Press Room

CDG Coast Dynamics Group, Ltd (CDG), is proud to announce that, due to rapid growth, the company is expanding its capacity with a new building, scheduled to open in May. 

The 14,600 square foot production and inventory management center will essentially double the assembly capacity for CDG’s flagship brand, SHOXS Seats, in order to meet the increase in demand. The original CDG building will be transformed into an innovation hub dedicated to engineering, prototyping, and testing new shock mitigation solutions.

When it comes to designing adjustments for shock-mitigating marine seats, there are plenty of factors to consider. Adjustments are popular because they help customize the ride experience, and this can be done in more than one way. Spring-rate, progressivity, and damping characteristics may all be tunable, but each requires a different adjustment mechanism, and not all mechanisms are suitable for use at sea.

This may best be illustrated with the example of a hand-powered air pump to adjust pressure in an airspring. While adjustable pressure is desirable, operating a pump in the dark or freezing cold while wearing gloves can be a tall order. It is time-consuming, and in critical deployments the pump may be abandoned, much to the risk of the seat’s occupant. An electric pump may be a viable alternative, though it introduces new complexity and expense.

CDG Coast Dynamics Group, Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tom Gunston to the KINETIX technical team, as Chief Scientist. Maritime agencies seeking deeper insights from their impact-mitigation strategies can now work one-on-one with Dr. Gunston to assess, monitor, and improve programs intended to keep crews safer on the water.

Dr. Gunston’s professional experience and education have been heavily focused on the assessment and mitigation of occupational exposure to shock and vibration in military land, sea and air platforms.

Frank Kowalski, Managing Director of Safehaven Marine, provides a first-hand account of a mighty 2,500nm journey from Cork in Ireland to Porto Cervo on Sardinia’s idyllic coast – a delivery voyage extraordinaire made in one of his own Safehaven XSV20s, a striking 23m all-weather vessel that has the power to court both wealthy superyacht owners and professional mariners alike.

The newly-built Safehaven XSV20 was put to the test during its 2,500nm delivery voyage from Cork Harbour to Porto Cervo on the Sardinian coast. Six-meter waves and 40-knot winds were no match for the vessel and its crew as it journeyed across the Bay of Biscay to its awaiting new owner. A unique hybrid hull design features an asymmetrical catamaran with a wave-piercing monohull, achieving a carefully-calibrated combination of stability and rough-weather performance. The design incorporates a hydrofoil system for efficiency at high speeds, and initial sea trials during the build showed the boat achieved a maximum speed of 45 knots. For crew and passenger safety, the interior is equipped with SHOXS military-spec shock mitigation seating for all personnel. The air shock design of the seating system absorbs wave impacts and vibration acting on the hull, allowing the crew to avoid injury and fatigue from the constant exposure to hazardous forces.

Metal Shark Boats, a shipbuilder specializing in the design and construction of welded aluminum and steel vessels, recently announced an award from the US Navy for 160 patrol vessels for worldwide deployment with the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command's Coastal Riverine Forces (CRF). The vessel, known as the 40 PB, is a 40-foot, welded aluminum monohull pilothouse vessel with a unique faceted hull design. The vessels will operate during asset protection and port security missions, but are capable of making forays into hostile environments with six MK 16 weapons foundations plus MK 49 / MK 50 weapon systems foundations.

“The need for more advanced and capable vessels, designed to discourage asymmetric threats and to respond to them with overwhelming force, has led to the development of this radically different patrol boat platform,” explained Metal Shark’s CEO Chris Allard. “While we designed the 40 Defiant to meet the US Navy’s PB-X mission requirements, this vessel is driving the evolution of our entire military patrol boat lineup and offers a glimpse into the future direction of military patrol.”

CDG Coast Dynamics Group, Ltd, is pleased to announce that Phil Gibson has joined the Business Development team, representing both the SHOXS and KINETIX brands. In his new role, Phil’s primary responsibilities are to foster relationships with key decision-makers to educate and negotiate for SHOXS seats and KINETIX impact monitoring products and services.

Targeting the Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East regions, as well as US Federal Programs, Phil will identify and seek out relationships with potential dealers and representatives for all business sectors, including recreational, commercial, and military.

Ambex Ltd of Sussex, UK, a well-known military systems integrator, purchased the unusual 50ft composite construction vessel from an undisclosed military source and intend to reconfigure and re-power her for charter with MCA coding.

According to Ambex, potential uses for the refitted platform, that it is estimated will be capable of 50 knots, could range from yacht racing chase boat and military exercise support to a platform for unmanned and autonomous technology R&D.

Consider this scenario: you must take the wheel of one of two cars speeding along straight tracks. Both cars are traveling at 100 km/hour, but the first is 100 meters from a brick wall while the second is only 10 meters from an identical wall. There is nothing to do but decelerate before the crash, and assuming your decision is guided by self-preservation, the choice is obvious. The car closer to the wall can be expected to see ten times the accelerations felt in the car farther away. You can appreciate just how great a luxury stopping distance is when it comes to decelerating a moving body.

At its core, shock-mitigating safety gear consists of a medium or mechanism separating an input surface, such as a boat’s deck, and a person seeking to reduce their exposure. When all goes well, an impact is attenuated as it passes through the mechanism, resulting in a gentler motion for the person using it. But how is the attenuation achieved? The answer, in all but the most exotic cases, comes down to a compression or material deformation of the underlying device. And just like the cars speeding towards a brick wall, the ability of a shock-mitigating device to lessen an impact and ensure a smooth ride is dependent on its stopping distance.

CDG Coast Dynamics Group, Ltd is excited to announce the launch of Kinetix, an advanced vessel and crew monitoring program for high-speed craft. When working on the water, the risks of crew injury and vessel damage resulting from wave impacts and vibration can be significant. Now, maritime agencies can optimize their shock mitigation strategies using more complete data, more easily comply with legislation, and keep their personnel and assets safer.

Don't miss seeing us at METS this year! We plan to launch exciting new technology at the show, so be sure to stop by the SHOXS stand and learn all about a better way to manage your impact mitigation strategy. 

In addition to our big announcement, we'll have a wide selection of our marine suspension seat product line on display at METS, from full-body isolation seats built for fast interdiction craft, to jockey seats, to comfortable and stylish helm seating. Come experience the versatility, functionality, and ergonomic capability that SHOXS offers in stand 11.519 in the SuperYacht Pavilion at the RAI in Amsterdam.