liferafts ... which one ?

[kandoma]

I'm in need of a new liferaft. In Switzerland only the two rafts (Cruiser and Offshore) from Plastimo are advertised.

In Germany its the same plus the bfa brand. But bfa does not exist anymore and was taken over by Zodiac. So its actually a Zodiac and not Ballon Fabrik Augsburg.

According to the latest PBO advertisements, Plastimo is also offered in the UK, but not much else.

The Plastimo Cruiser has a good price, the Offshore is much higher priced and seems not to be to much different.

I have my reservation about the Plastimo, as it is not clear if the raft has a double floor. The much more expensive Plastimo offshore has a isolation mat.

Has PBO or another sailing magazin tested the current liferafts ?

Peter

 

[billmacfarlane]

Both Yachting Monthly and Sailing Today have tested liferafts. Do a search on this site, as the same question has come up more than once in the past couple of weeks.

 

[Talbot]

The best is the Avon. It is made from Butyl, whereas most of the rest are made from pvc. But it is heavy.

 

[Ben998]

see my earlier post about my 2003 plastimo liferaft deflating when I took it to Ocean Safety for an open day. It was as new condition inside the cannister but had a leak.... Waiting to hear back from Plastimo France

 

[npf1]

puzzled about the bold ascertation that Avon is the best. Because of the fabric? Why, is PVC not good enough? Planning to be in that raft long enough for UV to degrade it!?!! What about self righting or an easy way of getting into it (eg a platform)??? Seem to recall from a Sea Survival course that the Avon it was a real bitch to climb into and that was in a swimming pool!

Some raft makers have introduced out new products in last couple of years with improvements that pay attention to the recommedations of the coroner who investigated the 98 Sydney Hobart (interesting read believe it or not!). These IMHO are the ones to look at. All the other makers seem to be to be in the dark ages selling products that were designed in the eighties and relying on misinformed wisdom and people cheapskating with their safety equipment.

 

[Malish]

Talbot:

Viking will be most surprised to find that they make their liferafts out of PVC

 

[kandoma]

hah, what is needed in a good liferaft ?

following is my personal checklist:

easy entry - unimportant, during the Fastnet accident most liferafts turned upsid down anyway.

double floor - many people think this is a must for survival: seasickness, fear, wet, lost and intensive cold may kill you fast. Even in the tropics, during the night it will get very cold. The double floor gives you some isolation.
The connection of the two "rings" was a big problem during the Fastnet, some liferafts disintegrated .

Equipment inside the liferaft: I prefer none, as during the checkout this equipment (flares, water, batteries) gets replaced at horrendous cost.

vacuum packed - I'm not sure if I like this. My old liferaft was not vacuum packed, had plenty of spare room in the canister and was easy to repack after check up. It may be difficult to find a service station doing revacuum in a small place.

So for what I'm planning to use the liferaft: certainly not for such an event as the Fastnet. I'm more afraid of fire on board or an unrepairable leak from collision with debris or a broken rudder.

It seems, the Plastimo does not support any of my requirements. But it is easily available.......

Peter

 

[Abigail]

Not only what sailing you're planning but your own capacities, eg to get into liferaft. We got the Viking 4 person self-righting. It's expensive, but IMHO, the best. We found it a big challenge to get into the Avon (used in the sea survival course), even in a swimming pool, and the prospect of having to get out, right it and climb in again, absolutely horrific.

We are planning blue water, and also have a hard chine sailing dinghy and would hope and practice to have both should the worst happen. A friend (now in her 30's) spent two weeks in a liferaft aged about 11 when her family's boat went down mid-atlantic. They had a similar plan but sadly lost of the (loaded) dinghy at a crucial moment in the disembarkation. She says they talked a lot about food. Strong lines are an essential part of the kit!

HTH

 

[npf1]

Kandoma - suprised about the 'easy entry not important' comment. I think most people who've done the sea survuval course would say that it's very importantant. The course was a real eye opener for me and no doubt many others too.

 

[chrisb]

having read the reports in ym and this site i reach the conclusion that the only liferaft that inflates every time and has stayed inflated over the last 22 years [when needed] is my avon redcrest. correct me if i am wrong but didnot a familly survive in the pacific to be rescued long after their life raft had given up hte ghost by inflating the avon.
i am not promoting avon dingy as a liferaft but perhaps liferafts as reported recently lack reliability which is surely a number one factor when choosing a liferaft. avon s are reliable

 

[kandoma]

I believe there is less then 10% chance on a cruising boat that the liferaft is ever used in rough sea. Fire, or an unmanagable leak during acceptable weather is in my opinion the reaon to have a liferaft. Liferafts do not help during a survival storm like the Fastnet . And it is a fact: Most cruising boats never encounter a real storm at sea, even if they sail around the world several times. Fastnet, Madeira storm, Sidney- Hobbart, the freak storm (hurrican) between New Zealand and the coast off New Caleidonia and the big storm in the Atlantic this November was an exception.
Most boats survived the Fastnet, not the crews. I have undestood the final report from Fastnet: stay on the boat, until it really sinks and walk off (jump !) the boat into the liferaft. (wishfull thinking !) Or better: try to avaid such weather.....

I strongly believe, that you can not climb into any of the "yacht" liferafts from the water, even if they propagate easy entry, if there is any sea running, having an emergency pack in one hand, holding your wife with the other hand. Do a test next summer: build from two lines and couple of sticks a ropeladder and try to get out of the water onto your boat in swimmingtrunks: most Liferafts are using ropeladders. Now do the same with clothes, boots etc .


Peter

 

[Goldie]

Totally agree with Abigail - we had similar experiences and made the same choice. Interestingly in view of Talbot's comments, our Avon 4-man liferaft, owned from new, lasted just long enough to be out of (12 year) warranty, despite being stored ashore in winter and annually serviced by an Avon agent to keep up the warranty.

 

[dulcibella]

I'm always surprised that discussions about liferaft design and quality still refer to the experiences of the Fastnet storm. That was a very long time ago - have the manufacturers not incorporated the lessons of the Fastnet into their practice?

 

[Barr Avel]

I'm sure the Viking is good.... But quite frankly it is far too expensive! For 1 Viking you could buy 3-4 Arimars, which doesn't make that much sense to me.
Having said that, if I was intending on doing any Ocean saling on my boat I might approach the matter differently!

I know that spending a lot of money on safety is conforting in some ways, but I do believe that some companies have looked at forums like these and read the 'you pay for what you get' brigade and decided that this was an amazing opportunity for them to charge over the odds for their products...