Liferaft Requirements

[Seadawg33]

We are coming down to the final of purchasing our boat in Italy. Under Italian law a liferaft is required for yachts. The boat has a Plastimo liferaft that is two years out of certification. I plan on doing mostly coastal cruising so am not that concerned about having a liferaft. We will have an inflatable on board and not be too far off of shore. If a boat is flagged in the UK under SSR III and is travelling to foreign ports including Italy, Spain, and possibly France. Is it required to carry a liferaft? Which law would be applicable the Italian or the UK law?

 

[Twister_Ken]

There is no law requiring an British registered yacht to carry a liferaft, unless the yacht is going to be used for hire or reward (=chartering or training) when it must meet meet the strictures of a code (known as being coded) which includes a liferaft or rafts sufficient for the maximum number of people aboard.

 

[Seadawg33]

Thanks Ken that will make this years expenses a little cheaper. I might do it next year when I will be better able to afford it.

 

[TobyJug]

There is no law requiring an British registered yacht to carry a liferaft, unless the yacht is going to be used for hire or reward (=chartering or training) when it must meet meet the strictures of a code (known as being coded) which includes a liferaft or rafts sufficient for the maximum number of people aboard.

Hi,
I have just been looking at this very question and was quite surprised to discover that UK flagged pleasure craft in excess of 13.7m lenght do have to carry certain safety equipment, Including liferafts!
More information here:
http://www.rya.org.uk/SiteCollectio...and Safety/13.7m regs Class XII Exemption.pdf

and here see also the MCA site for the less easy to read version.
Rather interesting and possibly expensive.

 

[Seadawg33]

Hi,
I have just been looking at this very question and was quite surprised to discover that UK flagged pleasure craft in excess of 13.7m lenght do have to carry certain safety equipment, Including liferafts!
More information here:
http://www.rya.org.uk/SiteCollectio...and Safety/13.7m regs Class XII Exemption.pdf

and here see also the MCA site for the less easy to read version.
Rather interesting and possibly expensive.

Thank you Toby Jug:

Do you have access to the same info for boats of less then 13.7 meters? My boat is 10 meters and we will be going offshore from 3 to 20 miles. Perhaps further on occasion. I am not a member of the RYA but probably should consider it with all of the valuable information that they have.

 

[Seadawg33]

Here is a link to information on boats under 45' (13.7 meters) http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga-dqs-cvs-pleasure_craft_information_pack-web_document-3.pdf

On the top of page 2 under the heading Safety Equipment:
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Pleasure craft of less than 13.7 metres in length are not covered by any statutory requirements
as far as life saving or fire fighting equipment is concerned.


I guess that means that if you don't have a bank account filled with enough money to purchase a 45' ship you aren't important enough to worry about

 

[Lady Campanula]

The boat has a Plastimo liferaft that is two years out of certification.

Bugger the law! If you don't care enough about the people who will come with you - and for whom you have responsibility under every Code I can think of, moral and legal - then why the hell should we?

Do your loved ones an unexpected favour - get the liferaft serviced, and be there to see what happens - and what doesn't - when the cord is pulled.

If that doesn't change your view on life, maybe you don't deserve one....

But maybe they do.

 

[alant]

We are coming down to the final of purchasing our boat in Italy. Under Italian law a liferaft is required for yachts. The boat has a Plastimo liferaft that is two years out of certification. I plan on doing mostly coastal cruising so am not that concerned about having a liferaft. We will have an inflatable on board and not be too far off of shore. If a boat is flagged in the UK under SSR III and is travelling to foreign ports including Italy, Spain, and possibly France. Is it required to carry a liferaft? Which law would be applicable the Italian or the UK law?

What flag is it at present?

How are you going to get it out of Italy, without the Italian authorities possibly poking their noses in, even if SSR'd.

 

[Seadawg33]

Bugger the law! If you don't care enough about the people who will come with you - and for whom you have responsibility under every Code I can think of, moral and legal - then why the hell should we?

Do your loved ones an unexpected favour - get the liferaft serviced, and be there to see what happens - and what doesn't - when the cord is pulled.

If that doesn't change your view on life, maybe you don't deserve one....

But maybe they do.

And how often have you pulled the cord on a liferaft when it was needed?

I have about 12k bluewater miles under my belt including two Pacific crossings. Never had to pull the cord on a liferaft yet. If it had happened once in that 12k miles there would be a 1 in 12000 chance of me needing the liferaft. Pretty long odds.

I guess I could be completely safe and not go out in the water at all. Then I wouldn't need the life raft . . . But I don't like hiding under rocks or worrying about what the fear mongers say. For a coastal tip in the Italian Med $600 Euros would be better spent on a radar system.

 

[alant]

And how often have you pulled the cord on a liferaft when it was needed?

I have about 12k bluewater miles under my belt including two Pacific crossings. Never had to pull the cord on a liferaft yet. If it had happened once in that 12k miles there would be a 1 in 12000 chance of me needing the liferaft. Pretty long odds.

I guess I could be completely safe and not go out in the water at all. Then I wouldn't need the life raft . . . But I don't like hiding under rocks or worrying about what the fear mongers say. For a coastal tip in the Italian Med $600 Euros would be better spent on a radar system.

But, would the Italians agree with you?

If its their law being infringed, whats the penalty?

 

[prv]

But, would the Italians agree with you?

Doesn't matter; he wasn't responding to the OP but to Lady Campanula's absolutist stance.

Pete

 

[Seadawg33]

Alant PRV is correct. I was responding to LC's comment.
In response to your comment: It is my understanding that the safety equipment rule is not a rule that travels. For example when a UK vessel is in US waters it does not have to meet US safety requirements. The vessel has to meet the requirements of the country in which it is flagged ( for my example UK). I believe this was brought up in court cases but I can not find it in a quick search of the internet. NZ flagged vessels leaving for another country are required to meet Category 1 requirements for safety equipment which include EPIRB, life raft, VHF and possibly SSB. The NZ government tried to enforce these rules on the foreign boats that left NZ and were unable to do so. As such the boat which I purchase will be a UK flagged vessel and subject to UK safety requirements. The Italians can check me for drugs, contraband, and human smuggling etc. but there authority does not extend to safety equipment would be my understanding of the law.

 

[25931]

This question has been raised before. A Brit registered vessel is not subject to local laws when on passage BUT the local laws can be enforced on a vessel that is spending time in their waters although it is very unusual for this to happen.

 

[Seadawg33]

Thank you 25931. Do you have a reference for this?

 

[alant]

This question has been raised before. A Brit registered vessel is not subject to local laws when on passage BUT the local laws can be enforced on a vessel that is spending time in their waters although it is very unusual for this to happen.

Yes, but they are Italian!