31 replies to this topic

[Glowfast Marine]

We will be releasing a new safety line/tether at this years MET's boat show (Nov 2012).

This product was designed in response to recent incidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities caused by people not being able to release themselves from their vessel in an emergency situation.

We are interested in your thoughts and feedback.

Please note pic was meant for internal use only and is of prototype which does not include all features and does not show the inner workings. (colours and logos not added)

Basic operation.
The tether operates as per normal with the added feature of if being trapped or dragged under the water the user can free themselves with one hand by simply pulling the handle. Even under very high loads the handle is still very easy to pull thanks to the patented internal workings.

There have been several deaths in recent years caused bypeople drowning by not being able to release themselves from a vessel when indistress. This has caused other manufacturers to offer a quick release system'sor include a knife in the sale of the safety lines. These systems are work wellin no load scenarios (when there is no load on the safety line) andnon-panicked situations.

The Glowfast HLR Lanyard/Tether takes this to the next level by incorporating apatented release system that enables the user to quickly release themselves whenin distress with the use of just one hand without the need for a knife.

·Can be released under load with one hand andwithout the use of a knife

·Lighter weight.

·Less moving parts.

·Less bang points.

·Easy quick release handle (photoluminous)

·Moulded rubber around clip to avoid damage todecks (not shown in picture)

·Simple single handed release clip withnon-corrosive spring allowing for quicker/easier release and lighter clips.

·No accidental release.

·Can be reset quickly and easily  Glowfast-HLR-Lanyard.jpg   487.18K   408 downloads

[us7070]

It might make me a bit uncomfortable to have important parts of the quick-release on my tether covered up so I can't see them.

[TJSocal]

A couple of thoughts:

1. I'm guessing you've tested for this, but that style of clip looks like it could still fail to disengage under load even with the gate open--jackline or padeye could stay hooked in the top part of the clip unless you relieved some of the pressure on the tether. Something like a snap shackle where the bail has a hinge on it and opens completely might work better.

2. If you're being dragged by the boat, it may not be possible to pull yourself to the end of the tether that's attached to the boat to actuate the release. Consider putting the quick release on the harness end where it will always be within reach.

3. More than likely nobody's going to be trying to operate this thing visually, so the photoluminescent release handle is probably not useful. Users will be able to find it just by following the tether. To be effective it will need to work without visual, with one hand, wearing gloves.

[bluelaser]

The quick release mechanism is under the black nylon "sock" with the loop right there by the larks head end, right? pull it away from yourself release it? Or do you pull it towards yourself while under load to release it? Any videos of it working?


On another note - the Carabiner opens by squeezing the trigger on the back side, right? Pretty slick setup. I'd get one depending on price.

[savoir]

That carabiner cannot be released under load at all.

No way I'll buy one.

[Glowfast Marine]

Firstly thanks for your feedback so far!

Sorry I might not have explained how the system works to well.

The quick release cover is an integral part of the design, when operated the whole cover peels away. (footage and pics will be released shortly)

The clip that is attached to the boat is a dual action clip that is operated by squeezing that cannot be opened unintentionally opened. This clip far exceeds ISO standards. As a bonus it it lighter weight and easier to operate with one hand. Also note on the product that will be released has a rubber moulding to protect against scratching.

The clip end stays attached to the boat and the mechanism is operated by pulling the handle towards you at the harness end. We are have a version where the handle is pulled away this means it is easier to operate in no load situations. The downside to this is you end up with the detached side of the tether in your hand after you release it. This has not proved to be a major problem but we are interested in your thoughts on this??

We would like to think that people will just know where to reach instinctively however we thought we would add the photoluminous handle to aid in a panicked situation especially if trapped under a boat

We are looking at a price point around the same as the Spinlock tethers and we will be offering an elasticated and dual hook version also. They can also be interchanged as they all have the same internal workings in the release mechanism

That is correct the Caribeena will not be able to be released under load (same as current setup of tethers) the release system that allows you to release under load is the black sock looking part in the pic. It gives a huge mechanical advantage that makes it very simple to release even under extreme load.


I tried to upload a video of some testing but with no luck. Sorry! we will be releasing a proper promotional video when we release the product officially.

[TJSocal]

OK, so clearly in my earlier comments I didn't understand how this thing works at all.

Never mind...

One more comment, though. Could you maybe make this less expensive if it were an attachment to the end of an existing tether that somebody already had?

[Recidivist]

.

The clip end stays attached to the boat and the mechanism is operated by pulling the handle towards you at the harness end. We are have a version where the handle is pulled away this means it is easier to operate in no load situations. The downside to this is you end up with the detached side of the tether in your hand after you release it. This has not proved to be a major problem but we are interested in your thoughts on this??

