re: Drowning at Flatboat today...

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I would also be curious as to how you two believe concrete and steel ships are able float but rubber boots are heavy in the water and drag you down.

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I’m not sure what they believe but I know that that is a bad analogy for the point you are trying to make. Those item float because they a not filled with water and shaped to have their weight displaces less water than needed to sink the vessel. If they fill with water, they will sink.

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It is all about displacement and the SG of almost all rubbers is less than 1 hence they will float in water.

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If the boot is made solely from most rubber compounds, you are probably right. If it is made from one of the denser industrial rubber compounds, you could be wrong, there are a few industrial rubber compounds that are denser than water. Add to that things like steel shanks and you may be less than buoyant.

Regardless, all that adds weight which is way more taxing when swimming. Exhaustion increases the panic which increase exhaustion. It’s a vicious circle and a sad situation for all involved.