for some sideways movement, which reduces the side jerks and twists that are a major cause of injuries. Finally, it has Mitigation foam fitted in the base of the seat, which works as the final part of shock mitigation system. When fitted in a fast craft, these seats are suitable for people of all shapes and sizes due to a height adjustment system, which is operated by simply turning a knob on the back of seat, and an adjustable damper.
The Shock Mitiagtion Seating range was launched at the Southampton Boat Show last month, fitted on the new Redbay 1050 Patrol Boat. After initial tests on Southampton Water, responses have been excellent. Those giving feedback said that these were the first seats they have used on a RIB that gave them enough confidence to sit and not stand in all conditions.
Scot Seats Marine is now starting a full testing program encompassing their own test boat and Redbay Boat’s new design Patrol Boat. Some of this testing will be with accelerometers on both the boats’ hulls and the new seats to show the full benefit that the seats are giving to the seated passenger.
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