Here’s a critical comment Mike. I’m sure the real boat has a very smooth surface but he model has facets or surface polygons showing. I don’t know if your modeling program allows “surface polygon smoothing” or a similar command but you should look into it because you would like the results. If not look into another free or cheap program you could export the model to for the purpose of smoothing the surfaces and removing or hiding the facets. Heh, it’s free advise…And it’s really a cool model, probably the first time it has been modeled too.

Nice opservation i tryed smoothing the edges in sketchup but this was the best result..this propblem with this model has anyed me and does it every time i look at the model..Il will try searching for a tool there can do the trick…and yes this is with no doubt the first 3d model of the Torpedo lifeboat..the boat itself is still only been made in scale models of 1-15 used for intensive testings of the design..And up to now the results is amazingly good..it looks like that the problems that the free-fall lifeboats has with extreme weather conditions is not showing in this design..up to now the tests has shown no faults when launched in very high waves and strong winds

I’m sure that there are a lot of oil rig workers the world over that are pleased that efforts like this are being undertaken. Their lives are certainly at risk in ways that terrify me!

Whether the model is smooth or faceted does not diminish the experience of learning about the concept. Thanks smike for modeling it and uploading both the model and some valuable information about it.

Ooops, I forgot to ask, how do they plan to make it float 100 meters away from the rig? It would seem that the “chute” to launch it would help, but in terrible waves and winds and without power, how do they control it at all? Thanks.

the 100 meters drift has something to do with the angle the boat is dropped and the shape of the boat..
it makes it go to a specific depth and when the boat turns and start going up again it uses around 100 meters to make the curve and return to the surface..
In all test made no matter the weather condition the boat surfaced around the 100 meters.
it should also be noticed that the drop angle is steeper than the free-fall lifeboats used to day…
Test had been made both with and with out the top round cabin section and it turned out that the best performance is made with the one there has a cabin..
It makes the boat more stabil in the face where the boat reaches the maximum depth and starts turn to to go to the surface and makes the drift to the surface be longer…
also note that the pipings used for fire protection by hosing the boat with water is removed since they affect the boat in the face where it hits the water and breaks the surface…
in all tests made it shows that no fire protection is needed since the boat goes deep and have a drift of around 100 meters bringing it to the surface where the fire is not presence..
the 100 meter drift is not affected by extreme weather because of the deepth the boat goes to and the drift the boat uses to go to the surface making it all the time being under wather where the weather has no affect..
So the weather has only and affect in the few seconds the boat breaks the surface going to the deep…

Thanks for all of the details. That makes a lot of sense for the initial plunge and return to the surface. I guess I’m still worried that once they are back on the surface, they are passengers with no control. The wind and waves could make that 100 meters shrink real fast.

I do have faith that they know what they’re doing and don’t need my advice. :)