Hi All,

May I ask a DUMB question?

Carley Floats? Were they ever made from balsa? A few people, including one man who I really trusted when it came to things like this and things about PTs,have told me they were?

I've just learned that they weren't? Which is right? Balsa or kapok and canvas?

People,

I must apologize to all who buys or have bought my Revell book ... Apparently, my information about Carley Floats was incorrect.

EJ Foeth was kind enough to direct me to a report written after the loss of HMAS SYDNEY and it says that these floats were made from copper tubing, cork and canvas ...

I apologize for my error.

Garth

On further investigation ... from another report on the HMAS SYDNEY ... it said this: "Also, in 1943 the US developed a balsa wood liferaft that would not sink, irrespective of the number of holes (from enemy fire) in it."

So, apparently people, I was correct ...

Garth

Hello Garth,
In the original patent application, they are described
as cork and canvas.

See: http://www.google.com/patents?vid=734118

It is possible that they were later modified to use
different materials for improved performance or material
availability.
Cheers,
Joe

Thanks Joe. I've been advised that the USN developed a Carley Flost made from balsa because those wouldn't sink from machine gun fire.

Joe, thanks for posting some factual information about these rafts.
Dave

I'm going to dig a little deeper into this for you guys. I know that copper was thought of a strategic material, and also, I know that PTs did have rafts made of balsa.

So, all of this hullaboo might just might be a case of people using a catch-all phrase for an object rather than what it was called.

Like I saw Tracy White say on FSM, all Higgins boats were not manufactured by Higgins, and all Xeroxes do not come from Xerox machines.

Let me look into this, OK?

It might be a case where the two camps here might be correct.

I don't know how definitive this answer will be view as, however, John Lambert, in an email this morning told me:

"Hi Tim (and all on this Carly Float line)!

The Carley float was designed in the U.S.A. but soon copied all over the world as it was a cheap alternative to emergency ships boats. Some were indeed made of lightweight Balsa, but most I suggest were copper tubes welded together, giving watertight sections, covered with canvas and painted to suit."

Hmmm... a survivor on a Carley Float whiling away his time by carving a balsa model boat from a piece of his raft!

NOW ... THAT'd be a TRUE scale modeler, right?

A modeler to the end!

Indeed, indeed.