We proudly distribute and sell the award winning Sea Scoopa manufactured by FERNO Australia for man overboard recovery. This device helps get your MOB safely and easily back onboard. Its design delivers 2:1 mechanical advantage to help you recover a potentially unconscious person, in water–sogged clothing, from the sea. The slideshow at left shows Sea Scoopa for power & rescue craft as well as for sailboats.
Read on for features, specifications, videos, photos, documents, and reviews of sail and power models of Sea Scoopa.
Key Features
- Lifts 600 lbs (300 kg)
- Parbuckle lift
- 2:1 advantage
- saves rescuers’ backs
- Compact
- Fine mesh net
- won't trap victim limbs
- Lifts victim horizontally
Captures
slippery victims- Lightweight
- Portable
- Award winning
- powerboat models
- sailboat model
Table of Contents
Specifications
- Compact - Various sizes
- Lightweight
- Deploy in minutes
- Easy to stow - self–contained
- Easy to transport between vessels
- All in one package
- Strong fabric and fittings construction
- NATA tested to ABR 5195 Standard "RAN Lifting and Securing Equipment, Testing and Surveying Requirements" for loads up to 300 kg
- Lifts person in horizontal posture
- Made using high visibility
safety/rescue
materials- UV resistant nylon
- UV resistant PVC covered polyester
- Bright orange/red
- Yellow
- Easily distinguished from other gear
- Highly visible at night
- SOLAS light reflective tape
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to repack, reuse
- Several models, to suit:
- Powerboats
- Rescue craft
- Sailboats
- Yachts
- Australian Patent; International Patents Pending
Dimensions of Sea Scoopa and Accessories
This table shows dimensions of the model for power and rescue craft. Additional sizes, and Sea Scoopa for sail, are custom fabricated to suit. In reading the table, refer to part number notations in the image (the image below the table). Please contact us for consultation on your particular man overboard recovery needs.
| Item | See image below | Rescue Boat Freeboard | X (mm) | X (in) | Y (mm) | Y (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carry Bag | n/a | 2030 | 80 | 540 | 21 1/4 | |
| Stretcher | part (1) | n/a | 2030 | 80 | 580 | 22 3/4 |
| Sea Scoopa 2.3 - Powerboat | part (2) | < 2 feet (small RIB or inflatable) | 1890 | 74 1/2 | 2280 | 89 3/4 |
| Sea Scoopa 3.3 - Powerboat | similar to part (2) | ≤ 4 feet (1.2 m) | 1890 | 74 1/2 | 3120 | 122 3/4 |
| Sea Scoopa 4.3 - Powerboat | similar to part (2) | > 4 feet (1.2 m) | 1890 | 74 1/2 | 3840 | 151 1/4 |
| Sea Scoopa - Sailboat | Dimensions vary; please contact us |
Sea Scoopa (2) & stretcher (1); see table above for dimensions
How the Sea Scoopa Aids Rescue
Scooping up, horizontal recovery, mechanical advantage, and simple operation are the most important features of the Sea Scoopa. Both models, one for sailboats (shown above) and the other for powerboats or rescue craft (shown at right), deliver on these points.
Scoop Up Your Man Overboard
In the best case scenario of man overboard recovery, the victim is quickly spotted, uninjured, and non–hypothermic. But the Sea Scoopa can even help you recover an injured or hypothermic individual unable to assist in his own recovery. The device is deployed alongside the rescue vessel. The vessel is maneuvered at dead slow to a position alongside the man overboard. The device’s design enables scooping up the man overboard. Once engaged, or scooped up, in the device, the person can be lifted back aboard, even if he is unconscious.
Sea Scoopa used on rescue boat
Horizontal Man Overboard Recovery is Best
circum–rescue collapse,points to physiological and medical reasons that horizontal recovery is preferred. Learn more about circum‐rescue collapse here
The lower body is compressed by the hydrostatic effect of the water—the so-calledG suiteffect—and blood is diverted upwards into the chest cavity. Blood volume becomes progressively depleted by a physiological reflex causing excessive urination and pulse rate slows as hypothermia develops. Vertical lifting causes immediate loss of theG suiteffect. The already reduced blood volume instantly pools in the lower body and the heart rate cannot increase to compensate for this sudden loss of central blood volume. As a result, circulatory shock and sudden death can occur. This is calledcircum–rescue collapseand is a recognized major hazard of vertical lifting when recovering someone who is hypothermic. For further reading on this, and other medical matters related to marine rescue, consult therescuer’s bible,Essentials of Sea Survival by Golden and Tipton. This text should be in every sea rescue organization's library. –Bob Wright, MD, Director, Intensive Care Services, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, AUS
A parbuckle
lift using rope
Take Advantage
Sea Scoopa employs an ancient method of lifting heavy objects, called parbuckling.
Because the Sea Scoopa passes around the person in the water, playing the part of the rope in the illustration at right, the force required to lift is halved when the free end of the Sea Scoopa is hauled in. This important mechanical advantage enables more work with less brawn and reduces the likelihood of rescuing personnel injuring themselves in effecting the rescue.
Simple Operation
Sea Scoopa for powerboats ready to recover man overboard
There are two styles of Sea Scoopa. One model is for power and rescue craft, the other is for sailboats and takes advantage of the boat’s mast. Please see the videos below, as they show sailboat and powerboat Sea Scoopa models in operation. Note that both models can help safely recover even a potentially unconscious person from the water. Both models require at least 6 ¼ feet (1.9 m) of clear gunwale to roll a recovered person back on board in a horizontal posture.
Awards
- Australian International Design Awards
- ABC’s
The New Inventors
series
Military Application
The Royal Australian Navy tested Sea Scoopa and issued it a NATO stock number for the benefit of navies around the world.
Videos
For Power & Rescue Boats
For Sailing Yachts
Test by Practical Sailor
Test by SAIL Magazine
Review by SAIL Magazine
After testing Sea Scoopa for Sailboats, SAIL Magazine Executive Editor Charles J. Doane wrote the following in his review, in Back On Board: Testing the Latest Man-Overboard Gear:
The first retrieval unit we tested, the Sea Scoopa…is the only gear we’ve ever used that truly does make it possible to recover an unconscious or absolutely disabled MOB victim from the water without getting in yourself.Charles J. Doane, July 30, 2012
Photos of Sea Scoopa for Sailboats
As these photos depict, the design of Sea Scoopa for Sailboats is slightly different than the model for powerboats. This model takes advantage of the sailboat's tall mast and halyard. Please click a photo for a larger version.
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- Sea Scoopa ready to recover man overboard
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- Lowered into the water
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- Slow approach
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- Crew engaged with the Sea Scoopa
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- Sailboat man overboard recovery
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- Lifting continues
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- Sailboat man overboard recovery nearly complete
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- Crew on deck
Product Documentation
Operating Instructions
Please select the appropriate user’s manual for operation instructions of your model of Sea Scoopa.