How do you secure your liferaft??

[airborne1]

Question: How do you secure your liferaft on your boat.
Seems to me that there is a contradiction here. You can use a method that will resist seas, movement on deck, defeat theives, keep it in place in rough seas, etc. This will probably use straps with the loose end threaded through some kind of buckle which is not exacatly easy to undo with cold fingers and the boat rolling, etc.
Or you can use some method that is easy to undo or let go when you need to launch it, perhaps with injuries or heavy seas hampering the job. But is this method good at securing the raft during normal passage and alonside in a marina??
Having just helped my mate to ready his boat for launching, the method he uses is both hard to undo but secure on the deck. Surely there must be a better method.
I would be interested to hear if anyone has a really good idea on this.

 

[Tranona]

Two methods. First is a quick release strap (or straps) and a padlock when you are not there. The second, if you think your boat is going to sink without you being able to do anything about it you need a hydrostatic release.

However, if you go into the threads on liferafts on the Scuttlebut forum about a week or so ago you will discover that the chances of ever needing to use your liferaft are so close to zero that it is largely irrelevant how you fasten it!

 

[kengill]

I use the plastimo liferaft cradle. It's adjustable to almost any size of raft sold on the retail market, It has an easily padlockable lock but when the padlock's removed you simply withdraw one stainless steel bar which has been locking the raft and the raft comes free. A routine test can undo the bar in two seconds. Armed with a bit of panic say half a second. When finished sailing and back in harbour simply re-apply the padlock.

I could mount a liferaft in the dinghy storage under the stern seats but this can take up to 5 secs to remove.

 

[charles_reed]

In a cradle on top of the coachroof with two quick-release buckles.

Anti-thief - store it below when you're not on the boat.

A favoured alternative is to have the cradle on the pulpit, or, in some boats (mainly French) have it stowed in a moulded cradle behind helmsman and beneath cockpit floor.

Cat A and B boats have to have an up-to-date liferaft, by law, in France.

 

[captainslarty]

After starting off with a cradle on the pushpit.. and looking at the forces that could impact it in a knockdown scenario. and the fact that the pilot house roof is not the appropriate space for it...
I NOW secure mine in a locker - now a valise type - along with grab bag and flares.

Even a dismasting - usually quite survivable - can and often does rip out stanttions and pullpit.. so imho this is NO place for a raft.

Joe,

 

[FullCircle]

My cradle is mounted on the transom (modern wide bum boat with sloping transom) just below the puhpit lower rail, so easily accessible safely from the cockpit.
I have a padlock on the cradle when not there, and two more padlocks on the cockpit lockers. They all are the same with the same key, and all get removed as part of setting the boat up for use.
Then I have a small stainless strop with a carabiner which goes where the padlock was, to secure it from falling out at sea. Takes 1/2 a second to remove if you should need it. Unlikely I hope.

I think valises are too heavy too try and heave out of lockers when you are cold wet and frightened with possibly the boat listing at some strange angle. Its bad enough trying to wrestle my inflatable out of my very large cockpit locker, and that has no obvious snags on the way out. I used to store a 6 man valise down below, but that would also be a horrible struggle for my wife for instance.

Its all a compromise based on your be of the likeliest method of success given tyour boat layout.

 

[captainslarty]

Interesting points re Valise..

Its not just the 'getting it out' bit, as you say, its ANY form of lauching of ANY raft that is difficult to say the least.. can your bride, for example, lauch the canister type, possibly right it etc.. if you are incapacitated, can she get YOU into it.. probably not without incredible difficulty and effort.
Most cruising couples use a 4 man raft.. any bigger is dangerous. the weight of the valise is not too much of a problem.. its the rest of the ritual thats difficult.. a lost raft in a knockdown / dismasting is not something I would like to experience.

Modern wide bum boats are more likely to broach in foul conditions (due to lack of lift on keel and rudder when stalled).. that again adds more chance of damage (imho of course !)...

