Liferafts - Which one is now the 'best'

[GrahamM376]

Found this while googling Viking RescYou Pro - think it's a 2012 notice

Faulty pressure relief valves

Some owners may be aware of the problem (or maybe not )

I wonder if those valves are also fitted to Plastimo Offshore. Last service (Marine Safety Gibraltar) on ours found them both to be cracked and the raft would have deflated if used

As ours will be 20 years old at next service, although it's still in good nick (hopefully with good valves) we discussed replacing it. They're agents for many makes and said the Seasafe (yes I know they're Chinese) are as good as most and better than some. Self righting model is an option and reasonable price.

 

[Borden]

Lurching and Liferafts

Seems to be increasingly common these days, and certainly easier to use than one strapped to the foredeck. But I wonder about the loads that a big liferaft imposes on the pushpit as you lurch over every wave...

Pete

PRV.
We try not to lurch. However if lurching is unavoidable I'm not concerned about the liferaft and cradle or pushpit falling off as we own a Moody 47 built by Moodys at Swanwick in 1984. She is built like the proverbial outhouse. Now if I owned something modern with a more flimsy hull.....but I don't.

 

[PhilipH]

Seems to be increasingly common these days, and certainly easier to use than one strapped to the foredeck. But I wonder about the loads that a big liferaft imposes on the pushpit as you lurch over every wave...

Pete

Yes it is a concern, but ours too is on the pushpit so that SWMBO - all of 8.5 stones - can launch it. If the pushpit does not appear strong enough then it could be re-inforced, but having the liferaft in a position where an injured me and a "weak and feeble woman" (pace women - think Elizabeth I) need to get it in the water then the launch position is paramount (excuse the pun).

 

[Three kings]

PRV.
We try not to lurch. However if lurching is unavoidable I'm not concerned about the liferaft and cradle or pushpit falling off as we own a Moody 47 built by Moodys at Swanwick in 1984. She is built like the proverbial outhouse. Now if I owned something modern with a more flimsy hull.....but I don't.

+1...........and besides my 1984 Moody 47 is not a lurcher.

 

[Anders_P42]

Most people lock them when the boat is not in use. Either a locking mechanism built into the cradle, or just a motorbike lock or similar applied as an afterthought. Or some people move them into the cabin, but that's awkward and anyway not really an option for a liveaboard.

In my opinion the best arrangement is a valise raft (lighter, cheaper, easier to manhandle), protected by being stored in a purpose-built locker in or near the cockpit. But this pretty much has to be designed into the boat, and is fairly rare.

Pete

Locking mechanism in the cradle makes sense. Thanks.

 

[outve1]

Hi there! If you're interested in finding the best liferaft on the market, I'd recommend checking that link: http://www.nauticexpo.com/boat-manufacturer/liferaft-42.html. It really help me.

 

[Borden]

During our refit my wife did a 'degree' in life rafts and the result was the Viking Rescu U pro closely followed by the Ocean Safety product.

 

[Ric]

I have a Zodiac ISO 6 man liferaft which I would like to swap for a smaller model - pm me if interested.

 

[charles_reed]

<<Just use your skills so you never have to go there. "Life" rafts are killers.>>

Dunno about that Mash, but the one occasion I was in one, all 6 of us were wishing we were dead long before the Barmouth boat came back for us.

 

[silver-fox]

.... I seem to have stuck a stick in wasps nest!

Just to set the record straight I have been very fortunate to have completed the 5 day offshore survival course twice, including the famous ' now get out of this upside down helicopter after we have spun it round and up and down and shoved it several fathoms underwater - in the dark, and was so impressed both times I even gave my husband the RYA version of the course for a birthday present. How he laughed.

I learnt many things on the courses - both about survival and about myself including :
1) it is pretty well impossible for a weak and feeble woman like myself to right a liferaft if it is upside down - nothing to do with strength more to do with physiology - how the guys enjoyed the stories of all the women on the courses who couldn't right the things, even female Olympic sailors
2) even strong, fit young men can collapse once they get into the liferaft - presumably from shock/relief even in the training pools and need instant medial assistance which I would struggle to provide in a foul sea on my own.
3) 30 minutes in a liferaft is about enough for most people, after that I am not sure how long I would last no matter which raft I chose.

I am new to the Forum, I posed my question carefully, I know there is no 'best' liferaft, just as there is no 'best' boat or even a 'best' man. I am grateful for the views of you all and appreciate the time you took to share them with me.

Let the debate continue - play nicely though, boys.

Well I enjoyed that immensely! I have learned 2 valuable things

1. As someone who has difficulty getting on a floating airbed on a warm sunny day, this has been very educational and I have learned I need to choose my liferaft with more care than I have been taking so far.

2. If any fighting breaks out I want to be in WYMLAW's gang please.

 

[duncan99210]

Arise, Zombie thread. Post 26 is a commercial spoiler using the thread to advertise.

 

[silver-fox]

Arise, Zombie thread. Post 26 is a commercial spoiler using the thread to advertise.

Damn - never noticed!

Still I learned a lot about choosing liferafts - so its an all wind that blows no-one any good

 

[Leif-J]

Before deciding in which raft to invest our money, I invested in a test from Yachting Monthly in Feb. 2009. That convinced me enough to go for the Viking RecuPro.
I hope I will never know if I made the right decision!

 

[DavidBostonWhaler37]

Yes, it's a last resort, but it's better to have one than not have one!!

