Liferaft service cost?

[C08]

4 man Seago in canister abut 15 years old. What is the going rate and any reccomendations in Devon for getting this done?

 

[westernman]

4 man Seago in canister abut 15 years old. What is the going rate and any reccomendations in Devon for getting this done?

After 9 years it should be serviced every year and then scrapped at 18 years.

Going rate: Seago Servicing - Seago

Servicing every year for the next three years is about the same cost as getting a new one which will need its first service in three years time.
Time for a new one??

 

[Refueler]

I believe that Seago do not accept their Authorised centres in UK to service 15yr and older Seago rafts ....

 

[westernman]

I believe that Seago do not accept their Authorised centres in UK to service 15yr and older Seago rafts ....

I believe it is 18 years rather than 15 years.

 

[Daydream believer]

I believe it is 18 years rather than 15 years.

Seem contrary to what I was told. At 12 years one has the last 3 year service then at 15 years it is annually. This differs to their literature but I was assured by the lady at Seago that this was correct. I think that she said that the max life was 18 years, but I was only interested in the 3 year servicing.

Cost depends on whether one registered with Seago when they purchased the LR. Registration gets one something like 25% discount off the £300 on first service ( add carriage) reducing at the following services. I did not do this, because of the internet purchase, but a pleasant chat with the same lady & an explanatory letter with the LR, got me the discount

I Boxed mine myself ( built a plywood box on a small sized pallet) & dropped in to a chandler;( Wetline Burnham on Crouch) who sent it to Seago for a charge of £25-00. The total charge was made by the chandler, as they were a recognised supplier. I actually bought it elsewhere.

I used to have my Ocean liferaft serviced by Premium Liferafts at Burnham. They supply 2-3 makes. They all have the same service intervals as Seago. It became uneconomical to spend the £ 300 annually. I managed to get a long test date on the air bottle, so sold the LR on ebay at 15 years with 3 years on the bottle ( complete with 3rd party cert) for £120-00

 

[Graham376]

Paid £481 for SeaSafe service in Gib a couple of weeks ago. £70 of that was replacement 7 year battery for internal and external lights and £30 for disposal of flares. Raft was overdue for service due to Covid travel restrictions so effectively a six year service.

 

[harvey38]

I used these folk, very helpful, knowledgeable and offer a very reliable courier service across the UK


Life raft service - Norwest Marine

 

[coopec]

Well I have a Plastimo life raft which has an 18 year "conditional warranty"

Features
 Tough Double Chamber Exclusive
to Plastimo
 Insulating Double Floor
 18 Year Conditional Warranty
 Reflectivetape
 1 webbing reversible
ladder, weighted, + inside
grab handle

When I took my life-raft for service they told me it was 22 years old but there was nothing wrong with it. As I don't intend doing a circumnavigation (only local) coastal I decided to have it serviced but with minimum provisions. Recharging the gas bottles was the biggest cost but all up it was $A700.

"Raft manufacturers warranty most life rafts for 10 or 12 years, based on servicing according to their recommendations. In fact, a raft that is kept dry and is regularly repacked may last for 20 years or more until it is condemned by a factory-authorized service station. All of this depends to a large degree on whether the raft is damaged by water intrusion that leads to deterioration".

A Guide to Life Rafts, Their Equipment, Storage and Deployment | Cruising Compass

 

[Refueler]

I believe it is 18 years rather than 15 years.

I only saw the 15yr when considering buying a Seago Raft .. and seller further down the description said :

Quote:

UPDATE: THIS RAFT CAN'T BE SERVICED IN THE UK DUE TO SEAGO CHANGING THEIR RULES AND THEY HAVE STOPPED OR CANCELLED THE APPROVAL FOR ANY COMPANY IN THE UK TO SERVICE A SEAGO THAT IS OLDER THAN 15 YEARS.
THE SURVIVAL PACK WILL BE REMOVED AND THE RAFT SOLD AS A CHILDRENS PLAY ITEM.

unquote.

Seago Offshore – 4 Man Valise Life Raft | eBay

Needless to say - I passed on it !!