Joe

 

[bedouin]

I agree with you on that - I can't think of anywhere on a boat that it would be safe to mount a cradle that would not be in danger of being swept away by a wave, or a knockdown.

Mine now stays in the lazarette - there it is much better protected than being exposed to the elements. The only down side is that it will not float free should the boat sink quickly (in other words be hit by a ship).

Many modern boats do have very well thought out liferaft stowage under the deck near the transom, or similar.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Mine is on the pushpit, with a quick release cradle, that is padlocked when away from the boat.... it is also about to fitted with a hydrostatic release...

Yes there is a risk of it being carried away.... but I think you need to feel the weight of a liferaft before putting it in a locker... they are bloody heavy.... I sail with my family... I seriously doubt SWMBO could lift it from a locker, and I am certain that a 9yr old couldn't.... and then factor in the potential extra difficulty of the boat listing heavily, or being awash and i'd rather replace a swept away raft than risk it being unreachable... it is entirely possible that any locker could be underwater.........

 

[MoodySabre]

It is quandry which I have fudged.

The boat came with a 6 man offshore canister jobbie that I couldn't pick up on my own so that was swapped for a 4 man valise. This sits neatly under the aft cockpit seat. It does occur to me that this would partially block the flow of water to the cockpit drains should it ever get seriously rough. A 4 man canister on the pushpit would solve security and functionality - but I'm not buying another one any time soon so compromise it is.

 

[Robin]

[ QUOTE ]
Most cruising couples use a 4 man raft.. any bigger is dangerous. the weight of the valise is not too much of a problem.. its the rest of the ritual thats difficult.. a lost raft in a knockdown / dismasting is not something I would like to experience

[/ QUOTE ]

We have a 6 person raft in a cannister. A 4 person raft is too small even for 2 people plus any other survival gear and would be horrendous for 4 and trebly so if one was injured. The arguments for not having the larger raft are based on the perceived risk of it capsizing in extreme conditions and assumes that such extreme conditions were the cause of abandoning a large solidly built vessel to the upgraded kids paddling pool with lid in the first place. More likely reason to take to the raft IMO would be sinking due to collision, maybe with a semi submerged object like a container or whale, or for fire on board, for me the ultimate storm seems much less likely.

Our raft is mounted in a S/S cradle fixed vertically on our pushpit which forms part of a stern gantry carrying solar panel, wind genny and radar scanner. The raft is held in place with a S/S strap with a quick release pin that is replaced by a padlock in harbour for security. We also have webbing straps for extra security which have quick release buckles but a S/S multitool with knife and scissors is in a holder permanently attached to the raft cradle 'just in case'. It is possible for the weakest of persons to launch our raft in seconds and in my view anything less makes the liferaft no more than a gesture. A valise stored below might be protected but is heavy and awkward to get on deck and may well be impossible to reach in a fire down below situation. A valise in a cockpit locker is better but needs strong discipline to avoid it being buried over time by other gear, plus it still needs some effort to extract it, tie it on, throw it over and deploy it.

We have a size of boat that isn't too affected by the weight on the pushpit and is not a wide arsed broacher, but even if it were I think that would not put it the raft or it's mount at risk. This becomes a choice of balancing the risks and choosing the best personal compromise.

 

[knewboater]

Mine is on the fordeck a 6 man plastimo orc type,fixed by 2 ss straps screwed to the deck,been on there 7 years, been across the english channel several times to different destinations strongest winds approx 32knots and it`s still there. However when people talk of big seas that might knock it off the deck it hasn`t happened yet (fingers crossed) but they may not be what others talk of big seas.Took it off the deck the other day for 3 year maintenance check and although it is heavy it will easily slide between the guardrails to launch.

 

[captainslarty]

Interesting one Robin.
I submit that the arch 'fad' is a real risk in bad conditions or dismasting.. and I genuinely believe that dismasting occurs more frequently than collision or fire.
A loose mast on youboat would almost certainly take the structure with it !.

