Water rescue of an individual whether they be a man overboard (MOB) from a boat or someone close to shore requiring a water rescue by shore lifeguards, can easily become a dangerous and life-threatening situation within a few seconds.
The current invention offers a Compact Powered Rescue Apparatus (CPRA), a lightweight and compact powered watercraft that can be deployed from a moving boat in just seconds thanks to an innovative CO2 inflation system. CPRA can be stowed on-board a vessel and automatically inflated in just seconds much like the compulsory life-raft or pre-inflated and ready to deploy immediately from shoreline lifeguard stations.
CPRA is a powered watercraft based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,029 Motorized Surf Boots (Powered Waterskis), a recreational watercraft. However, in this case the craft is made inflatable, configured with a portable stretcher for water search-and-rescue operations, and driven by battery powered electric marine thrusters.