Product

Our device is a removable, withdrawable daggerboard, to ease the transport of empty barges by preventing lateral drift due to wind and to provide an intermediate pivot point to shorten the turning radius of said barges. It is to be installed between the outer hulls of two empty barges within a barge float and consists of an outer casing suspend via hangers from the two adjacent barges and secured with cables to the bits and kevels on their decks. The outer casing(B), which can be easily moved and installed between separate fleets and individual barges when each fleet, is made of �� to 3/8� steel plate of type A36 and measures 6�x12�x8� and acts as a sheath for our daggerboard. This outer casing contains a pivot(D) around which the daggerboard(A) rotates, a system of pulley and cable(C) which connects to an electric winch(E) to raise and lower the daggerboard, a sonar device(F) to control the raising and lowering of the daggerboard to avoid obstacles, and wiring(not shown) to run the winch and sonar device. The daggerboard also pivots freely around D, which allows it swing backwards up into the casing to resist damage from impact with underwater debris while underway.

Side View(side.jpg)

Front View(front.jpg)

Top View(topview.jpg)

Top View of Centerboard (centerboard-top.jpg)