Life raft. Where to put it?

[Bouba]

So I’m sitting here somewhere very nice contemplating my new life raft in a container. This morning I lugged it to the boat and it’s heavy I mean as in a ridiculous 45 kilo heavy. I’m already dreading the day in three years time when I have to take it for its first service. It’s so heavy that I can’t just say to my wife, ‘do you mind chucking the raft over the side dear, while I’m busy trying to stop us sinking’.
So, the options for placement are first on the flybridge. But that will take a hell of an effort to throw it over the side. I’ve met some of you lot, I’m not like you, I’m just a little guy.
The next an most logical place is on the transom but my swim platform is only a meter deep so it will really just get in the way of life on the swim platform.
The best place is behind the ladder to the flybridge. The place is exactly the right size. But then I will still have to drag it out, lift it up and over.
So where do you all keep it and what is the wisdom for your choice?

 

[snowbird30ds]

I recon when you need a liferaft deploying you'll be able to lift it easily, the brown gooey stuff called adrenalin will see to that, it may hurt for a few days afterwards but you won't be worrying about that.

 

[Bouba]

I recon when you need a liferaft deploying you'll be able to lift it easily, the brown gooey stuff called adrenalin will see to that, it may hurt for a few days afterwards but you won't be worrying about that.

It’s going to hurt for more than a few days after dragging it to my boat this morning. But I understand the effects of adrenaline, don’t they say that the fastest bilge pump in the world is a man with a bucket on a sinking boat

 

[Mr Googler]

Anywhere it can be mounted in a cradle on the outside of the boat?

 

[jrudge]

I have a stainless steel cradle mounted on the back of the fly bridge so overhanging the cockpit.

 

[simonfraser]

Depends why you need it i guess, sinking, no need to chuck it over the side, you step UP into a life raft.
Flames licking your Rs, you’ll figure it out

 

[Bouba]

I have a stainless steel cradle mounted on the back of the fly bridge so overhanging the cockpit.

Have you worked out how far you will need to throw it and have you practiced it?

 

[MrB]

Have you worked out how far you will need to throw it and have you practiced it?

Why do you need to throw it? If it is sinking, as Simon said, you just inflate and get in as you will have water around your ankles. Because it's in a canister you'll have a hydrostatic release that will trigger when submerged if you have to jump off because of fire and it will inflate itself. Fitting them as per jrudge's post #5 is quite the norm for canisters. You don't need to lug canisters about like a valise.

 

[MrB]

You mention it's 45kg, Is it an eight man? Do you need one that big?

 

[Bouba]

You mention it's 45kg, Is it an eight man? Do you need one that big?

No. It’s only a four man and it doesn’t have the +24h pack, which includes water for all the occupants. The only special thing is self righting which may add a couple of kilos.
Some people with big boats might have eight man rafts with water rations! I appreciate that a sinking boat might not need the canister to be thrown but just lugging it to get serviced could make your eyes water

 

[PilotWolf]

Why do you need to throw it? If it is sinking, as Simon said, you just inflate and get in as you will have water around your ankles. Because it's in a canister you'll have a hydrostatic release that will trigger when submerged if you have to jump off because of fire and it will inflate itself. Fitting them as per jrudge's post #5 is quite the norm for canisters. You don't need to lug canisters about like a valise.

It'll only have a hydrostatic release if he fits one...

Also if it's tucked away behind a ladder I worry about it being clear to float free. There been a couple of fishing boats that have gone down with rafts trapped in the gear.

W.

 

[Bouba]

It'll only have a hydrostatic release if he fits one...

Also if it's tucked away behind a ladder I worry about it being clear to float free. There been a couple of fishing boats that have gone down with rafts trapped in the gear.

W.

It’s only behind the ladder for the duration of this thread

 

[Poignard]

I'm intrigued to know what long open-sea passages you are planning that justify the expense and inconvenience of carrying a life-raft.