Without a lot of thought - in a no-load situation, the person could release the tether from the boat using the clip, or release the tether from his or her harness with the second clip (if there is one?). I would be worried that providing a choice of release directions might result in the customer making the wrong choice at the time of purchase, and paying a very high price for that decision if the release is ever required.

Aside from that, it's good to see the release under load issue being addressed, good luck with the product.

[Overbored]

not real clear on which loop attaches to the harness and which one you pull. how does it attach to the harness? do you have to release it to make the attachment to the harness? pulling away from you when the tether is tight and streached out from you would not be very intuitive. pull loop should be large and very bright color that can be seen best under water or in the dark. what happens if you get the loop caught on something? does it release when you don't want it to? after you pull the loop do you still have to release the latch. or is pull the loop all you have to do?

[WHL]

Personally I prefer the Gibb snap hooks to those shown. Hopefully you will give people a choice of snap hook.

I can't off er an opinion on the quick release while it's hidden under the cover. Releasing by pulling the trip away from you is easier than pulling towards you when the trip is close to the harness end of the tether.

I hope the double tether isn't built like the Spinlock double. You would think if you had a double tether with a 2m/5ft tether and a short 1m/3ft tether, that the total span between snap hooks is close to 3m/9ft. Unfortunately Spinlock has the short tether sewn into the long tether about a foot down the webbing from the loop at the harness end. with another length of webbing sewn to join them. The affect of this is the following:
- When the long 2m/6ft tether is attached to a jackline or padeye etc..and you try and stretch to another location to attach the short 1m/3ft tether, the total span between the snap hook of the long and short tethers is just over 2m/6ft and frequently too short for jobs like this:
- Your long tether is attached to the jackline... you have moved forward to the mast to take a reef. Typically you will want to attach the short tether to a strong point on the mast while leaving the long tether on the jackline. On many boats I've been on, the Spinlock span between the double tethers is too short. to stay attached to the jackline while trying to clip on the short tether to the rig. Similarly the span is frequently too short to stay clipped onto the windward jackline outside the coaming and stretch far enough to reach a strong point / padeye inside a cockpit. A span of 3m/9ft between snap hooks is more reasonable/useful.

[Glowfast Marine]

The lanyard ends will be interchangeable as in you would be able to hook a double hook or a single hook without having to buy a new mechanism but it is not possible to fit to a lanyard that is not installed with the HLR system from manufacture.

The Loop section is attached to the harness by pulling the entire lanyard through the loop. It does not have to be released to be fitted to the harness.

We will just be releasing one variation of the HLR system however I just thought I would get your thoughts.

[Glowfast Marine]

I have been told I can't put up any video of the official testing but if you go to the Glowfast facebook page http://www.facebook....stMarine?ref=hl there is a short video of one of the guys mucking around with the first prototype which will show you how the mechanism works

[allen]

"Glowfast Luminous Technology hasn't added any videos yet." from facebook page

[seaker]

How is this requirement met? 5.02.3 A safety line purchased in January 2001 or later shall have a coloured flag embedded in the stitching, to indicate an overload. A line which has been overloaded shall be replaced as a matter of urgency.

Otherwise I think I understand how it works.

[Glowfast Marine]

How is this requirement met? 5.02.3 A safety line purchased in January 2001 or later shall have a coloured flag embedded in the stitching, to indicate an overload. A line which has been overloaded shall be replaced as a matter of urgency.

Otherwise I think I understand how it works.

The overload indicator is located where the handle tucks into make the loop. in the case of an overload the s that is sewn into the lanyard/tether will pull out and leave coloured stitching showing so that you can see it has been overloaded.

Sorry about the vid it should be up now

[Beau.Vrolyk]

The problem with using a loop and doing a luggage-hitch to the harness is that many harnesses have two rings that need to be captured with the luggage hitch. With you loop, one would have to remove and replace the luggage hitch each time the harness is removed and replaced. I'd much rather have a shackle of some type. Once I have the shackle, because I need it to easily get in and out of my harness, then I'll just use that as the release. For this reason I use a tylaska shackle as a device to implimemt release under load.

[Ballast Technician]

My earlier comment appears to have disappeared, so here it is again:
Would be nice to have some sort of disc/ball/knot on the 'trigger stop' in order to make it easier to grip (esp. when wet, with gloves, etc).

[Glowfast Marine]

My earlier comment appears to have disappeared, so here it is again:
Would be nice to have some sort of disc/ball/knot on the 'trigger stop' in order to make it easier to grip (esp. when wet, with gloves, etc).

