Liferafts .too big?

[boomerangben]

I’ve just finished reading a book by Matt Lewis called “Last Man Off”. It’s about the experience of a young marine biologist sent to be fisheries observer on a South African long liner in the Southern Ocean. Interesting account of being in a life raft in albeit fairly extreme conditions. There were four life rafts in the incident. The two fully loaded ones contained survivors. Spoiler alert - the third lightly loaded one was found empty. One didn’t work.

Quite frankly a piece of equipment that you hope to never have to use, indeed have all sorts of prevention strategies to avoid the need of getting in one, but be very glad of it when all other options run out.

Did winch 4 guys out of a raft in the Minch years ago after their fishing boat went down. The captain’s comment when we came to the hover over head was “look at that shark”!!! Which was circling the raft…… (blue or basking, we never did work it out, it didn’t stay long)

 

[srm]

You do not inflate on deck etc.

Dump the uninflated bag and all overside - then pull like hell on the painter ...

. . . . and hope it inflates . . . . preferably the right way up . . . . . and does not disappear under the waves as the painter pulls it down with the sinking vessel . . . . . or break loose and blow away before anyone boards as it was launched while the vessel was making way . . .

All incidents that some of my students experienced and described over the years.

 

[Refueler]

. . . . and hope it inflates . . . . preferably the right way up . . . . . and does not disappear under the waves as the painter pulls it down with the sinking vessel . . . . . or break loose and blow away before anyone boards as it was launched while the vessel was making way . . .

All incidents that some of my students experienced and described over the years.

All I can say to that list - is a list of ERRORS in use / deployment ...

1. If it does not inflate when you pull the painter - how are you going to inflate it then ? In or out of water makes no odds if it doesn't inflate ... its not like a Lifejacket with a light pressure red tag !!

2. Rafts rarely end up inverted - but if they do - then there is an accepted tried and proven way to flip them upright ... maybe Youtube can help you to see how its done ?

3. Painter should not be made fast to the boat if it has not got a Hydrostat release ... for the very reason you state .. but anyway - professional rafts have a safety knife handy at entrance to cut any painter if not released ... I'll have to check to see if in a yottie version.

4. Blow Away - A scenario that there is not much you can do to prevent ... and please explain to me avoiding it by inflating on-board ... and the extremely high risk of shrouds / stays / sheets etc snagging the raft as boat sinks under it ... specifically what other posted and prompted my reply stating the accepted and designed action to take to use a raft.

As an instructor - as you say- to post such, I am surprised ... I hope you educated such people about the errors of their ways ??
AND TBH - you say : "students experienced and described over the years" ..... so they actually had such happen AND managed to survive ...

Well I never ......

 

[srm]

so they actually had such happen AND managed to survive ...

Yes, they all happened before the students attended my courses. (Sea Survival was only a small part of my work, 3 or 4 courses a year). Along with a lot of other concerning things that I heard about that could have landed the person in serious trouble.
We tried to make clear on the courses that, as you said, they were the result of errors. Setting up hydrostatic releases seemed to be a big source of errors when they were first introduced. I even heard of one boat deciding a ss bolt was far better than the nylon one that came with the release - and should be automatically cut in the event of a sinking.
As instructors we did our best to ensure they were not repeated.
Everyone on the pool courses had to right the 10 man raft. Only one guy managed, out of all the courses, to loose the air bubble and had to be rescued from under the raft.
I mentioned them here as not all leisure sailors attend safety courses and have the chance to practice with a raft.

 

[Slowboat35]

Try not to loose air bubbles in a closed-up liferaft, it's horribly antisocial...

 

[geem]

Yes, they all happened before the students attended my courses. (Sea Survival was only a small part of my work, 3 or 4 courses a year). Along with a lot of other concerning things that I heard about that could have landed the person in serious trouble.
We tried to make clear on the courses that, as you said, they were the result of errors. Setting up hydrostatic releases seemed to be a big source of errors when they were first introduced. I even heard of one boat deciding a ss bolt was far better than the nylon one that came with the release - and should be automatically cut in the event of a sinking.
As instructors we did our best to ensure they were not repeated.
Everyone on the pool courses had to right the 10 man raft. Only one guy managed, out of all the courses, to loose the air bubble and had to be rescued from under the raft.
I mentioned them here as not all leisure sailors attend safety courses and have the chance to practice with a raft.

When I did the sea survival course at Fleetwood, there were several severely unfit merchants seamen reluctantly doing the course. The inability of some of these guys to do basis stuff was alarming. I suspect some of those would be victims if they ever had to get in a liferaft.
Keeping myself fit and strong is a basic prerequisite for offshore sailing.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

When I did the sea survival course at Fleetwood, there were several severely unfit merchants seamen reluctantly doing the course. The inability of some of these guys to do basis stuff was alarming. I suspect some of those would be victims if they ever had to get in a liferaft.
Keeping myself fit and strong is a basis prerequisite for offshore sailing.

Keeping fit is a good idea for offshore sailing, not always easy to do though.

I work in the USA on marine vessels from time to time, the obesity is unbelievable. I honestly do not know how they get their FTW to be professional mariners. They have to get dispensation to fly on helicopters and are required to sit at a certain door in order to fit through in an emergency. They are clever, knowledgeable and have the usual get after it attitude, but beyond the desk and walk to the galley, it aint going to happen. They are also quite young.

It is quite sad really.

 

[Laser310]

it depends on circumstances, but I would tie the painter nearly every time.

some life rafts have a weak link on the painter that will let go before the raft sinks with the boat

but if there is any wind, the danger of it blowing away is just too great.

 

[srm]

it depends on circumstances, but I would tie the painter nearly every time.

some life rafts have a weak link on the painter that will let go before the raft sinks with the boat

but if there is any wind, the danger of it blowing away is just too great.

A correctly set up hydrostatic release has a weak link. I have yet to see a leisure use vessel with a hydrostatic release though. My boats had the painter tied when stowed on deck, and as @Refueler said, commercial liferafts have knives in pockets by the boarding openings, But like him I am not sure that all leisure rafts do.
The initial drill after boarding the raft was:
Cut - the painter.
Clear - use paddles to get clear of the vessel.
Close - close up the raft to conserve heat.

 

[Refueler]

Keeping fit is a good idea for offshore sailing, not always easy to do though.

I work in the USA on marine vessels from time to time, the obesity is unbelievable. I honestly do not know how they get their FTW to be professional mariners. They have to get dispensation to fly on helicopters and are required to sit at a certain door in order to fit through in an emergency. They are clever, knowledgeable and have the usual get after it attitude, but beyond the desk and walk to the galley, it aint going to happen. They are also quite young.

It is quite sad really.

Too often I would go to Hotel Shuttle to go to airport (in USA) ... obese 'persons' would be there and hardly fit through side door of shuttle ... as they could not get in via the normal ... I would have to wait for next shuttle ...

 

[masterofnone]

Thanks for all the advice. Purchased a 4 man canister