The reason I ask is that the frequency of your posts and the immediacy of your replies suggests that you are never out of range of the internet or mobile phone coverage.

 

[Bouba]

I'm intrigued to know what long open-sea passages you are planning that justify the expense and inconvenience of carrying a life-raft.

The reason I ask is that the frequency of your posts and the immediacy of your replies suggests that you are never out of range of the internet or mobile phone coverage.

All fair observations. Right now I’m in a restaurant in Porquerolles awaiting a delicious first course and drinking beer. To go more than six miles from a place of safety requires a Liferaft, it’s French law. Even a route hugging the coast can get you out to sea if you take a shortcut

 

[Portofino]

Are you sure there’s not designer space for the life raft ?
We inherited a 10 pax which has similar issues re woman deploying wise .
A designer space is however a double edge sword as any prospective replacement needs to fit dimensions wise .

Also adding to the offshore anxiety suppression have you thought about a ERIB ? We have two .

I have the ERIB s serviced because the Fr are fussy like in date flares and more importantly have the paperwork to spill on the cockpit table for officialdom.

How ever with the LR I’ve let it lapse date wise .
I heard they only inflate and replace the grub + water ,and even @ service they don’t actually pull the gas cylinder.Nope they disconnect it and just blow it up with air before repacking it with in date food and water .They replace the food / water only .Gas is not touched .So that trigger is never tested , so what’s the point other than a rubber stamp .??

So based on that with two ERIBs and a tender on the bathing platform and extra food + water in the cockpit fridge to grab
I,am not fussed .
Service of a 10 P is similar to the cost of a new say 4/6 P , so it’s a no brainier to service it .
Officialdom ( been done 3x times in 14 years ) has never asked about LR at all , I guess because they patrol within 6 miles anyhow ? AND they crucially can’t see it to ask jumbled deliberate language works in your favour.

“ no we never go offshore officer “

Any how a few pic s
ERIB In date .You really need one of theses so a helicopter will come for you think Costa Concordia :encouragement:




Dog sleeps on it .Its place is just behind dogs back legs ,


Behind that seat base .


Doubles up as one of the engine access hatches .

So good design me thinks .You See LR spaces on many boats .

So do you want visible ( and committed to buying new food + water every 3 years ) or hidden in Fr ?

 

[MapisM]

ERIB In date .You really need one of theses so a helicopter will come for you think Costa Concordia :encouragement:

I can't think of one bit of kit which was more useless than the EPIRB onboard the CC, that sad night.
A ship larger than their own village and sinking right in front of them could hardly go unnoticed among the locals at Giglio Porto, I reckon...

 

[MrB]

I can't think of one bit of kit which was more useless than the EPIRB onboard the CC, that sad night.
A ship larger than their own village and sinking right in front of them could hardly go unnoticed among the locals at Giglio Porto, I reckon...

I concur fully but I can think of a Captain that was more useless in that situation.

 

[Portofino]

I can't think of one bit of kit which was more useless than the EPIRB onboard the CC, that sad night.
A ship larger than their own village and sinking right in front of them could hardly go unnoticed among the locals at Giglio Porto, I reckon...

Missed the point - again !

Copter pilots from the mainland 1st on the scene homed in on the ERIB sig .This is because the verbal normal stuff coming from the island was overwhelmingly seemingly incredible .

They followed SOPs ...... standard operating procedure .

But we the royal we - us Leisure boaters only need one copter within approx an hr before I have opened my stale out of date food / water .So with an ERIB or two I,am not particularly interested in the quality of the snap as I don’t think I will be spending a great deal of time in the LR ,

got it guys !

 

[Portofino]

I can't think of one bit of kit which was more useless than the EPIRB onboard the CC, that sad night.
A ship larger than their own village and sinking right in front of them could hardly go unnoticed among the locals at Giglio Porto, I reckon...

Do you cruise with an in date ERIB ?

 

[MrB]

Do you cruise with an in date ERIB ?

It's an EPRIB Porto. :encouragement: