Liferaft Lifespan.

[Frogmogman]

If the OP is planning on visiting France, I would advise him to make sure that any safety equipment on board is in date, although I think in the case of a foreign flagged boat the worst that is likely to happen is that you may be required to remove it from the boat.

 

[Graham376]

Our Plastimo Offshore passed service tests at 18 year repack but advice was to bin it when next service due - just to be safe. Replaced at 20 years.

 

[Bandit]

I cruise to France so maybe 30 - 40 nm off shore.
Would I use a 1987 life raft, no.
Would I self service a life raft no.
I want a liferaft in first class condition that is near as possible to be guaranteed to work if you need it.

IIRC in France a life raft has a maximum life of 10 or 12 years it is the regulation. After that you scrap and buy a new one.
In the uk you get on a Plastimo a long time before first service, then it drops down and after 10 years or so it is annual. In UK no max life but annual service.

The purchase cost and servicing cost over 10 or 12 years men’s means it becomes less expensive the replace rather than service. I’m

 

[Frogmogman]

I think I’m right in saying that in France they extended the 12 years to 15 years, with a 3 yearly service. You can continue to use it after 15 years, but at that age it must be serviced every year rather than every 3 years, so from a cost point of view it then clearly makes more sense to replace it with a new one.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Interesting discussion on the lifespan of a liferaft. Where does this data about service inrervals come from. It seems that it comes from liferaft manufacturers and of course the vested interest of service companies. I have no doubt that it is the same alogarithem as the best before date on a bottle of water ie CYA. Has there ever been a comprehensive independant test of the lifespan of a liferaft.

I have heard of really old dinghies in daily use for years being dragged up beaches etc and still going strong for decades whearas a really expensive liferaft built to a much higher spec, stored in special containers given shelter, never used, handled with care and mollycoddled in special storage racks having a best before date of a few years before they MUST be serviced.

My first post I made it clear that I would never buy one. I have never bought one. I do not want the darn thing on my boat. But it exists and I am wary of the possibility that I would feel pretty darn stupid while paddling water a hundred miles from shore when I would reflect that I just thew away an Avon liferaft. Therefore, to protect my future self from ending my last days in self-loathing I asked about percentage of failure of an old liferaft. After all if I threw it away the failure rate would be equivelant to 100%. I hate throwing stuff away. It might come in handy is the mantra of a cruising skipper. Truly my heart sank to my boots when I spotted that pristine liferaft valice on board.

 

[Zing]

I had an Avon life raft. I serviced it myself at year 15 out of curiosity as much as to save money. It inflated fine and held pressure perfectly, but I knew it was pushing on a bit. The bottle was starting to rust. At 20 I binned it as a precaution on the advice of liferaft suppliers. I bought a new one.

 

[BurnitBlue]

I had an Avon life raft. I serviced it myself at year 15 out of curiosity as much as to save money. It inflated fine and held pressure perfectly, but I knew it was pushing on a bit. The bottle was starting to rust. At 20 I binned it as a precaution on the advice of liferaft suppliers. I bought a new one.

When you think about it, the manufacterers do not have much confidence in their product.

Let's face it. They build a product that is packed in a canister which they know statistically will never be used and if it was deployed anf failed there would be no survivers to complain about it. I am sure they are honourable and do what they consider to be adequate but I am also sure R&D searching for better materials and glue takes a back seat.

 

[Stemar]

The challenge for any manufacturer is to make something that does what people want for a reasonable time and that they can sell profitably at a price people are willing to pay. It's likely there are materials and glues that would last longer, but if that makes a liferaft too difficult (=expensive) to make, it isn't going to happen.

If I have a liferaft, I want to be sure it's going to work if I need it, otherwise, why clutter up the boat? Across Biscay or further afield, then I think a liferaft is sensible, for pottering around the Solent and cross Channel in the sort of weather I'm going to do it in, the inflatable will do the job.

 

[Zing]

When you think about it, the manufacterers do not have much confidence in their product.

Let's face it. They build a product that is packed in a canister which they know statistically will never be used and if it was deployed anf failed there would be no survivers to complain about it. I am sure they are honourable and do what they consider to be adequate but I am also sure R&D searching for better materials and glue takes a back seat.

Everything fails at some point. It's just knowing when to replace that is the hard thing. It boils down to a judgement on risk.

 

[fisherman]

will never be used and if it was deployed anf failed there would be no survivers to complain about it.

Except in this case which i always quote when this question comes, up, a cautionary tale.
Collision between gill netter Lady Hamilton of Helford and dory Blithe Spirit resulting in netter sinking

 

[BurnitBlue]

The challenge for any manufacturer is to make something that does what people want for a reasonable time and that they can sell profitably at a price people are willing to pay. It's likely there are materials and glues that would last longer, but if that makes a liferaft too difficult (=expensive) to make, it isn't going to happen.