Thanks again for you thoughts!

We have tested several configurations for the release handle and found that the current setup works well and packs away neatly. I will ask the designers whether they have tried your proposed configurations.

Also please see new video uploaded to the facebook page which will show you a little more of the lanyard.

[Merit 25]

I'm clearly missing something. What is just using a big snap shackle bad? I never liked the luggage tag approach.

[mustang__1]

because a snap shackle will not release under load - which is why we use tylaska's for halyards and tacklines/guys etc. I have been wanting to test it for a couple years now but have never gotten around to it to see if there is too much load to release a snapshackle when being towed.



Glowfast, how hard is it to reassemble the tether if you trip it. how hard is it to accidentally trip? Id hate to have it snag on something at the wrong time.

I have a spinlock tether which is cowhitched to a snapshackle, but i think i will probably end up getting the double tether version when you release it to the market. This looks great. I also prefer the biner's you're using over the ones on the spinlock (wich are fun to play with, but not as smooth and can be a little annoying in the dark). I think the biner's you're using are the same ones from the Kong tether?

[Glowfast Marine]

Mustang_1

If accidentally released it takes around 4 seconds to reset once you know the procedure. The procedure of resetting is quite simple however it takes some people a few goes to get right. We will have the reset instructions printed inside the cover so it should make it quite simple to reset. We will be recommending people open up the cover and have a look. We will also have a YouTube video with instructions available to ensure the system is getting reset properly.

The handle is designed specifically so it should not get caught on anything and if it does it still should not release the system as the handle has not catch points so it would be extremely rare for accidental release.

The hooks we are using are similar to the Kong tether however we are using different internals to make them more corrosive resistant as well as having a rubber moulding to reduce scratching etc..

The reason we are starting with the cow hitch is it is lighter weight and also reduces the cost. We have given the HLR prototype tether to many sailors for testing and asked them specifically whether it was a problem. The response pretty much across the board was it was not really an issue as they only had to release it when they took the harness off and it was only took a couple of seconds to take off.

This being said if the market wants 2 hooks then it is certainly something that we will bring out.

[mustang__1]

By two hooks i meant a double ended tether. I prefer a cowhitch on the harness end. I just want a short tether and a long tether like my spinlock.

[Merit 25]

because a snap shackle will not release under load

Under how much load? I've hung from mine with some extra weight on it, and it releases easily. Every time. I understand on a big boat when spiking the tack/guy on a chute might be a problem, but normal size humans are 200 lbs or less.

[haligonian winterr]

I personally love having a snap shackle on the harness end, simply because when I'm climbing around in rigging I can trip it from the harness end after my climbing harness is clipped in, do whatever I need to, then come back and switch harnesses again.

Just to keep it out of the way when climbing.

HW

[Glowfast Marine]

A snap shackle is definitely something we are considering as an option.

We will be exhibiting the initial product at MET's this year and getting hands on feedback on all our current configurations by many industry experts which will allow us to weigh up lot of different opinions and come out with the most versatile products we can.

Thanks again for everyone's comments and we look forward to your continued support and feedback with all of the products in the Glowfast range.

[Glowfast Marine]

Hi guys its been a while. We just thought we would give you an update on the High Load Release lanyard mentioned above. We have just received all our standards approval's and will be moving into manufacturing very shortly. You can check out a short video of some of the drop testing at http://www.facebook.com/GlowfastMarine

[mustang__1]

because a snap shackle will not release under load

Under how much load? I've hung from mine with some extra weight on it, and it releases easily. Every time. I understand on a big boat when spiking the tack/guy on a chute might be a problem, but normal size humans are 200 lbs or less.

i wonder how much load is on an average sized person when they are being dragged through the water?

[indyshope]

Will you be exhibiting at the Chicago Strictly Sail show? It would be good to see this device first hand.

[Kraftwerk]

Whats under that black lump?

[thinwater]

And if the handle snags on the head of a stachion or some other deck protrution and releases? No, a loop handle is not suitable, not for a single-hander.

Also, how quickly can it be reset, say in the dark in the rain? Just curious. I'm assuming it's something like a parachute release ladder, though I couldn't find an image.

[thinwater]

What I would like to see are shock-absorbing tethers.

http://sail-delmarva...er-tethers.html

I think we misunderstand the cause of impact related failures. They arn't failing from the fource so much as the sudden stop. OSHA, the military, and climbers know this.

[chrisdb]

How is this any different to a simple kite surfing leash? Why are you bothering to redesign something that's already been made?