 

[coopec]

I only saw the 15yr when considering buying a Seago Raft .. and seller further down the description said :

Quote:

UPDATE: THIS RAFT CAN'T BE SERVICED IN THE UK DUE TO SEAGO CHANGING THEIR RULES AND THEY HAVE STOPPED OR CANCELLED THE APPROVAL FOR ANY COMPANY IN THE UK TO SERVICE A SEAGO THAT IS OLDER THAN 15 YEARS.
THE SURVIVAL PACK WILL BE REMOVED AND THE RAFT SOLD AS A CHILDRENS PLAY ITEM.

unquote.

Seago Offshore – 4 Man Valise Life Raft | eBay

Needless to say - I passed on it !!

In Australia any directive by a company that stated the rules for when/where/who in regard to servicing a life-raft would be void.

 

[Tranona]

In Australia any directive by a company that stated the rules for when/where/who in regard to servicing a life-raft would be void.

The constraint is that by ignoring that advice you would not be able to get the raft certified. Your third party servicing person may also find difficulty in getting parts. Pretty sure you will find similar restrictions in your country - at least for commercial use.

Liferafts are critical safety items and although private individuals in the UK do not need to show legitimate certification, all commercial users do. In most countries in Europe liferafts are compulsory for certain categories of yachts and certification is legally required. Many like me consider it a rip off - my charter boat in Greece required annual re-certification at 350 euros a go.

 

[Refueler]

TBH ... having serviced so many items over the years on ships as Safety Officer ... we don't have shore dealer to call ...

A valise Life-raft cannot be hard to self do ... I accept that a Hard Canister version needs to be closed by special joint so not a DIY matter.

The trick would be to make sure a photographic record is made of how its folded when you first open it up for after testing. The gear that's carried will be fairly standard so I don't think that will prove such a hurdle.
Some are folded into a clear plastic wrap before the soft valise ....

For private use ... there is nothing to stop you servicing Lifejackets and other gear yourself ...

 

[Helidan]

A 15 year old Seago is not worth servicing and Seago instruct that 15 year old rafts should be withdrawn from service. Scrap it and buy new.

 

[Concerto]

CO8, you should buy a new liferaft. Seago have just introduced at the beginning of April an updated 4 man cruiser model, but you may still be able to buy the old model stock at a discount.

Seago Launch New Cruiser Plus Liferaft (sail-world.com)

 

[Pete7]

A 15 year old Seago is not worth servicing and Seago instruct that 15 year old rafts should be withdrawn from service. Scrap it and buy new.

Its 18 years for a Seago liferaft.

Pete

 

[Refueler]

Its 18 years for a Seago liferaft.

Pete

It appears that Seago may have instructed 'Licenced Service agents about 15yrs as I posted earlier ... but kept their official documented 18yr statement ... I've tried verifying by online search but cannot find anything to confirm or not.

I accept that at 15 / 18 yrs its prudent to replace .... but I also suggest that unless the item has been subjected to poor storage / mishandling etc. - that 18yrs may be well short of its real end of life.

 

[westernman]

It appears that Seago may have instructed 'Licenced Service agents about 15yrs as I posted earlier ... but kept their official documented 18yr statement ... I've tried verifying by online search but cannot find anything to confirm or not.

I accept that at 15 / 18 yrs its prudent to replace .... but I also suggest that unless the item has been subjected to poor storage / mishandling etc. - that 18yrs may be well short of its real end of life.

But in any case financially it makes little difference in cost.

As the liferaft over 9 years requires servicing every year. A new one does not need servicing for 3 years.
A service is about 1/3 of the cost of the liferaft.

I would feel happier with a new one. The design may have improved slightly.

Note some places in Europe require liferafts to be professionally serviced and require an in-date valid certificate. Just as flares and fire extinguishers must not be out of date.

 

[Helidan]

Its 18 years for a Seago liferaft.

Pete

I'm a Seago qualified service engineer - trust me it's 15 years. A raft 10 years and older is subject to annual servicing anyway which doesn't make financial sense.

 

[RivalRedwing]

From the current Seago Sea Cruiser plus manual

agree that at year 12 it is time to get a new one

 

[Daydream believer]

deleted Rival redwing beat me to it. Cost of first service complete with cariage etc was £ 253.99