Liferaft uneconomic to continue servicing - options?

[Tranona]

When ours went for its first service at premium we arranged for them to tell the wife when ready & she video'd it inflated, along with the inside etc.
Bit of an eye opener when we saw how one was supposed to get into it with all the gear on from the sea.
Still feel a bit re assured every time I trip over the d..d thing in the cockpit though

Even better is to do the sea survival course. After that you will vow to do everything in your power to avoid having to use a liferaft for real!

 

[lw395]

Even better is to do the sea survival course. After that you will vow to do everything in your power to avoid having to use a liferaft for real!

Or at least avoid needing to share one with a bunch of random oiks from a sailing school....

 

[Daydream believer]

Or at least avoid needing to share one with a bunch of random oiks from a sailing school....

Reading that reminds me of the female comedienne describing different types of female friends when she says " & if you do not know which one the slapper is - then it's you!!"

 

[charles_reed]

sailing in congested waters around Europe, it's most unlikely a liferaft is necessary (or even desirable).
If the €80 cost of having my liferaft inspected and certified was any more, I'd certainly ditch mine - tri-annually the replacement costs for the pills etc work out at €160.
As has already been pointed out, foundering, due to striking a container, just doesn't happen.
All the reports on major race disasters confirm that staying with the boat is definitely better than taking to a raft.
The only two occasions I've seen a liferaft used;- a) brought the realisation that spending 6hrs in BF7 seastate is definitely worse than being drowned & b) one really shouldn't use an aerosol in a boat with a gas-heater fridge.
With and EPIRB or even a PLB assistance will come earlier rather than later - and 2 in an 8-man liferaft is a recipe for disaster.
So ditch it (paddling pool or RNLIB) and save your money.

 

[Andy61]

Hi Skyflyer, I think I have read all the posts on this thread but can't see any recommending the hiring option. My local dealer (Norwest Marine Ltd - nationwide coverage) hires liferafts at such reasonable rates that I would not consider purchasing. I do not usually require a liferaft principally because my boat won't sink but in 2015 for a Baltic trip I hired a 4 man for £200 for 6 months hire (because the rally organisers insisted everyone carried a liferaft). At the end of the period I gladly handed it back unopened and unused. Andy

 

[tidclacy]

Belt and braces

Buy a new 4 man

When your boat is sinking and your life is in danger you will rue the day you didnt

 

[lw395]

Belt and braces

Buy a new 4 man

When your boat is sinking and your life is in danger you will rue the day you didnt

Or regret not buying whatever it takes to avoid sinking in the first place?

 

[skyflyer]

So - lets put the costs into perspective; I have just had a chat with Seago who are doing a scrappage scheme for your old raft that gets you discounted servicing on your new raft. Their 'non-discounted' servicing costs are almost identical to the independent service station I used for the raft on my previous boat - i.e. competitive.

Work out the life cost (12 year life) of buying the unit, servicing it every three years, pressure test at ten years and carriage to/from the service station.

Divide that by the number of days the boat is in the water.

Result: 65p per day for extra peace of mind.
More realistically, given the amount we actually sail, around £20 per week onboard

As far as i'm concerned that's a bargain