Platforms
Local Platform Design
When working in remote locations where equipment weight and volume considerations are paramount, or where it is impractical to ship a coring platform, lightweight platforms of opportunity can be constructed from local materials. Contact facility staff to discuss platform design for your specific coring needs.
Cataraft
The CSD Facility cataraft, an off-the-shelf Aire Jaguarundi, is comprised of two 4.5m inflatable pontoons. Two rigid metal frames are available including an NRS Universal frame, and decking options include two standard sheets of plywood or a lightweight fabric decking. It is a small platform that can be easily transported or shipped to distant locales and assembled on site.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 4.8m Width: 2.4m Tower Height: 0m weight: 90 kg, plus deck
- Moonpool: Yes
- Shipping Requirement: air/surface freight
- Transportation Requirement: hand carry
- Deployment Requirement: clear shore access
- Contact: CSD Facility
- Accessories: Anchor line, Anchor
Canoe
The CSD Facility has 3 aluminum canoes, 2 lightweight Kevlar canoes, and canoe outriggers that can be used for increased stability when sampling. Alternatively, two canoes can be braced side-by-side for better stability during soft sediment core recovery operations. A platform based on canoes can be assembled more quickly than the cataraft, but is more difficult to transport, and cannot be shipped easily.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 5m Width: 2m Tower Height: 0m Weight:22 kg each, plus beams
- Moonpool: Yes
- Shipping Requirement: surface freight
- Transportation Requirement: hand carry / vehicle roof rack
- Deployment Requirement: clear shore access
- Contact: CSD Facility
Inflatable Kayak
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 3m Width: 0.5m Tower Height: 0m Weight: 5 kg
- Shipping Requirement: post/courier
- Transportation Requirement: hand carry
- Deployment Requirement: clear shore access
- Contact: CSD Facility
Achilles
The Achilles SGX-132 is a soft hull inflatable boat with a removable modular aluminum floor. It fits up to 6 people and is compatible with our available 20hp outboard motors.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 4m Width: 1.8m Tower Height: 0m Weight: 51 kg hull, 34 kg floor
- Shipping Requirement: post/courier
- Transportation Requirement: hand carry
- Deployment Requirement: clear shore access
- Contact: CSD Facility
Zodiac
The CSD Facility zodiac is a 2004 Zodiac International model 550 SRMN, an inflatable boat with a rigid hull.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 5.5m Width: 2.2m Tower Height: 0m Weight: 300 kg empty
- Shipping Requirement: 20-foot shipping container
- Transportation Requirement: truck with 400 kg towing capacity
- Deployment Requirement: boat launch
- Contact: CSD Facility
Motorboats
The CSD Facility has two 14 foot (4m) aluminum boats — a Mirro Craft and a Crestliner Nighthawk — that are easily towed behind a vehicle and rapidly launched at a boat access point. They are compatible with facility outboard motors, and can be used for water sampling and surface coring with cable-deployed devices.
Skiffs
CSD Facility has two 19 foot Carolina Skiff boats. These are flat bottomed fiberglass boats with no seating.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 6m Width: 1.8m Tower Height: 0m Weight: 430 kg, plus motor
- Shipping Requirement: 20-foot shipping container
- Transportation Requirement: truck with 900 kg towing capacity
- Deployment Requirement: boat launch
- Contact: CSD Facility
Pontoon
The R/V Happy is a 20-foot (6m) pontoon boat with a moonpool cut in the floor. It provides a stable platform for most types of open-water coring at locations with a boat launch. It must be towed to its destination—it cannot be shipped.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 5m Width: 2.5m Tower Height: 0m Weight: 400 kg, plus motor
- Moonpool: Yes
- Shipping Requirement: not possible, must be towed
- Transportation Requirement: truck with 900 kg towing capacity
- Deployment Requirement: boat launch
- Contact: CSD Facility
- Accessories: Anchor Line, Anchors
Kullenberg
The R/V KRKII is a large platform (~5.5m x 6m) consisting of two 19-foot (5.5m), 430 kg skiff boats bolted together with aluminum deck plates and beams. When disassembled it can be towed on a single trailer behind a heavy-duty truck or shipped in a standard 40-foot shipping container. It was engineered and purpose-built for Kullenberg coring, for which it provides a large, stable work surface, a 6.5m quad-leg tower, 5m long moonpool, and integrated hydraulic winch and capstan.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 6m Width: 5m Tower Height: 6.5m Weight: 3,600 kg
- Moonpool: Yes
- Shipping Requirement: 40-foot intermodal container
- Transportation Requirement: truck with 3,600 kg towing capacity plus 400 kg additional gear
- Deployment Requirement: boat launch
- Contact: CSD Facility
Deep Lakes Drilling System (DLDS) Damen Barge
The Deep Lakes Drilling System (DLDS) barge is a modular platform produced by Damen Shipyards, consisting of 6 joined segments.
Each of the segments has dimensions equal to a standard 40-foot intermodal shipping container, which allows transport via truck, rail, and ship, and assembly with a crane. Position is maintained by heavy anchors deployed from each corner of the platform. Owned by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and hosted by the CSD Facility, the DLDS barge is available for projects requiring deployment of a heavy drilling rig, mud works, and associated equipment on a floating platform.
- Dimensions and Weight: Length: 24.4m Width: 7.3m Weight: 91,000 kg
- Moonpool: Yes
- Shipping Requirement: 7 x 40-foot intermodal containers
- Transportation Requirement: Tractor-trailer with container chassis
- Deployment Requirement: Solid shoreline with 1-2m water depth; 50-ton crane
- Contact: Facility staff or ICDP
Space Frame
The Space Frame platform is a modular platform with lightweight components, consisting of 44 floats, each 8 x 4 x 3 feet (length x width x height),196 pounds, and each offering a maximum buoyancy of 5130 pounds. The floats can be configured as needed for deployment requirements and assembled on site by hand, with structural beams and decking attached to the top.
- Dimensions and Weight (maximum configuration): Length: 18.1m Width: 8.8m Weight: 7,700 kg
- Shipping Requirement (maximum configuration): 3 x 20-foot intermodal containers + 4 x 40-foot intermodal containers
- Transportation Requirement: Hand carry
- Deployment Requirement: clear shore access
- Accessories: Shipping container
- Contact: CSD Facility
Anchors and Anchor Lines
The CSD Facility offers anchors and anchor lines in several sizes. Most are Danforth or Bruce-style anchors, which provide optimal holding capabilities in varying sediments. Facility anchors range from 4 kg (aluminum) to 150 kg (steel), can be disassembled for transport, and are available with suitable static anchor line with minimal stretch to maintain platform position in wind and waves.
