1 person life raft

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NickiCrutchfield

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Is there such a thing as an oceanic 1 man life raft? It seems incredible that the only option for a solo sailor in a tiny boat is to have a 30-40kg 4 man raft stashed somewhere on the boat. The only place it can go in terms of sailing performance is down below whilst the only place it can go in terms of its being operationally accessible is on the stern or coach roof. Each option is difficult to swallow. I have seen the pilot ones, but they seem very small indeed and I can't find a UK supplier. They won't ship outside the US.
I'd be interested to hear what people know.
Thanks.
Nicki
 
If you're worried enough about performance that a liferaft on deck is deemed to be unacceptable, you're probably in a race where the organisers have told you that's exactly where you must keep it!

I do see the problem though, and I've never heard of anything smaller than a 4 man.
 
There is no stipulation about the rafts position, or even having one, but I want to be able to sail and survive. Only other option is adding built-in floatation which is probably what will happen. The weight issue in an 1180 kg Achilles 24 is very great indeed. Imagine 30 kg on the stern or coach roof!
 
Next time I go to Waddington Air Show I'l nick one for you. They usually have a few one mans on display in a hangar..they won't miss one surely /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Tim
 
many years ago when I was navy aircrew we had to have a day out in the bay in a one man inflatable dinghy each year. We also had 4 man inflatable s as well. The one man inflatable was a far better choice. Easy to climb in and because of the shape was more sea worthy and stable. With the drogue deployed from the head end and the shape of the bottom reminiscent of a ducks underwater profile, It just makes more sense than a 4 man dinghy which seems designed to flip over.
 
Having spent some time in an MOD 1 man , training only, if you can get one they work! However without having an MOD contact you will never get it serviced. Also it is designed for a short time 24 hrs or so, not a long time. Having also spent 24 hours in an 8 man, with 8 men, I would rather the 1 man! Mind you the banter in a 1 man gets dull.
 
You can get small aviation liferafts though you may be looking at importing from the US. An RFD 4 man valise aviation liferaft weighs 12kg - I don't know what weighs less or what is missed out.

There's a review of aviation liferafts here http://www.equipped.com/raftstoc.htm but the main thing to remember is that they will be designed to spend most of their lives out of the sun and rain, etc. never mind salt spray.

The alternative, as hinted at, is to wander on to the nearest RAF fast jet base and up to an unoccupied a/c (don't worry, no one will mind). In the cockpit at the front of the pilot's seat, just behind the control column, you will see a black and yellow wire loop. Tie a rope around this. The rope needs to be at least 30' long. At various points around the seat you will find five little pins with tags on them saying things like "DANGER - DO NOT REMOVE". You should remove these. Do not pull on the rope yet.

Climb down from the cockpit and walk as far away from the aircraft as the rope will let you. Pull hard on the rope. Let go of the rope. Quickly.

Your liferaft will now be approximately 200' to 300' up. If it is windy start running downwind, pulling your sailing knife from your pocket as you do so. Somewhere nearby a few hundred pounds of ejection seat will be about to land. Do not stand there.

Your liferaft will now be dangling on a nylon cord about 15' below the harness that is attached to a large parachute. As it lands you should cut the nylon cord with your knife. You now have a one-man liferaft. When questioned you should explain that you paid for it and show them your last P60 or tax return.

Hope that was helpful.
 
It seems a fine line between 'liferaft' and a one man 'capsule' .

I see a picture of being blown along like that cursed bubble in the Prisoner. Not a bad concept if you're blown landward and gimballed .

My half inflated avon is my half hearted attempt at safety when crossing the North Sea and will probably stay that way now that I have reached the new middle aged.
 
That was lovely. I shall definitely do that tomorrow.

About 8 yrs ago I was on a sailing-boat with an Autoflug aircraft liferaft which I admired inordinately. I believe it cost around £2,000.
 
I agree it's a great idea. :-) On a serious note, thank you all for the input. I shall investigate further and see what I can find with my new knowledge.
Cheers,
Nicki
 
On my jaunt in a Barracuda in '49, close formation flying and dummy divebombing, we had a K type dinghy, Mae West and 'chute each, altho' I'd got a surplus K type when still at school.
 
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Having spent some time in an MOD 1 man , training only, if you can get one they work! However without having an MOD contact you will never get it serviced. Also it is designed for a short time 24 hrs or so, not a long time. Having also spent 24 hours in an 8 man, with 8 men, I would rather the 1 man! Mind you the banter in a 1 man gets dull.

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In the 8 man raft the officers would be arguing over who is the most senior and in charge. Not a problem in the one man job.
 
Have you ever seen a 4 man raft blown up? They're not exactly big...and a good part of the weight is taken up with the goodies inside which you would still want.

Are you sure this is the right place to be saving weight? Given that most boats are meant to have more than 1 person on board you'd think the boat can take an extra 30kg.
 
Good point, but yes I am sure this is a good weight saving area. The 'goodies' are supplies, ie: already on the boat. If it sinks I see no advantage in carrying extra stuff in a life raft which is already aboard in the grab bag. The 30 kg are not really the point; it is where they need to be placed for best efficacy that is significant. The boat is a single-handed boat so whether it is meant to carry more than one person or not is irrelevant. It is how much is needed for a particular voyage that effects the overall weight, hence why the need for such a big raft?
 
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The weight issue in an 1180 kg Achilles 24 is very great indeed. Imagine 30 kg on the stern or coach roof!

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Why do you say that? 30 kilos is just the weight of a child; in practical terms, what significant difference would it make? The important thing is the time it takes to launch it. If sailing under ISAF regulations, you need to be able to deploy it within 15 seconds.
 
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