Seago vs Ocean Safety Liferafts

[ashtead]

I have a seago which has been regularly serviced but now I suspect 12 years plus and was meaning to replace but a lack of channel crossing last year rather put me off. If say a budget of £750 what options exist?

 

[Daydream believer]

I think you will find that after 12 years Seago servicing is annual. My calculations made it uneconomic to keep after 12 years. Cost for 12 years is purchase cost +3 services thus for a 4-man raft - £750 + 3 x £300 = £1650 or £137.50p.a. Further 1 year services are £250p.a.

1st service is £254. Second service is currently £239, Third £229 all inc transport to/from collection point. They are quite spread about. I was quoted in january. My LR is currently being serviced. Prices assume LR registered within 30 days of purchase which would be sensible.

 

[Praxinoscope]

1st service is £254. Second service is currently £239, Third £229 all inc transport to/from collection point. They are quite spread about. I was quoted in january. My LR is currently being serviced. Prices assume LR registered within 30 days of purchase which would be sensible.

My Seago L/R has just come back from first 3 year service, , system seems to work dropped off and collected from collection point.
First service ‘registered within 30 days of purchase’ £254.

 

[awol]

From Seago webpage - looks like you guys got a bargain but it doesn't really change the overall life cost.

Liferaft service pricing:

NOTE: Services on VALISE models may end up with different measurements from when originally received due to vacuum forming. If you require specific dimensions please inform us prior to servicing.


ISO 9650-2 Sea Cruiser / GX /G

Size (Person)	Certificate 3 years	Certificate 2 years	Certificate 1 year
4	£299.00	£269.00	£249.00
6	£309.00	£289.00	£269.00
8	£319.00	£299.00	£279.00
10	£329.00	£309.00	£299.00

ISO 9650-1 Sea master

Size (Person)	Certificate 3 years	Certificate 2 years	Certificate 1 year
4	£349.00	£329.00	£309.00
6	£359.00	£339.00	£319.00
8	£369.00	£349.00	£329.00
10	£379.00	£359.00	£339.00
12	£399.00	£369.00	£349.00

An additional charge of £34.99 for a hydro test (only applicable for liferafts 7 years old and over)

 

[Daydream believer]

From Seago webpage - looks like you guys got a bargain but it doesn't really change the overall life cost.

But it demonstrates that some of your figures were inaccurate.. £ 71 out for the 3rd year for instance. That was the point I was making.
Still expensive. But then flares, included in the service, are expensive. However, I have just managed to source flares with a FOUR year life rather than the usual 3 and cheaper than normal from Wetworks at Burnham on Crouch. But I did collect

 

[TNLI]

If you need a real life raft, they cost around 9 grand for a 6 man toroidal that's supposed to be good for a hurricane, or if you don't like drifting downwind, my favourite, the famous Portland Pudgey sailing dingy, at around 5 or 6 grand if you have a smaller crew than 6!

Lifeboat | Unsinkable Lifeboat | Self-Rescue Lifeboat (portlandpudgy.com)

 

[awol]

But it demonstrates that some of your figures were inaccurate.. £ 71 out for the 3rd year for instance. That was the point I was making.

And the point I was making was that despite the 15/18 year guarantee keeping a raft after the 3 year servicing regime is finished is not financially sound. Of course, if the boat is coded you are stuck with the annual service.
Another hitch I found with Seago was them taking all servicing back in house. It used to be possible to take the raft to one's local servicing station, view the inflation and inspect the contents.

 

[Daydream believer]

And the point I was making was that despite the 15/18 year guarantee keeping a raft after the 3 year servicing regime is finished is not financially sound. Of course, if the boat is coded you are stuck with the annual service.
Another hitch I found with Seago was them taking all servicing back in house. It used to be possible to take the raft to one's local servicing station, view the inflation and inspect the contents.

Considering the complaints that people have had about raft servicing, ( numerous on this forum) perhaps Seago are trying to address that & maintain confidence in their product. If that is the case, then for a couple of hundred squids after 12 years I might feel a little happier

 

[Dan Tribe]

1st service is £254. Second service is currently £239, Third £229 all inc transport to/from collection point. They are quite spread about. I was quoted in january. My LR is currently being serviced. Prices assume LR registered within 30 days of purchase which would be sensible.

