which liferaft?

[joss]

We are looking to buy a 4 man liferaft (canister). Ther are several models in the £500 to £600 range. Does anybody hvae any views on how to chose between them? I guess there aren't many that have experiance of using them, so the thing that may set them apart is quality of service when it comes to getting them repacked and maybe some anecdotal evidence of the perceived quality of the product. Thanks for any input.

Jo

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[bruce]

some are easier to get into than others, some like an inflated floor, some have extra safety kit. to me, ease in entry is important.

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[Talbot]

make sure that there is the maximum service interval (at least 3 years). Get one with a inflatable floor as if you really have to use it, hypothermia is the biggest danger. Dont forget that a cheap liferaft is a waste of money as if you really do need to use it, conditions may be a tad poor. IMHO a secondhand good liferaft is better value than a brand new rubbish one!

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[joss]

thaks for responses. One other thing that I thought of: We may get into doing some racing (maybe offshore, channel stuff), would we have to have a raft of required spec for that?

thanks,
Jo

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[pcb]

Most offshore events (Triangle, AZAB, Santander, Fastnet etc..) seem to be either RORC Category 2 or 1. In either case the requirements of a liferaft are very specific.

I respectfully suggest that you take a good look at the specs before parting with any cash. You can find what you need here.

http://www.sailing.org/menu.asp?Men...BaVPRsFnNnxKsis2IlfamVs/Mmesydpxz,jHjCrDMo1IJ

Regards



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[iangrant]

Zodiac - talk to the survival people - look at them blown up!!

Ian

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[AIDY]

Joss, If you have not done a sea survival course. do one before the purchase of the raft. you will come away with a great amount of knowledge of what you want in a raft and how you would use it. it made our hunt for a raft and equipment much easier.

<hr width=100% size=1>/forums/images/icons/wink.gif <font color=blue> Regards Andy </font color=blue>

 

[Piers]

Call John Baker from Nationwide. He's helped many forumites over the years. 01925 245 788 or 07885 631 066. Really knowledgable and helpful.

<hr width=100% size=1>Piers du Pré
http://www.dupre.co.uk

 

[milltech]

Re:8 days waiting for rescue

It's always been assumed that in the waters off these islands that you only have to wait an hour or two before being hoisted to home and comfort, it comes as a surprise to learn you may have to survive eight days in your raft.

I noticed that the TV coverage showed the name SEAGO nice and clear on the side of the raft!!


<hr width=100% size=1>John
http://www.on-line-marine.com

 

[frilaens]

Having done my safety training a couple of times (and in different countries) to work offshore in the oil business, I can make two comments which you might want to consider. First, the liferaft training is mostly about deploying a raft, righting an upturned one and how to climb in yourself or help in a casualty. All the equipment will meet the SOLAS requirements, but in slightly different ways. As with most safety gear it is actually getting into the water to do it that is important, and I would guess that is not what most sailors do. How easy is it to do these things in the raft you choose? Does the manufacturer have a video or even better a demo you can attend?

My second comment is that the offshore safety training buisiness is well established and there is a wealth of experience out there. Most of the instructors I have had have been very approachable and on my last course in Trondheim they actively drew on experiences relevant not just to work offshore but also in leisure craft. You could call a local company and ask about courses and also for advice.

As the reply above said, doing a course is a real eye opener; I can vouch for the difficulties in trying to right a raft in the dark, in strong winds and with 1.5 metre waves. This was training and the difference would be that we were all snug in survival suits and in a relatively "warm" pool!

Andy

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[webcraft]

Re:8 days waiting for rescue

I didn't notice it was a Seago, but am delighted as it is what we bought before our trip round Ireland (sorry John, not from you - got free delivery elsewhere . . .)

Seago are super-cheap but seem well specced - I believe this is because they have not been through the expensive process of getting SOLAS approval (though am prepared to be corrected on this).

Now they are shown to work perfectly - so why spend a fortune on an expensive raft? This one stayed afloat with a full complement for a week - far more than you are likely to need unless crossing oceans.

- Nick



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[roger]

Do you expect it to save your life or just to occupy space on the boat. If the latter go for the cheapest. For the former look seriously at the spec. The new ISO ones at the boat show are horribly expensive but do have boarding aids, lights, and will self right. Its your choice

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[webcraft]

Roger, read the post above . . . the Seago survived a week, everyone safe. £495 for the 4-man valise. What more do you want?

Don't believe anything about self-righting rafts - they will all stay the right way up with the right number of people in, and if they don't none of them will self-right because the occupants will be in the upside down canopy.

If you mean on initial inflation, then it shouldn't be a problem. I've righted a 20-man raft myself on a sea survival course on more than one occasion, so do not imagine a 4 or 6 man would be much of a problem.

Lights - what on earth are you on about? Put a torch or two in the grab bag, plus a couple of lightsticks. Boarding aids - Seago has a boarding ladder (as do most)

Of more significance in N. European waters is an insulated floor. (Seago has).

I think buying a cheap raft and spending some of the money you save on a good sea survival course is a better bet. All IMHO of course.

- Nick

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[roger]

When I bought our raft 5 years ago there were a great number of poorly specified rafts about. Typically a cheap raft would have a single floor, no external lights, no reflective tapes on the outside, lousy ballast pockets and no boarding pillow. The rafts were necessary for people going on offshore races but they were bought to comply with regulations rather than with the fear they might sometime be used.
I'm a bit scaptical about grab bags. Are they conveniently available? Will they actually make it into the raft in bad weather.
I have righted a raft in a nice warm swimming pool - 15 or 20 years ago. I'm not at all sure I could do it now in rough weather in a very cold sea at night. I also remember how difficulat it was even then to get into the raft without a boarding pillow.
The specification is very important as is the quality of construction. I liked the obvious quality of the Zodiac ISO that I saw.
As for self righting, there were some nasty stories of inability to right an occupied raft that came out of a recent Sydney Hobart race. Anything that helps get the crew into the raft quickly is liable to save lives.
The problem overall is that the things cost a large amount of money and one hopes they will never be used. It's very difficult to commit so much money to a raft when there are other priorities.
In Baltic Scandinavia one rarely sees a raft. The main life saving aid is a towed rubber dinghy. Safety priorities depend on where you sail.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger