does anybody know a bit about liferafts?

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Sailingsaves

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I am researching liferafts and experimenting with them. (Wife is not happy with the raft now drying in the kitchen after its wash down) - yes I no longer have access to a lab etc.

The one I am examining is a good piece of kit even after 40 years (won't be used as a liferaft again - but could make a good summer sauna or something), but I digress.

Upon examining it I am learning a lot.

BUT why do some liferafts cost £400 to £500 (e.g. Seago) and others cost over £1000.

THIS IS THE QUESTION AND point of my post (because I cannot examine a £1k liferaft)
Is the price differential to do with the design / construction of the raft or is it purely the contents of the raft?

Anyone owned both or just happen to know the answer?

Thanks
 
Price can reflect the materials used, the quality of construction, the spec of contents, the design parameters, the packaging, etc. There's a liferaft on display (Seago maybe) at Fox's in Ipswich which looks as though it was glued together by blind disabled people. If you want to find out what's good and what's not, have a quiet chat with a servicing agent.
 
It's not just the contents. The better made ones have insulated floors and thicker fabric (which is also heavier) and better drogues? (the compartments that fill with water and stop LR from tipping over). There was a test of some in a fairly recent magazine and some are way better than others.
The trouble is that none of us likes to spend a small fortune on an item that we sincerely hope we'll never use so we buy the cheapest (and probably never use it).
I'd be interested to hear from somebody who has actually used one in earnest. I suspect there are very few sailors who have. RNLI and others run courses on sea safety which includes sessions in the pool actually deploying and using a LR. I think they (courses) are compulsory if entering an organised ocean race.
 
Depending on when you need it, why not go to a boatshow - there are often manufacturers stands with inflated life rafts there. You can't tell everything just by looking, but you get a better idea. We went with Ocean Safety, who supply the Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre yachts.

Neil
 
Yes, good thanks.

One would hope it was down to design and materials.

If I were to sail the world (with a family) I would want a good raft and not one that had deteriorated in its packaging whilst travelling through different climates and I suspect the £400 ones could deteriorate just like that - different glue and so forth. And yet spending £1400 on a liferaft would make me swallow hard.

In an ideal scenario in fact I would want 2 rafts, both good but from different manufacturers.

In the real world, any large trips I make will be solo and I will take a much more relaxed approach to safety, the Blondie Hasler approach perhaps 9as long as life insurance is guaranteed to pay out)

Will see if a service agent will allow me to have a chat sometime.

My research into lifejackets has shown that older models were designed better (in some ways) and built with superior materials than those of today (in almost all cases) (and I compared them to new £300 plus models) - Perhaps people just want larger profit margins than in the old days? I don't know about the economics, but I do know the older lifejackets are better in some ways (usually stronger materials and hence longevity product).
 
nigelmercier said:
I did this research last year, conclusion: Viking. It's a no-brainier.
Click to expand...

Will you expand? Materials? Clever design to prevent foreseen failures (e.g. at joints)

I still have a set of Viking oilies from 1989 that do me great service for wet messing jobs (but don't breath)

edit:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=v...id=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8#q=viking+liferafts

http://lrse.com/Viking-RESCYOU-PRO.html
$3000 plus

http://www.piratescave.co.uk/viking...shore-rescyou-pro-iso-9650-part-1-liferaft.ir

4 man £1799 Yes, I like the features; sensible but not rocket science. I would love to know how much it is to manufacture though because that is a lot of dough for a floating tent.
 
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pvb said:
Price can reflect the materials used, the quality of construction, the spec of contents, the design parameters, the packaging, etc. There's a liferaft on display (Seago maybe) at Fox's in Ipswich which looks as though it was glued together by blind disabled people. If you want to find out what's good and what's not, have a quiet chat with a servicing agent.
Click to expand...
You know, I thought exactly the same when I saw it there, glad to know it's not just me :D - and it is a Seago.

Actually, thinking about it , I know what you're getting at - but I can't go with the blind, disabled bit - but it does look pretty poorly put together.
 
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Anders_P42 said:
Why Viking over Ocean Safety?
Click to expand...

For a start, there is a lot more info on the net than Ocean safety put out.

