Self examination of my life raft

Rogershaw said:
Thanks for the info

Your second link only brings up a list of reports which one is the specific you are refering to.
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The one into Asgard 2.

Also awaited final report into crash of SAR helicopter where it seems nothing inflated as expected...

Others where raft inflated upside-down in calm water having floated free...from sinking trawler.
 
For the third most vital item of safety equipment, some skippers take a very cavalier approach, skipping service inspections. A friend has a canister one of indeterminate age which is highly unlike to inflate and stay that way. I've often remonstrated with him but to no avail - the thing hasn't been inspected this century yet he has loads of electronic gizmos which won't save his life if the boat sinks.
 
At that age,> 20 years, I think it might be best to bin it. Beyond a certain age SOLAS rated life rafts and probably others too are recommended to be thrown away. A call to a life raft servicing outfit, or maybe the maker, if in business still, will confirm the expected life of your raft.
 
ghostlymoron said:
For the third most vital item of safety equipment, some skippers take a very cavalier approach, skipping service inspections. A friend has a canister one of indeterminate age which is highly unlike to inflate and stay that way. I've often remonstrated with him but to no avail - the thing hasn't been inspected this century yet he has loads of electronic gizmos which won't save his life if the boat sinks.
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Yes, and on this thread the OP wants to keep a 20+ year old raft!
 
Maybe whoever makes Volvo airbags should start making rafts - back in the day when I rolled my 850 there were enough bags to float it!

When I was with my last UK company, although freelancing with them for nearly 5 years, I looked into getting trained to service the life jackets - everyone advised me against it for the liability issues. I wonder how you would stand if say you took a friend out sailing and your self inspected raft failed and they drowned? I know unlikely but...

W.
 
I have the liferafts on both boats serviced professionally because I have to - I need the certificate for one and like to have it for the other. Once they are returned I always open them up and unpack as far as I reasonably can and then repack again just for some peace of mind. The reason I do this is because several years ago I got a raft back from service where the painter line had been left very short. I tried to pull a bit out to let me tie it on but it was jammed. I finished up cutting the straps and opening it up only to find the painter in a knotted tangle inside the hole, stopping it from being pulled.
If it is possible I go to the service centre and check the repack with them. I've done this twice now, down in the Algarve and the guy was fine with me being there but its not always possible.
 
Another tragedy to add to the list, the MFV Louisa sank at anchor off Mingulay in 2016 and the LR didn't properly inflate. Three lives lost.
 
Here it is acceptable to have the open ‘rafts’ on passenger vessels. You get to hang on if you’re lucky- elderly or handicap you might get thrown into the middle with the net.

I cannot believe this is still acceptable. But it is USCG approved.
 
PilotWolf said:
I wonder how you would stand if say you took a friend out sailing and your self inspected raft failed and they drowned? I know unlikely but...

W.
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Given the number of reported failings in professionally serviced rafts I wonder how one would stand if....having read this thread and had notice of the various official reports.... and your raft failed having been professionally serviced, and not subsequently checked by you...... and thereafter your friend died... I know unlikely...
 
greeny said:
I have the liferafts on both boats serviced professionally because I have to - I need the certificate for one and like to have it for the other. Once they are returned I always open them up and unpack as far as I reasonably can and then repack again just for some peace of mind. The reason I do this is because several years ago I got a raft back from service where the painter line had been left very short. I tried to pull a bit out to let me tie it on but it was jammed. I finished up cutting the straps and opening it up only to find the painter in a knotted tangle inside the hole, stopping it from being pulled.
If it is possible I go to the service centre and check the repack with them. I've done this twice now, down in the Algarve and the guy was fine with me being there but its not always possible.
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I have witnessed mine being unpacked. A query to you regarding so called vacuum packing. My lifearft was inside a plastic bag which had a big hole for the painter to pass through, therefore it does not appear that the liferaft could be vacuumed packed. When returned to me, I peeped through the painter hole in the canister and it was again packed in a plastic bag. Did you find the same? While mine was packed snugly, it was not like other vacuum packed items I have seen which are very tightly packed. I suspect vacuum packing of a liferaft could force tight folds which stress the material and weaken it. Just curious.

Mine is a Plastimo Offshore Canister, 8 x man.
 
pandos said:
Given the number of reported failings in professionally serviced rafts I wonder how one would stand if....having read this thread and had notice of the various official reports.... and your raft failed having been professionally serviced, and not subsequently checked by you...... and thereafter your friend died... I know unlikely...
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I would suggest that if ‘professionally’ serviced with a certificate you’d be on good grounds for a few £.

I just wonder who’d be liable if you as an untrained amateur did it...

PW.
 
This is a video showing how my raft was meant to be packed in a foil vacuum pack,


Previously when my supposedly new raft was checked it had been rolled up in a bit of plastic tied with packaging tape...
 
PilotWolf said:
I would suggest that if ‘professionally’ serviced with a certificate you’d be on good grounds for a few £.
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If you were alive, had the cert, and could prove that you had not interfered with the raft and could prove that the loss was as a result of the raft not inflating then you might be more than half ways there...

I think possible liability issues are stifling so much of our lives...
 
PilotWolf said:
I would suggest that if ‘professionally’ serviced with a certificate you’d be on good grounds for a few £.

I just wonder who’d be liable if you as an untrained amateur did it...

PW.
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I suspect that that's a question that could enrich a few lawyers. Did I use reasonable care doing it? Was it a manufacturing fault I couldn't reasonably expect to find?

I don't know if I'd do my liferaft if I had one, but I do know, I'd rather have my life jacket that I've serviced this year than an unknown one. I checked a friend's LJs a while back and they hadn't been touched since he bought them seven years previously. He got a bill for new cartridges and I made sure I did them for him every year. Incidentally, each of the expired cartridges went off with a satisfying pop when dropped in a bowl of water, so I've no reason to believe the LJs wouldn't have worked, but...
 
pandos said:
If you were alive, had the cert, and could prove that you had not interfered with the raft and could prove that the loss was as a result of the raft not inflating then you might be more than half ways there...

I think possible liability issues are stifling so much of our lives...
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I totally agree in principle but unfortunately the legal lot might not.

W.
 
I bought one to experiment with. Interesting to say the least. H Roberts Liverpool have a v nice guy there that knows his stuff, he will hydrotest your cylinder, refill and reset the trigger for around £130 Home Page
 
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