Canister solution for valise life raft?

[prv]

If you haven't had a canister raft before and are thinking of changing to one, be aware how awkward the things are to handle. Smooth rounded surfaces with nowhere to get a grip on them. I have a hell of a job shifting mine (8-man) from boat to car to shed without dropping it. How one is supposed to pick it up and toss it into the sea with the boat leaping about and everything wet I don't know.

Surely if your goal is to get it into the sea, dropping it on a rolling deck will pretty much achieve that automatically? Unless perhaps an 8-man is thick enough that it won't fit under the bottom guardrail? All you really need to do is ensure it goes over the chosen side (leeward, to give some shelter while boarding, or windward to avoid it being blown away? hmmm) and that ought to be manageable.

Pete

 

[FishyInverness]

So, who make Wetline and how many service agents do they have outside the UK? Seago for instance have two service agents in France and one in Spain - not much use if you're elsewhere. At least, Plastimo are well represented and my "offshore" hasn't been found to have problems after 15 years of re-packs.

Wetline are distrinuted by Unipart Marine. Wetline Liferafts can be serviced by any authorised liferaft service station within the UK, at present I'm not sure about outside the UK.

I completely agree about Plastimo, I was moved to comment after seeing the post describing plastimo rafts as having a "dire reputation" when by my experience they have anything but...

 

[ditchcrawler]

When I did the seasafe course run by an East Coast agent whose main trade is providing and servicing liferafts I asked which was the best of the budget end of liferafts and he said Plastimo.

 

[prv]

Wetline Liferafts can be serviced by any authorised liferaft service station within the UK

Authorised by who?

Pete

 

[FishyInverness]

Interesting that, I think this discussion has been had before and was answered by a forumite thus: Authorised to service Liferafts, as in "not some bloke who has a shed, some tools and a Co2 Cylinder".

I know Lifejacket servicing authorisation has to be provided by a Lifejacket Manufacturer but doesn't restrict you to just that make, I could find out who authorises Liferaft Service Stations, if it's of interest?

 

[FishyInverness]

And looking back Pete, I noticed that it was YOU that I just quoted.... Are we going here again!!

 

[Ubergeekian]

Interesting that, I think this discussion has been had before and was answered by a forumite thus: Authorised to service Liferafts, as in "not some bloke who has a shed, some tools and a Co2 Cylinder".

Cosalt in Edinburgh has a wall of certificates to say which named fitters are allowed to service which named brands of liferaft.

 

[FishyInverness]

I did do some research yesterday, and whilst I couldn't find the most definitive of answers, it appears on the face of it that a service station is Authorised by the MCA and Approved by the various manufacturer of raft.

When I checked with Unipart/Wetline they confirmed that the Wetline raft can be serviced by any authorised service station.

 

[Ubergeekian]

I'm having my Seago packed from valise to canister by Cosalt in Edinburgh. Likely cost seems to be £150 on top of the usual service for canister, harness and labels. A stainless bracket would add a wodge more but I'm going to make a removable wooden rack to go between the grab rails instead.

Followup: Cosalt have just quoted £697 including VAT to service and repack into a canister. Since Seago themselves quoted £400, I have said a polite "No thank you".