Liferaft mounting warning

[Pavalijo]

This will be known to many but not all, and I felt it worthwhile to share my recent experience.

I purchased a Crewsaver ISO liferaft as demonstrated by a Crewsaver rep on the Marine Superstore stand at Southampton Boat Show in 2015 prior to our trip from Scotland to Southampton in 2016.

My intention was to eventually (after the new arch was added this winter) mount it on the transom in portrait orientation. However when it arrived there were drainage holes drilled on the underside of the canister indicating that the canister was intended for horizontal deck mounting.

At the 2016 boat show I attended the stand of Crewsaver who said that I could take the raft into their Southampton branch and they would drill holes in the correct position for me. However the staff at the service centre subsequently advised me that the raft must not be mounted in this way.

When I spoke to Marine Superstore they advised that this was the case with other rafts, however the very poor instructions that came with the raft made no mention of this issue.

With assistance from Rob at Marine Superstore we investigated which ISO rafts could be mounted as I wished. Interestingly Rob got an e mail from Plastimo saying that their raft could be mounted in portrait fashion. I, however, had an e mail from someone else at Plastimo saying that not only could none of their rafts be mounted in this way, but no raft currently in production can!

I asked Viking about their rafts. Whilst they tried to sell me one, when I pressed on the mounting orientation issue they just stopped responding!

In my research online I found no mention whatsoever of this mounting issue, which I understand relates to the positioning of the gas bottle.

Ocean Safety then advised Rob and me that their rafts can be mounted in this way, provided that the end from which the painter exits is at the top. They are, in fact, going to amend their literature.

In the end I have exchanged the old raft for an Ocean Safety one (after checking that their servicing extends to the Mediterranean) and I must add that Marine Superstore have been excellent. Whilst my claim of mis-selling was directed at Crewsaver with them in the line having acted as retailer, they have exchanged the now used raft with me contributing £100 for the benefit of an extra year to the first service. They never argued the point and deserve credit for their excellent service.

Finally, I will also add that I thought the Crewsaver product looked well made and good quality having seen it inflated on the stand at the boat show. I would have been very happy to carry it had it not been for the mounting issue.

Paul

 

[Mistroma]

A similar comment came up on the forum about a year ago and I asked Ocean Safety about the orientation of their ISO range. Their reply indicated that it would be better to mount with the painter hole near the top. See extracts from my email and their reply below.

I said:
My liferaft is currently mounted in a cradle on the pushpit and lies lengthways with the lifeline exiting on the side near the bottom left corner of the canister. This means that the instructions are readable from the stern. I have just been told that another service agent has commented on the incorrect orientation of a similar liferaft.

Apparently it should be mounted the other way around with the lifeline exiting on the side near the top right corner. The reason given was that the weight of the stored liferaft bears down on the firing mechanism and cylinder if stored in this manner.

I could turn the liferaft around but thought that I would ask if there was any truth in this claim. My own thoughts were:
1) The liferaft is a very tight fit inside the canister so I didn’t expect it to slide down and put pressure on the valve or cylinder
2) Orientation wouldn’t be important after launch as the canister would float on its back until the lifeline was pulled

I’d appreciate it if you could confirm the preferred orientation or if there is no known advantage in storing in any particular orientation.


Ocean Safety replied:
The stowage of your liferaft as described in your email is perfectly acceptable i.e. with the painter line exiting on the lower long edge of the container. This is normal practice and the fact that the liferaft will be “above” the cylinder and operating head is of no consequence.

When rafts are packed at manufacture or by manufacturer approved service technicians they will be folded in such a way that ensures that the painter line and operating wire have a clear exit route if pulled. The weight of raft on the cylinder in a leisure liferaft will have no effect on the cylinder itself.

Furthermore we regard it as undesirable to store the raft the other way up as suggested by a third party. It is not difficult to imagine the cylinder lying on top of the raft possibly causing damage to the raft as a result of the motion of the boat over time.

You are also correct in your assumption that the raft will not slide down inside the raft when packed. It is likely to expand a little if anything leading to a nice tight fit within the container.

Orientation after launch is not important. On deployment rafts tend to inflate the right way up. On occasions when they don’t, righting them using the righting line is a straightforward procedure. If you have not done so already I would suggest taking the RYA Sea Survival course as an excellent way of familiarising yourself with this and other liferaft techniques.

Hopefully this will put your mind at rest. If I can provide any further advice or answers please let me know.

 

[Pavalijo]

I posted my concern on the Moody Owners' forum as well as here.
A fellow Moody owner has just responded to say that he was advised by Crewsaver that he can mount in portrait orientation, as long as the raft is mounted such that the painter ("inflation lanyard") is at the top.

Here is my response to that post:

That is worrying - Crewsaver have given you and me conflicting advice. Plastimo gave Marine Superstore and me conflicting advice also. Perhaps if we had spoken to more that one person at Ocean Safety then we might have had differing views, who knows? Viking stopped responding to me when I pushed them.
Given that we pay £1k plus for a few bits of synthetic cloth etc that we hope we never need, but could save our lives if we do, then the the lack of absolute clarity from major manufacturers is shocking!

Regards
Paul