I personally think with something like a life raft, you need to go top of the line... especially if you go out into deep waters (especially for commercial purposes). The Revere offshore elite or the Viking RescYou would be my top choices. These life rafts can get a bit pricey, but Citimarinestore.com has them very decently priced. Looking around, there are a few other deals as well on these.

But I would never go to far without one!

 

[Sybarite]

Yes, it's a last resort, but it's better to have one than not have one!!

I personally think with something like a life raft, you need to go top of the line... especially if you go out into deep waters (especially for commercial purposes). The Revere offshore elite or the Viking RescYou would be my top choices. These life rafts can get a bit pricey, but Citimarinestore.com has them very decently priced. Looking around, there are a few other deals as well on these.

But I would never go to far without one!

Welcome to the forum David.

FWIW in a recent comparitive test in France, the Plastimo came out on top.

Here's what I wrote yesterday on another thread:

Liferafts

Previously the French authorities would only accept rafts homologated by the Bureau Veritas. The market will be opened in the near future to rafts certified by other recognized organizations which will increase competition. This said, Plastimo rafts came out on top on a recent comparative test.

The differences between an unlimited category raft (H) and a coastal raft (C) are :

Distances from shelter : H : unlimited C : 60 nm.
Norm ISO : H : 9650 – 1 C : 9560 – 2
Inflation temperature : H : -15° +65° C : 0° +65°
Insulated floor : H : Yes C : No
Freeboard : H : 250mm for 4 persons, 300mm for > 4 C : 200mm for 4 persons, 250mm for >4
Interior floorspace per person : H : 0.372m² C : 0.250m²
Buoyancy per person : H : 96 l C : 82 l
Automatic deployment of the tent H : Yes C : No
Luminosity of the external lamp : H : 4.3cd C : 0.75cd

In practice there is not a great difference in price between the two (25%) so most of the rafts being manufactured are the H category.

 

[Mrnotming]

"...repacking by an unathorised service centre will invalidate warranty..."

Does that matter much? The liferaft either works at the moment of truth or it doesn't and being serviced by somebody commpetent, whether 'authorised' by the OM or not surely makes them more likely to work; if it doesn't work, you're unlikely to be in a position to go back and make a claim on your warranty.

By the way, ours is an Ocean safety; I can't comment on how good it is at its job, but the blue bag it's in looks very pretty.

+1 for BobnLesley,
The best liferaft is the one which inflates when the firing line is pulled!
Next best option is the one which inflates when the backup firing line is pulled.
Our local liferaft service station in Dun Laoghaire (Tom at Solas) will allow you to watch the unpacking, replacement of service items, and repacking.
This is a great plus as it gives one a proper insight into the appearance and equipment to be encountered in extremis.
Not a substitute for the courses on offer, but if your raft has been changed over the life of the vessel etc, appropriate plus knowledge wise.
Mine is an Eurovinyl, poorly equipped, but the grab bag hopefully makes up for everything except lack of an insulated floor.
Only going coastal now, in the med, so hopefully it will remain in the transom, ready to deploy either boat upright or inverted.
Tying on the painter is an annual event, as in humid weather the firing line wicks up moisture which gets into the works gradually.
My worst experience was having serviced an Avon,myself, I tripped and set off the cylinder, in the kitchen, resulting in kitchen chairs halfway up the walls!
Was I cross with myself, bah humbug!

 

[mlthomas]

We bought a Seago 4 person valise life raft, similar to other posts went for a middle priced model. Also did the sea survival course at Fleetwood (would recommend anyone who has not done this course to do it at any location you can – gives you a different perspective on launching and getting into a life raft). No issues with getting the Seago serviced and have even had other things put into the life raft like glasses!
We also have a boat with a dedicated life raft locker – but how useful are these in reality.
Having just returned from our holidays we have also decided to change our life raft. The locker is OK (only OK) for me but would be useless for SWMBO to open, retrieve and deploy it so we are going to go for a canister.
Pushpit or deck? for us, pushpit with a cradle that can be released to drop the life raft with the painter already attached. Quick and simple.

 

[Tranona]

Yes, it's a last resort, but it's better to have one than not have one!!

I personally think with something like a life raft, you need to go top of the line... especially if you go out into deep waters (especially for commercial purposes). The Revere offshore elite or the Viking RescYou would be my top choices. These life rafts can get a bit pricey, but Citimarinestore.com has them very decently priced. Looking around, there are a few other deals as well on these.

But I would never go to far without one!

Welcome to this forum

Not sure why you should make one post on an ancient thread, particularly as your advice relates to a store in the US when most members here are European based. Do you have a commercial interest? You might like to know that the prices listed there are far higher than the equivalent products in the UK even before you pay shipping, duty and tax.

 

[DavidBostonWhaler37]

Thank you for the welcome Sybarite and Tranona!

No commercial interest on my part, Tranona, just happened to come across the thread and wanted to put my two cents.

Plastimo? Sounds impressive, will have to look into it!

 

[Sybarite]

"...repacking by an unathorised service centre will invalidate warranty..."

Does that matter much? The liferaft either works at the moment of truth or it doesn't and being serviced by somebody commpetent, whether 'authorised' by the OM or not surely makes them more likely to work; if it doesn't work, you're unlikely to be in a position to go back and make a claim on your warranty.

By the way, ours is an Ocean safety; I can't comment on how good it is at its job, but the blue bag it's in looks very pretty.

Read YM May 2015. That was the marque concerned.