For two people, the 4 man raft is NOT just capsize resistance, it is the ability to locate yourself within the confines without rolling around at mercy of the conditions... even in relatively 'normal' offshore conditions, 2 people thrown to one side of a 6 person raft make the thing darn unstable.

You are, of course, correct.. it IS personal informed choice..

for me, ?? keep the bloody arch where it belongs, on Hunters and pictures lol.. solar panels are overpriced and over hyped, and the most normal reason for fitting the monstrosity in the first place. This is a thoroughly modern trend where lots of copying goes on to get a 'look' a bit like sugarscoop garbage on the back of an otherwise good boat...

Each to their own though what ?.. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Might make a good riding sail though.!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[blackbeard]

In the cockpit locker, on end with a handle uppermost. (The design allows this.)
Locker is padlocked when boat unoccupied, unlocked when boat is occupied.
Raft is secured by shock cord, a pull on one end of the cord releases it.
Can then lift raft out with one hand (4 man raft).

 

[Robin]

Firstly I don't plan on being dismasted, I have not lost a mast in over 35 years and over 50,000mls of sailing and racing in all weathers in a variety of boats. We have a hefty section mast supported by double inline shrouds on double spreaders, plus a non-standard cutter stay and running backstays.

I see your argument on two in no more than a four person raft but having studied the seating plan still prefer some room at least to sit without knees under chins and to put our additional grab bags, water cans and extra flare cannister. Rafts have also come a long way since the days of the Fastnet disaster and are more capsize resistant than they used to be. But I can see very little chance of me abandoning a very solid boat for a paddling pool with a lid anyway due to extreme weather - the mostly likely scenario as I said is a collision or fire. However even if we had a 4 person raft it would be mounted in the same place, in a cradle on the stern unless it was on a small boat where the weight could be a problem.

You might decry solar panels, but then you have a motorsailer whereas we have little need to motor. Our solar panels (one on the gantry, another we put out on deck) alone can keep our systems running with no need to run motor or generator or even the wind generator most of the time.

As for the sugarscoop, ours serves us very well. We have exceptionally easy access to dinghy or for swimming at anchor and the fresh water shower allows us to rinse off after washing in salt water. But then we mostly anchor out rather than sit in marinas.

 

[captainslarty]

Re: How do you secure your life raft??

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ! ya bitch.. we do NOT have a motor sailor, just a sensible design with a top on.. she has the hull of an Anderson 34 Offshore...

I will slap yer.. yer cad !!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif


You have a plastic fantastic tub... two spreaders.. weak mast lol..... but, someone has to buy them, then erect motorway gantries at all points.... what WAS marginally seaworthy.. now joins the fleet of other awbs and the umbilical..

ya hurt me dude.. I might never get over this.. sob sob.. nurse???.. me steady pills....

I am scarred for life... oh WOH ! is me... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bedouin]

[ QUOTE ]
Firstly I don't plan on being dismasted, I have not lost a mast in over 35 years and over 50,000mls of sailing and racing in all weathers in a variety of boats. We have a hefty section mast supported by double inline shrouds on double spreaders, plus a non-standard cutter stay and running backstays.


[/ QUOTE ]
Ah - but how many times have you had to take to the liferaft in that same period?

 

[captainslarty]

drum roll please...................

Dabooooooooooom..

err none...

oooops.. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[FullCircle]

Re: How do you secure your life raft??

Well,
I think that Robins arch would actually becom a safety feature for the helm if it did dismast, I dont think the mast would go through it, but it may deflect it a fair bit.
I also intend to have a similar arch.

A dismasting is a peculiarly slow event.


Its a motor sailer, no doubt.

 

[captainslarty]

Re: How do you secure your life raft??

Yeah.. right... respect... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif


I bow to your 'apparant' knowledge and foresight....

You da man ! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif