Testimonials

Just wanted to let you know we are using most of the inflatables for our schools program, comments are continuing to flood in from parents, swim teachers, staff, and even casual patrons regarding the equipment and how much fun the kids are having.


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Self Inflating Buoys


Our Innovative Self Inflating Marker Buoys

Easy deployment
Fold down for transport & storage
Great branding opportunity
Wind & wave friendly


DO NOT REQUIRE an airpump, blower or gas tank to inflate!!

Our Self Inflating Marker Buoy (SIMB) is simple to use and very effective. No need for a blower or air pump. Manufactured from high quality PVC with handles and grab-lines. SIMB inflates itself when deployed in the water, unlike bulky pre inflated products multiple SIMB can be easily transported and deployed in place.

It is ideal for events in the water requiring a removable marker, like yachting and swimming races, surf life-saving events, canoe, rowing and kayak races. The self inflating marker buoy is easily deployed and when not in use rolls into a very small unit for storage in the handy carry-bag supplied with each unit sold.

Specifications

Please click on this link to contact us regarding any Buoy products.


Video Watch our Marker Buoy demonstration video:


Quick & Simple Deployment of the Self inflating Marker Buoy
Marker Buoy Clip Self Inflating Marker Buoys - Deployment Self Inflating Marker Buoys - Deployed Marker Buoys Yachting
Marker Buoy Clip On Ballast Deploying the Self Inflating Marker Buoy Marker Buoy fully inflated Marker Buoy at Yachting Event


Benefits of our Marker Buoy

Aflex Mega Marker Buoy, Self Inflatable

Self Inflatable Mega Marker Buoy

One of the great benefits of the self inflating Marker Buoys the vertical signage opportunities is offers for high profile events on the water. The PVC allows for effective sign writing of a sponsor's name or a club name when the marker buoy is bobbling on the water, highly visible during the event.

A chain or item of similar weight is used to ballast marker buoy in a vertical state. The product can be supplied with or without ballast. Deployment is easy. Simply unclip the retainer from around the marker buoy, attach weight, unfold the buoy to its full length and lower it into the water. It inflates itself easily so you don't need to spend time inflating it on land for transfer to a position on the water. No worries about over-inflating it.

In order for sufficient air to be trapped in the Mega Marker Buoy at deployment the person deploying the buoy needs to be standing at a height of 1.5 metres above the water level.

Many marker buoys consist of bulky bladders within
an outer skin which either punctures or continually
needs repair. The Self Inflating Marker Buoy
revolutionises the speed and ease of laying
marker buoys for a wide range of events.

Aflex Post SIMB, Self Inflatable

Aflex Post SIMB - Self Inflatable


Testimonials

TestimonialOn winning the bid to host the 2007 New Zealand Starling Nationals, it suddenly became painfully obvious to our club that our existing set of pre inflated course markers would be woefully inadequate for the required 7 mark trapezoid course, which included two sets of gates. Not only would it be virtually impossible for us to carry seven pre-flated marks of adequate size on our 5.2 metre course laying rib, but the time to retrieve extra marks from another boat would restrict our ability to lay a course in an acceptable time.

...initially we had reservations about them them getting holes in and sinking, or sinking if run over by a yacht or patrol boat. But these reservations were soon put to rest after several fairly testing sessions. We ran over them with almost every yacht in the club, including between the hulls of a tornado and they just bounced right back up...

...the speed of deploying and retrieving the marks far exceeded expectations...

...another unexpected benefit was the ability to adjust the height of the marks in the water, to suit the wind strength...

The clever weight design and easy clip system makes handling the lines and anchors a breeze and of course storage back at the shed is no longer the waste of space it used to be. We will certainly not go back to the pre inflated marks after having these.

Would I recommend them? I certainly would!

»- testimonial from Steve Newport (President and Chief Mark Layer, Nelson Yacht Club, March 2007) about his experiences using the Aflex Self Inflating Marker Buoys during an 18 month period.

TestimonialHaving as Race Officer run many championships for several clubs in the ACT, and at numerous clubs elsewhere, I have always been aware of the compromise between having buoys which are visible and at the same time easy to handle from a small boat.

After a buoy problem at the recent ACT cat championship, I remarked about the problem to a visiting NZ sailor competing at the CYC. He said his Sailing Club at Nelson successfully used self inflating buoys as marks, and he would send me details. The manufacturer, Aflex Technology, went one better and sent me a sample.

It is an ingenious system, the weight of the buoy and its sinker causes air to be trapped so it floats some 1.5m out of the water. The weight of the buoy is 5kg, to which is attached a short length of chain for stability. Un-inflated the buoy is only 900x 200mm so it is very easy to carry several on board a small RIB safety boat.

I have been testing the sample buoy over four weekends dropping its anchor into 4-12 metres of water. I set it up using an anchor with 15m of rope attached to a 2m loop of 3/8 chain [4m total] attached to the buoy. It was well visible from a kilometer away against the trees in the background. During the laying tests I ‘accidently’ dropped the buoy in the water at an angle of 60 degrees, rather than upright, and again with it only held half height from the boat. With the worst handling I could achieve, the buoy still floated one metre out of the water due to the trapped air.

» - testimonial from Paul Fitzwarryne / ACT Race Officer, January 2009about his experiences using the Aflex Self Inflating Marker Buoys during an 18 month period.



Nelson Yacht Club Marker Buoy