If I have a liferaft, I want to be sure it's going to work if I need it, otherwise, why clutter up the boat? Across Biscay or further afield, then I think a liferaft is sensible, for pottering around the Solent and cross just for the sailing g Channel in the sort of weather I'm going to do it in, the inflatable will do.

I agree with that. I am not against liferafts in general. Just for me. I have done nearly all my long distance cruising in catamarans.from mid 1970 when I bought the first Prout Quest at the earls court boatshow. They were touted as unsinkable in those days. Then I bought into the folkboat series, three of them all fitted with watertight bulkheads. I agreed with the Pardey mantra. Make your boat into a liferaft. No longer possible with modern interior luxury so I have moved back to a Prout catamaran which is built with FOUR watertight bulkheads.

So I see liferafts from a different angle than most folk. I bought my present Prout by accident but it was not until I stepped aboard her that I realised that I had come home. My Moody is in mothballs until I can sell her.

 

[penberth3]

When you think about it, the manufacterers do not have much confidence in their product.

That really is a stupid thing to say. All materials have a service life, in use or in store. Manufacturers assess this as part of the design process and advise accordingly.

Does your car have 36 year old tyres?

 

[capnsensible]

I agree with that. I am not against liferafts in general. Just for me. I have done nearly all my long distance cruising in catamarans.from mid 1970 when I bought the first Prout Quest at the earls court boatshow. They were touted as unsinkable in those days. Then I bought into the folkboat series, three of them all fitted with watertight bulkheads. I agreed with the Pardey mantra. Make your boat into a liferaft. No longer possible with modern interior luxury so I have moved back to a Prout catamaran which is built with FOUR watertight bulkheads.

So I see liferafts from a different angle than most folk. I bought my present Prout by accident but it was not until I stepped aboard her that I realised that I had come home. My Moody is in mothballs until I can sell her.

You good at fire fighting?

 

[BurnitBlue]

You good at fire fighting?

I sail single handed. Simple risk management. Never never never leave a lit stove to attend to a task anywhere without turning the stove off. Surprising how inconvenient that can be. Infuriating though when I have just lit it and remembered something I was about do.

Ever tried to launch a melting liferaft. What makes you think a skipper would not fight the fire until it was too late.

 

[BurnitBlue]

That really is a stupid thing to say. All materials have a service life, in use or in store. Manufacturers assess this as part of the design process and advise accordingly.

Does your car have 36 year old tyres?

The problem is demonstrated when the manufacturer is able to pass responsibility to the service company or owner once it has passed the service period. They can wash their hands of the responsibility and blame the owner if it was not serviced, or the service company if they did a service. We are talking just a few years here.

Does my car have 36 year old tyres. What a stupid comparison to make. If the tyrers pass the minimum tread for MOT i could drive it for 50 years.

 

[fisherman]

If the tyrers pass the minimum tread for MOT i could drive it for 50 years.

No....they will have broken up.

 

[Stemar]

Does my car have 36 year old tyres. What a stupid comparison to make. If the tyrers pass the minimum tread for MOT i could drive it for 50 years.

Nowhere near me, please. The rubber would be perished and prone to failure without warning. A bit like the liferaft in question.

Back in my Plod days, I'd call tyre that old Dangerous Condition. You can get disqualified. Actually, IIRC, it's a separate offence for each defective tyre, so 12 points straight off.

 

[capnsensible]

I sail single handed. Simple risk management. Never never never leave a lit stove to attend to a task anywhere without turning the stove off. Surprising how inconvenient that can be. Infuriating though when I have just lit it and remembered something I was about do.

Ever tried to launch a melting liferaft. What makes you think a skipper would not fight the fire until it was too late.

Siting of the liferaft on a small vessel is as important as understanding the various potential sources of fire. As well as understanding how to tackle a blaze, especially the importance of dealing with it instantly or the games up.

One can learn a lot from a short firefighting course run by some sea schools.

 

[fisherman]

Siting of the liferaft on a small vessel is as important as understanding the various potential sources of fire. As well as understanding how to tackle a blaze, especially the importance of dealing with it instantly or the games up.

One can learn a lot from a short firefighting course run by some sea schools.

We were told on the fisherman course, on a GRP boat, get off quick.

 

[Graham376]

......................I want a liferaft in first class condition that is near as possible to be guaranteed to work if you need it.

In the uk you get on a Plastimo a long time before first service, then it drops down and after 10 years or so it is annual. In UK no max life but annual service..........

Having it serviced is no guarantee of it being guaranteed to work as we found out.

Our Plastimo Offshore service interval was 3 years and didn't reduce to annual but in UK, there's no requirement to have a raft or have one serviced anyway unless coded.