Liferaft on a RIB

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masterofnone

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Friend of mine just got a shiny new toy; 4.8m with a 200 suzuki. He has purchased a 4 man in a valise, but where / how to stow it.
He's a little worried about inversion, then the raft would hopefully fall out and inflate?
Hydrostatic release operate at >4.0m Too deep?
Please share your personal preference. Thanks
 
Why would you want a life raft on a RIB?
Most ribs will float even if ALL the tube compartments are deflated.
The tubes are normally split into 4 or 5 seperate compartments so it would be very unusual if all the compartmets were punctured at the same time.
I had a 6m Rib and often went 25 to 30 miles off shore but it is of course essential to carry the proper survival equipment (radio,flares etc.)and wear protective clothing with a life jacket.
200HP on a 4.8 m RIB seems excessive!!!!!!!!
 
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Main reason I would want a life raft on a rib is in case of fire. Happened the other day on a rib off the west coast of Ireland. Brand new engine went up on a redbay rib. The crew too to a life raft until Cliften life boat got to them.
 
I think the first thing I'd do is replace the 200HP engine with something nearer 50HP and thereby greatly reduce the chance of needing to abandon the vessel in the first place.

While RIBS will generally stay afloat despite loosing all compartments I'm not sure that would still apply with the weight of a 200HP engine (250-300Kg+?) on the back.

The devil is in the detail of the manufacturer's guidlines of course, and I may be behind the technology curve, but I think I'd spend the money that is saved on the large engine on a longer RIB (with more room for life raft).

To give you some context the RNLI 5 metre D class has 50HP on the back and does 25knots which is about as fast as anybody with a desire to stay alive should want to be going in a vessel 4.8 metres long.
 
My 4mtr Avon SR4 with a 50hp Merc could do 32kts and was as fast as i wanted to go,
Did the level 2 course in an 8mtr XR rib that had a 200hp Merc verado and that was very nice!
I would be surprised if there's any space on a 4.8mtr rib for a valise, would be very tight for room.
 
Ferris said:
Main reason I would want a life raft on a rib is in case of fire. Happened the other day on a rib off the west coast of Ireland. Brand new engine went up on a redbay rib. The crew too to a life raft until Cliften life boat got to them.
Click to expand...
So the answer to the OP’s question is, don’t store it near the engine
 
Bouba said:
So the answer to the OP’s question is, don’t store it near the engine
Click to expand...
silly Q, so how FAR from the engine can you fit a 60X40X20cm (approx) box in a 4.5m rib? under the central seat if there is one?
and where is the petrol tank then?
 
masterofnone said:
Friend of mine just got a shiny new toy; 4.8m with a 200 suzuki. He has purchased a 4 man in a valise, but where / how to stow it.
He's a little worried about inversion, then the raft would hopefully fall out and inflate?
Hydrostatic release operate at >4.0m Too deep?
Please share your personal preference. Thanks
Click to expand...

You can get hydrostatic releases that operate at different depths.

We had a debate with an MCA surveyor over this. He insisted we change to a shallow depth ones - you could have stood up in the waters we were going to be working in!

W
 
It won’t “fall out” if the boat inverts, because liferafts float. That’s how the whole auto-release / inflate process works.

I don’t think auto release for a RIB will be practical, but also probably not necessary because the boat is unlikely to simply sink like a ballasted displacement vessel. Aim for manual deployment in the event of fire, or possibly some kind of catastrophic structural failure. I‘d have thought a canister raft strapped down on deck near the bow (where most RIBs seem to have a bit of spare space) would be best, but if it’s a valise maybe there’s a locker it can go in under a seat or something?

Pete
 
penberth3 said:
I know OP already has the LR, but are dry suits an option if OP is worried about ending up in the water?
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Four dry suits rolled up probably aren’t much different in size to a raft. Of course they can be stowed separate or be worn.
While the general opinion of the forum is that a rib is a life raft, that won’t be much comfort if they do end up in the water.
Perhaps a few pictures will inspire us
 
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