The Viking video of their liferaft explains a lot of its features, there is not a lot of info to be garnered about Ocean Safety - but is that a business mistake rather than a design mistake?
 
ghostlymoron said:
It's not just the contents. The better made ones have insulated floors and thicker fabric (which is also heavier) and better drogues? (the compartments that fill with water and stop LR from tipping over). There was a test of some in a fairly recent magazine and some are way better than others.
The trouble is that none of us likes to spend a small fortune on an item that we sincerely hope we'll never use so we buy the cheapest (and probably never use it).
I'd be interested to hear from somebody who has actually used one in earnest. I suspect there are very few sailors who have. RNLI and others run courses on sea safety which includes sessions in the pool actually deploying and using a LR. I think they (courses) are compulsory if entering an organised ocean race.
Click to expand...

Article coming up soon I hope.
 
Tradewinds said:
You know, I thought exactly the same when I saw it there, glad to know it's not just me :D - and it is a Seago.

Actually, thinking about it , I know what you're getting at - but I can't go with the blind, disabled bit - but it does look pretty poorly put together.
Click to expand...

Glad to know it's not just me, too! It does look atrocious. I bought an Ocean Safety instead.
 
pvb said:
Glad to know it's not just me, too! It does look atrocious. I bought an Ocean Safety instead.
Click to expand...

The Seago they used to have hanging up in Force 4 at Shamrock Quay looked ok. Maybe the one at Fox's was an unusually bad example? Seems to have done the opposite of what was intended, anyway!

(Or maybe the one at Force 4 was unusually good, and all the rest are crappy :) )

Pete
 
Sailingsaves said:
For a start, there is a lot more info on the net than Ocean safety put out.

The Viking video of their liferaft explains a lot of its features, there is not a lot of info to be garnered about Ocean Safety - but is that a business mistake rather than a design mistake?
Click to expand...

I watched Viking video, nicely done. I'm in the market for one early next year, I looked at both Viking and Ocean Safety at SIBS, there was't much in it but Ocean Safety had the edge because they were willing to pack in an old pair of specs. If I can't see which end of the flare is hot end, I might be in trouble :D
 
Hi

I would strongly suggest it is worth visiting a few liferaft retailers and having a look at the inflated raft in their showroom. I know this may not be easy for everyone, and that not all shops have demonstration models. What you will see by doing this is what the raft actually looks and feels like. In some cases this is a grim shock as the rafts are barely more than a kids paddling pool. A liferaft service agent is a good place to start looking. We have an RFD raft for cold climates (southern ocean) and it is a commercial raft. Quality may still surprise a few people (or not) when they see what it actually is in the canister. Like all safety equipment "when you really want it, you REALLY want it to be the best". After seeing a few rafts you may asses your need for one (type and area of sailing) against how much you wish to spend and what that gets you. You get what you pay for.

Happy boating
 
+1 for Viking Self Righting.
Strong, heavy materials and service agents around the world. Left UK june 2013, now in NZ,home mid 2017 so service was important.
We are 2 oldies who had done the in-pool training and fully appreciated the benefit of self righting. It has a platform just above sea level to clamber on and a horizontal ladder to crawl in. Ladies, try getting aboard some of them whilst wearing a lifejacket. Think Dolly Parton!
It leaped overboard a few weeks ago and performed perfectly. Try getting a liferaft back onboard! Had to depflate it with a knife. Still waiting for the repsir/repack quote.
 
It's an interesting question.
I have a 'budget' liferaft, in a valise. It came with the boat. When I bought the boat it had been kept on the pushpit, and the valise itself was badly degraded by UV after just 4 years. So I eventually got it serviced and a new valise (not cheap) and kept it in the cockpit locker ever since.
During my ownership of the boat (10 years) it's been serviced again and is now in for a further service. When I took it in this time, the guy said he was sure it would be fine when they opened it up, he'd seen these before and said they last very well. It's 14 years old now. My sailing is coastal and cross-Channel and of course I'd feel I needed a newer fancier one if I did long ocean passages.
He pointed to a much fancier and larger liferaft on the workshop floor that they had just opened up, and said it was four years old and a write-off.
 
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