Seago just quoted me £299 + £35 carriage for 1st service on a 4 man valise LR. They advised getting it booked in quickly as they are snowed under.
I tried 2 other local service centres who seemed cheaper but it seems nobody else deals with Seago. So I'm locked in.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Seago just quoted me £299 + £35 carriage for 1st service on a 4 man valise LR. They advised getting it booked in quickly as they are snowed under.
I tried 2 other local service centres who seemed cheaper but it seems nobody else deals with Seago. So I'm locked in.

Did you register it with them within the required time to get the discount servicing?Also depends where you are but there are free collection points which allow you to avoid the shipping charges, Force 4 Chandlery are one.

 

[RivalRedwing]

There seems to be a dearth of free drop off points on the East Coast, a trip to Lowestoft seems to be the only option. Suffolk Marine Safety claim on their website to be a service centre for Seago but I assume that is old news.... and I was going to buy one this year because of the local servicing .. hey ho... back to the drawing board.

 

[Beneteau381]

I’ve got quotes from both companies for a 4-person offshore liferaft. The Ocean Safety one is almost exactly double the price of the Seago. The only obvious difference between them is the >24 hr service pack on the OS raft, whereas Seago just has the bog standard 24 hr pack.

Asuming that a few bottles of water and some dried food doesn’t account for the price difference, the OS liferaft must be much more robust than the Seago, or maybe not.

Can anyone shed any light on why their prices are so different?

Over the last 12 years or so I have had two Seago dinghys. The last one brand new in 2012 ish. I used it for a season then bought a bigger Plastimo one off a forumite, the Seago went under the front bunk. Dry, safe. It stayed there until last year. I decided to get it out, inflate it and flog it. After a few days the seams came apart, all the bits glued on started to come off. I wasnt happy! A similar thing had happened to the previous one, Seago had supplied the new one at cost price because if this. I will never buy another Seago product.

 

[awol]

Considering the complaints that people have had about raft servicing, ( numerous on this forum) perhaps Seago are trying to address that & maintain confidence in their product. If that is the case, then for a couple of hundred squids after 12 years I might feel a little happier

Conversely, I like to look my liferaft servive guy in the eye and, possibly 'cos I'm a Scot, benefit from the still in-date items removed from commercial rafts. Things like batteries, water tetrapacks, seasick pills - I don't need soon to be out of date flares! Also a good way to lose my own TEPs.
There is another advantage in an educated appraisal of various raft marques advantages and shortcomings. Their view certainly affected my choice when I replaced my 12 year old ISO9650-1 Seago.

 

[KeelsonGraham]

Thank you everyone. Some really useful feedback.

 

[pandos]

Seago just quoted me £299 + £35 carriage for 1st service on a 4 man valise LR. They advised getting it booked in quickly as they are snowed under.
I tried 2 other local service centres who seemed cheaper but it seems nobody else deals with Seago. So I'm locked in.

Can I ask you what does the sticker on the raft say. I bought a second hand raft recently. On the bag it says "date of first service Jan 2021" I am wondering is this an sign that it was serviced in 2021, or is it just bad English and it should read "date for first service" Jan 2021.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Can I ask you what does the sticker on the raft say. I bought a second hand raft recently. On the bag it says "date of first service Jan 2021" I am wondering is this an sign that it was serviced in 2021, or is it just bad English and it should read "date for first service" Jan 2021.

If it had been repacked I'd expect it to have come with a certificate.

 

[pandos]

If it had been repacked I'd expect it to have come with a certificate.

So would I. But that does not mean a whole lot, the certificate for my old raft was in the ships papers, my previous raft had the certificate in the raft...

 

[fisherman]

I just sold a Seago 4 man 2007, last serviced in 2015/6 by Survitec, not sure which, it was due again 2017. The carriers set it off and it stayed up 48 hours until the buyer came to deflate it. See my 'carriers again' thread! He seems confident it will go again, service people will inspect it.
As I understand, they are made in China under UK company supervision. Pretty open ended.
One Newlyn fisherman went to the Survitec service and had some rollups packed, as he had just spent an uncomfortable few hours in it without a fag.

 

[jwfrary]

I have had a Seago for 16/17 years and when I last checked it a few years ago, it was as good as new and stayed inflated for 4 days before the family insisted that it was removed from the lounge.

From all comments I heard when I was looking to get it, Seago was as good as the rest quality wise. I'd get one again tomorrow if needed.

Did you have a valise or a canister and how much of an issue to repack I'm thinking of tackling this myself.

 

[awol]

I had a 6-man Seago in a canister that made it to 12 years old. It stayed inflated ok but the hoover didn't do a very good job of vacuum packing. I donated the almost back in its box relic to the club cadets. Good luck!