Going out on deck in the middle of the night, and your gloves are still cold and wet from the last haul? Worse still, wet boots? It doesn’t have to be that way…
Dutch company Pronomar produces a range of equipment for drying wet gear far more effectively than simply hanging your gloves on a radiator for a few hours.
‘We can dry any PP; gloves, boots, oilskins, jackets, anything that you can’t put in a tumble dryer we can dry out, and we specialise in equipment for dealing with wet conditions so that your clothing is dry next time you’re on deck,’ said Pronomar’s Jiska Bazuin.
The range includes electrically heated hangers in a variety of free-standing and wall-mounted configurations, including modular arrangements that can be fitted together as required, to substantial drying containers for offshore use. Systems are built in 304 stainless steel for land-based use, and in 316 for use at sea. There are also specially-designed dryers for boots, with each boot slotted onto a frame, and these are either electrically heated or have an air flow routed through them. The same arrangement with a warm air flow is used for gloves.
‘A boot that is completely soaked can be dried right out in three to four hours using electricity or air, and gloves dry in half an hour,’ she said.
‘It’s the volume of air that does the trick. The dryer channels 200,0l0 litres of air per hour at a temperature of 39°C, so it’s close to body temperature. The temperature is regulated as if there’s too much heat the clothing can be damaged, so this is a gentle way to dry clothing that also kills of bacteria, to it’s also a hygienic option.’
She added that the air flow removes the water form the wet clothing – while simply hanging gloves or oilskins in a warm places serves only to warm them up.
‘Your gloves are warm when you put them on, but there’s a good chance that they are still wet,’ she said.
‘It’s about comfort and health, and also about extending the life of the clothing,’ added Iris Wiebrens. ‘The feedback we get from the fishermen tells us that the gloves last a full week at sea, instead of a day or two, and over the year that adds up to quite a saving.’
‘We supply these with an eight-year warranty and there are plenty of these dryers that have been in regular use for more than twelve years. They are considered to be maintenance free, designed for continuous use and with no moving parts, and only the dust filters in the blowers need to be changed once a year. So we don’t make any money on maintenance,’ she added.
She commented that Pronomar’s systems are now well known and their experience is that once a crew has become used to having it, it is something they do not want to be without.
‘Boot and glove dryers are available in configurations for form five up to thirty pairs, and can be wall-mounted, freestanding or fixed to a mobile rack. These have rounded hangers so that as well as gloves and boots, they can be used to dry helmets, masks, life jackets and a variety of other equipment.’
