Our CB series aquaculture buoys have become the standard in Canada among the major aquaculture companies. When we were developing our buoys, we saw an opportunity to improve the durability, mechanical strength, & longevity of the buoys that were widely in use. Some key improvements that set apart our product are:
Tidal Marine CB Aquaculture Buoy Molded In Insert
Molded in Stainless Steel Inserts
- Our load plate and internals are secured directly to the buoy’s shell
- 10 bolts secure the load plate to the shell on each end of our Hawser models
- 5 bolts secure the load plate to the shell on each end of our Standard models
From our research, we found that the most common failure point of our competition’s buoys was a result of unsecured load plates. Over time, the through rods were being dislodged from the buoys necessitating frequent replacements.
Compounded Colour Pigments
- Tidal Marine CB series aquaculture buoys use compounded pigments
- Dry blended pigments are contaminants to natural polyethylene (PE) and as a result weaken the mechanical strength of the material
- Compounded pigments are integrated into the PE, resulting in a much higher mechanical strength compared to dry blended pigment parts
We found that other company’s buoys were being pigmented with dry blending resulting in a weaker outer shell that is more prone to being compromised.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Fusion
The load plates on our Standard compensation buoys are bolted into molded in inserts in 5 places. On our Hawser CBs, we use 10 bolts & inserts.
- Over 20 years experience in EPS fusion
- Quality control measures to ensure our foam fusion is of the highest quality:
- Optimal EPS bead size
- Pentane gas content and expansion ratio
- Age of EPS after pre-expansion
- Steam quality
- Steam duration
We have found many of our competitors’ flotation products to have poor EPS fusion which results in loose beads and voids allowing for significant water ingress. Some companies use polyurethane foam in place of EPS. Polyurethane is non-recyclable and it can produce significant voids inside the part. For these reasons as well as other factors, we choose to use EPS.
Our compensation buoys are also deployed for industrial mooring buoys for applications such as barrier booms and mooring of barges & ships. We recently supplied the US Department of Transportation with our CB1200 Standard buoys to be used as mooring buoys at the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia.
To learn more about our CB series click here.
CB1200 Standards about to be shipped to their new homes in the Pacific Ocean.