hydrostatic release

[ErikKiekens]

Does it make sense to install (and regularly inspect etc) hydrostatic release units on liferafts aboard a 57 ft yacht? Has it happened that a yacht sinks so quickly that it is not possible to launch a liferaft?
Erik

 

[Tranona]

There are mixed views about hydrostatic releases on yachts. However if you are coding a boat for commercial use in the UK it is compulsory.

There is a strong argument for them on fishing boats, simply because many founderings are instant sinkings or turning over when gear snags and crew are working. This is not the case for yachts where sinkings are usually slower affairs and crew have time to prepare. of course not all, but the numbers of instant capsizes are very small and usually racing boats losing keels.

On many yachts it is not easy to mount rafts so that they will float free of obstructions. However on a 57' yacht you are likely to have a better chance of finding a good location. So, on balance it is probably a good idea to use a release, although recognising that it does have to be well under water before it fires. In the meantime if crew are prepared they still have the option to release manually.

 

[bedouin]

I can't think of any arguments against it other than the cost, assuming the liferaft is already mounted in a position where one would work.

However if you look at the reports - there are actually very few examples of people having to abandon to a liferaft from a private yacht. I can't remember hearing of any examples of automatic deployment but there have been a couple of examples in the last 15 years of yachts that are presumed to have been run down where an automatically deploying liferaft might have saved lives.

 

[Paddy Layback]

I have an Ocean Safety 4 man canister in a cradle on the coach roof, which I fitted with an HRU.

There is plenty of rigging for it to catch on, if it's trying to float free from the sinking yacht. No doubt about that.

But there is also a good chance it will be able to function as intended when the yacht founders.

I can very easily imagine scenarios when it was impossible to release manually as the yacht was sinking fast.

What could the possible argument be *against* using an HRU ? That the L/R MIGHT get tangled, so don't bother with an HRU?

I know they cost £50, but I just can't see any reason *not* to fit one...

Or am I missing something? (very possible)

But, to the OP, Erik, why not fit an HRU?

 

[ErikKiekens]

ok thanks for the comments. I will fit one

 

[KellysEye]

We didn't have a hydrostatic release, as said a yacht usually takes it time to sink, so you have time to put on lifejackets, grab the emergency bag and pull the line to launch the liferaft.

I remember in Trindad Jane and I being woken in the early hours of the morning by the Trinidad coastguard arriving on the pontoon, we got up to see what was happpening. What had happened was heavy rain had triggered the hydrostatic release on an EPIRB on the aft rail and the coastguad though it was an emergency. If it can happen to an EPIRB I suppose that could happen to a liferaft too.

 

[GrahamM376]

ok thanks for the comments. I will fit one

Have a look at the Thanner, it has 4 year service life. http://norwestmarine.co.uk/index.php/thanner-4-year-hydrostatic-release-unit.html

 

[awol]

Against - depending on the version, they don't work until submerged 4-6m. So, for example, even if the Cheeki Rafiki raft had been free to release it wouldn't have been triggered. Then there is the 2 year replacement period at ~£60 a pop.

A bigger question is - given the number of reported failures to inflate from fishing boats and magazine tests, just how confident are you that your liferaft will actually work? Maybe carrying 2 of the things would be safer?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

For - its less than 10 pints of beer.

 

[awol]

For - its less than 10 pints of beer.

Where are you - Scandinavia? >£6 a pint seems a bit steep! You should try Weatherspoons.

 

[Paddy Layback]

Car brakes sometimes fail. For this reason, cars should not be fitted with brakes.

 

[awol]

Car brakes sometimes fail. For this reason, cars should not be fitted with brakes.

Or it could be the requirement to have a secondary separate braking system was implemented to deal with this possibility?

 

[{151760}]

It's not an either/or surely? Even with a HRU fitted, it's likely that you will have time to deploy the raft manually. If you can't, then there's a chance that the HRU will save you. If it doesn't work, you're no worse off.

 

[PilotWolf]

HRU are not triggered by rain.

They can be purchased to activate at different depths depending on what is required.

W.

 

[KellysEye]

V>HRU are not triggered by rain.

Well it happened in Trinidad which is why the coastguard turned up. In the tropics you get torrential rain which must have made the HRU on the EPIRB think it was under water.

 

[prv]

V>HRU are not triggered by rain.

Well it happened in Trinidad which is why the coastguard turned up. In the tropics you get torrential rain which must have made the HRU on the EPIRB think it was under water.

I can believe that the water-sensing pads on an EPIRB might get triggered by heavy rain, but that's not the same thing as a hydrostatic release.

Pete

 

[westernman]

A bigger question is - given the number of reported failures to inflate from fishing boats and magazine tests, just how confident are you that your liferaft will actually work? Maybe carrying 2 of the things would be safer?

For MCA Cat 0 coding you must have two liferafts - each big enough to hold all crew/passengers.