life raft canister

[Fenders]

I bought a yacht a few months ago and it came with an Ocean Safety life raft which was in a valise and kept in the cockpit locker. It was bought new by the previous owner and still has 18 months left until its first service.

It was great to know that a life raft was on board. However, it is very heavy and cumbersome to try and retrieve it from the locker.
My first thought was if I was disabled in some way whilst sailing and we had to deploy the life raft, how would my wife who is quite petite, manage to get the life raft out of the deep locker and then hoist it over the side for activation?

So, what I would like to do is to do away with the valise and have the life raft kept in a canister mounted on the coach roof. I would prefer to have it mounted on the push pit but space is at a premium.

Is it a DIY job to remove the life raft from the valise and place it in a canister?

Or should I send it off to the manufacturers?

Thanks

Fenders

 

[pvb]

Send it to a proper service centre; it may need repacking to get it to fit in a canister.

 

[andyp]

Lots of good advice and 2011 quotes (£150ish) at this thread

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?266770-Canister-solution-for-valise-life-raft

Maybe cheaper in the end to sell with 18m life and buy a canister version. You will also need to consider securing arrangements on deck, again cheaper to have the stainless bracket manufactured rather than buy from a chandler. Details in the thread.

 

[Jonesey]

Give ocean safety a call - I had a 6 man canister which was too big for my new boat.

They offered me a load of options including repacking to valise, part exchange etc. I was very impressed with their service.

 

[LadyInBed]

Fenders, you don't say if it's 6 or 4 man. If 6 then could you do with a 4, as it's more easily manhandled.

 

[RichardS]

Fenders, you don't say if it's 6 or 4 man. If 6 then could you do with a 4, as it's more easily manhandled.

A 10 man canister stored in the aft lidded-locker came with my boat, presumably to accord with some regulation equating the liferaft size to the number of fixed berths. It was impossible for one person to move and even two of us struggled to shift it ..... think 80 kg or something. We would have gone down with the ship!

Richard

 

[rob2]

I think the example of a 10 man raft demonstrates why on commercial pasenger vessels it has to be mounted in a float-free position with a hydrostatic release so that it self launches as the boat sinks. I went on a charter once where the canister liferaft wqas stowed at the bottom of a cockpit locker - less than useless!

Rob.

 

[Fenders]

Thanks for all your replies.
The life raft is a 6 man and I think it weighs approx 30kgs.
When it is in the locker which on my boat is quite deep, even I struggle to lift it out.
There is no way that my wife could manhandle it. And when you need to launch during an emergency situation that could be time wasted.

I think the suggestion of trading down to a 4 man is worthy of some thought.
I will call Ocean Safety.

Thanks again

Fenders

 

[Daydream believer]

As a point, I have seen a few fitted to really strong mountings attached to the hatch garage- which in turn is held on with 6 small screws!!!!. So the first big wave will not only carry the liferaft away but the hatch garage & hatch as well.
My liferaft sits in the cockpit under the mainsheet track. I work on the basis that I would not have to go on deck to get it over the guard rail & I can just shove it over the transom-- once I get it past the tiller & the Aeries, that is.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Arrange to get it repacked in a canister when the next service date comes up, but in the meantime, make up a purchase with a length of spare rope and a couple of blocks, which can be attached to the boom and used as a crane to lift it out. A purchase like this, called a Handy Billy, can be quite useful for all sorts of purposes on the boat, for instances lowering batteries to the ground when in the boatyard, or recovering an MOB.

 

[Tranona]

I think the example of a 10 man raft demonstrates why on commercial pasenger vessels it has to be mounted in a float-free position with a hydrostatic release so that it self launches as the boat sinks. I went on a charter once where the canister liferaft wqas stowed at the bottom of a cockpit locker - less than useless!

Rob.

Quite common. Greek regulations require a raft big enough for the number of berths on the charter licence. My 37' was licensed for 8 so had an 8 man canister in the locker.

Virtually no cases of a raft ever being used from a charter boat, although one was launched after a fire on board, although not actually used because the crew were rescued by another boat.

 

[Daydream believer]

Arrange to get it repacked in a canister when the next service date comes up, but in the meantime, make up a purchase with a length of spare rope and a couple of blocks, which can be attached to the boom and used as a crane to lift it out. A purchase like this, called a Handy Billy, can be quite useful for all sorts of purposes on the boat, for instances lowering batteries to the ground when in the boatyard, or recovering an MOB.

One often sees mention of the boom being used as a crane jib. I sometimes wonder how one is supposed to get a tangled web of ropes hooked on & sorted. Fixed to a swinging club & then what would happen if the topping lift broke or the cleat at the mast slipped. All whilst the boat was rolling in a wild sea.
A little different to lowering a light load when on dry land
No chance I suspect !!!