Inland Rivers Floating Aids

The United States Coast Guard USCG maintains approximately 15,000 buoys on 7,400 miles of the Western Rivers system. About half of them are replaced each year at the cost of about 3M. This project evaluated existing hardware and operations to determine if alternative buoy designs could increase buoy life and reduce overall costs. A literature search was performed, including studies on fast water and debris-shedding buoys from the 1970s, a 1991 buoy technology survey, and a 2006 USCG Academy USCGA research project of fast water buoys, in order to identify potential buoys and their characteristics that could meet basic criteria. No physical tests were performed using buoys as part of this effort. As no existing buoy designs satisfied all the needs for fast-flowing and pooled waters, hybrid buoy designs, incorporating features and materials from existing buoys, were developed through analysis of the salient features of existing buoys. The resulting buoys may be suitable replacements for existing USCG 4th Class and 6th Class buoys used on the Western Rivers system. The hybrid buoy design consists of an ionomer foam body construction with a steel mooring bar and rudder fin. The hybrid buoys are shaped to the same design as existing USCG 4th Class and 6th Class buoys, but their overall size is smaller. Initial start-up cost may be greater than existing USCG 4th and 6th Class buoys. The 4th Class hybrid buoys are anticipated to have longer buoy lives, reducing number of buoys to be purchased. They should use the current chain and sinker mooring system because of its proven functionality. The new design could also reduce the workload of the inland buoy tenders WLR. It is recommended that detailed design and analysis be completed on the 4th Class hybrid buoy but no additional efforts should be made for the fast water design at this time because the additional costs do not appear to provide increased buoy longevity and decrease costs. Additional testing needs to be d