Coastal 6 man valise recomendations

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gregcope

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Hi All,

My liferaft has been condemned as uneconomical to repair. I dropped the canister and broke it, plus it needs a new air canister, and a 12 year service. Due to its age it now needs yearly services.

Usage is european coastal cruising. My crew insist on one, and for cross the channel this seems like a sensible idea.

So, anyone have any recommendations for the following requirements
- 6 man
- Canister
- 3 year interval
- Not Seago (was the last one)
- Does not need to be MCA / ISO 9650 as the boat is not coded

The Ocean Safety Charter ISO 6 man canister looks like it might fit the bill.

Thoughts?
 
gregcope said:
Hi All,

My liferaft has been condemned as uneconomical to repair. I dropped the canister and broke it, plus it needs a new air canister, and a 12 year service. Due to its age it now needs yearly services.

Usage is european coastal cruising. My crew insist on one, and for cross the channel this seems like a sensible idea.

So, anyone have any recommendations for the following requirements
- 6 man
- Canister
- 3 year interval
- Not Seago (was the last one)
- Does not need to be MCA / ISO 9650 as the boat is not coded

The Ocean Safety Charter ISO 6 man canister looks like it might fit the bill.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

In a test in France the Plastimo raft came out on top. As far as cost is concerned it was considered that as there is only a 25% difference in cost, the vast majority of rafts sold are the Ocean type.

FWIW.
 
I went for the Ocean Safety Ocean ISO9650 version. A few quid more, but it's a better quality raft, manufactured in the UK rather than China.
 
I bought a zodiac. It was quite a bit cheaper.
I think it was a mistake. The problem, finding a local service center.
If I replace it I will get one from a manufacturer with a local service center.
 
Uricanejack said:
I bought a zodiac. It was quite a bit cheaper.
I think it was a mistake. The problem, finding a local service center.
If I replace it I will get one from a manufacturer with a local service center.
Click to expand...

I guess it depends where you live, but there are Zodiac service centres within easy reach of most people.
 
pvb said:
I went for the Ocean Safety Ocean ISO9650 version. A few quid more, but it's a better quality raft, manufactured in the UK rather than China.
Click to expand...

"FWIW it was an Ocean Safety raft which did not deploy properly in the case of Daniel Fournier (see YM May 2015).

It was relatively new and not yet due its first service.

I wrote to them asking for their comments. They said that they would recover the raft and come back to me on it. I'm still waiting.

In a comparative test in France it was the Plastimo raft which came out on top."

Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?454420-Liferaft-review#XzVWv9TkkMx4p1OZ.99
 
Have looked at both the ocean safety and plastimo ocean models. Both get good reviews, although Viking get better reviews at significant extra cost. For example (don't have link to hand) Viking gets 5/5 stars and the ocean safety 4/5.

Both can be had for around £1500 for a 6 man canister. The ocean safety slightly more expensive.

Will probably go for the ocean safety ocean, I like their stuff, UK made, gets good reviews.
 
FWIW here are some reflections by Daniel Fournier who lost his boat to a fire (see post #5).

Ironically he is a retired colonel of the Sapeurs Pompiers in France (Fire Brigade).

Here are some observations:

• The emergency ‘magic’ VHF alarm button under its protective cover is great - as long as you can reach it. Even being a champion at holding my breath it was perfectly impossible to reach it in my case. Could one not have a cockpit repeater just as I have for the loudspeakers, the windlass and the plotter?

• When the liferaft is serviced, consider adding any special medicines, UV sun creams, portable VHF, cell phones, batteries, PLB, knife, headlamp etc. My life raft was not yet due for its first three year service.

• Consider adding a hose and pump for washing the anchor chain which could double as a fire hose, and having a VHF radio permanently on the helm console. Recognize that there are many things on a boat which are highly inflammable.

• Have a raft capable of holding a greater number than those actually on board as I do not see how six people could possibly have held in my six man raft.

• Insist on the necessity of practising over and over again the security measures adapted to the crew and to the boat: how to fire a rocket or set off a smoke flare; know how to use and at what part of the fire to aim the extinguisher; manage a gas leak whether it’s lit or not...

• Do dummy runs at issuing distress messages (have a pre-printed check list), knowing how to assess and communicate the problem and your position – hoping it won’t pass via a call centre! Determine the roles to assign to each crew member.

• Check the first aid kit and ensure that all necessary medicines are in the grab bag.

• Have gas and diesel shut-off taps both inside the boat and accessible from the cockpit.

• Correctly calibrate the detectors so that they are not set off by the heat coming from say the engine working at high revs. Make sure they are correctly positioned and that their batteries have been changed.

• Instead of having one cylinder to inflate the tubes of the raft, consider having two, one for each tube. If a raft doesn’t inflate, the pump is inside the liferaft package which constitutes a problem as does trying to re-inflate a partially inflated raft with a foot pump because the raft’s floor provides no resistance to the effort. I had to press it by hand against my chest. Imagine if I had had a broken arm….
 
gregcope said:
Have looked at both the ocean safety and plastimo ocean models. Both get good reviews, although Viking get better reviews at significant extra cost. For example (don't have link to hand) Viking gets 5/5 stars and the ocean safety 4/5.

Both can be had for around £1500 for a 6 man canister. The ocean safety slightly more expensive.

Will probably go for the ocean safety ocean, I like their stuff, UK made, gets good reviews.
Click to expand...

Viking are great products but servicing is a challenge, just Southampton or Great Yarmouth in the SE, normal multi vendor service centres don't or can't touch them
 
Scala said:
Well fair enough at the time, but that was an 8 year old report. I'm interested because I have the Seago Sea Cruiser Liferaft, complies with 9650-2 or so they claim. If it's a problem I'll change it.
Click to expand...

Yes, some years ago, but do you think that Seago's standards have improved radically since then? Lots of liferafts today are glued together in China and then sold under various European brand names. I chose to buy an Ocean Safety "Ocean" raft specifically because it's UK made.
 
Scala said:
Why not Seago?
Click to expand...

A couple of reasons not to do with those reports;

- The previous service replaced an air bottle, and now claim it needs another because of its age, and won't budge... this does not make sense and tips this raft into the uneconomical to repair costs
- I was then offered a reasonable discount on new Nov last year, when I come to accept it the offer this year, it has been changed to a discount on servicing that has half the value and pays back in 8 years. I challenge this change and was told "that's the way it is". I would have expected the offer to be valid more than a few weeks, and honoured for those that have been offered it.

So I thought I would take my hard earned elsewhere.
 
Scala said:
Why not Seago?
Click to expand...

Very few authorised service agents outside the UK and mate was told his warranty was invalid as a couple of weeks outside the 3 year first service interval by the time it got back to the UK.

Whatever make purchased, be aware that having it serviced by anyone not "authorised" by maker will invalidate the warranty.
 
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