Which Liferaft

[jamie N]

A good buy. I agree with your logic, and have used a similar equipment regime for several years. I have two suits.
Small yot, single handing in S UK coastal waters, well served by SAR.

As I'm sure you know, It's a MN SOLAS approved immersion/survival suit, not a CAA "flight suit" (where they are often goretex, and flame retardant). A statutory requirement on MN ships.

Faroes on my boat would freak me out a bit, tbh!

Having been forced by my local race committee (and the RYA, so that committee tell me...no response from RYA...) to recently "upgrade" to a 4 man raft I can indeed confirm that the raft is about as much of a useless pita as I expected. 32kg Valise can barely be lifted on/off the boat...in port...
Luckily it was relatively "cheap" second-hand, and passed service (much less cheap!) ok.

I won't go on, as I've moaned about this "new requirement " several times already.

So, you've a couple of suits going cheap.......? (Asking for a friend)

 

[Cerebus]

So, you've a couple of suits going cheap.......? (Asking for a friend)

I have.

Multifabs, GoreTex and Nomex, and some Ventile immersion suits. Also some fighter pilot immersion suits - green - cant remember which fighter.

I have decided to give up sailing this year. Getting boat ready for sale. A lot of gear bought but not fitted. Some brand new and boxed. What a spender I was.

But suits are in storage at back of a unit in a box- hopefully French chalk on neck seals and cuffs… but cheap to have replaced.

Would take me a long time to find. Cost me a lot of money per suit to outfit a large crew. Will find them one day… ‘get around to it’ type of thing.

 

[jamie N]

..... Also some fighter pilot immersion suits - green - cant remember which fighter.

Be careful of these.
I'll explain; my Father used one of these that he'd 'borrowed' from the Fleet Air Arm, with the idea of using it whilst racing his Hornet at Hayling Island. I recall it as an early year race around the cans in Chichester Harbour. This was in 1969 maybe when he was still flying (single seat-fixed wing).
I seem to recall that the suit was made by the Frankenstein company, which was a curiosity in itself!
It was a fairly blustery day, and they'd capsized a number of times, during which my Dad became incapacitated with Hypothermia, and had to be rescued, helped into the showers at HISC to recover with a large Brandy, and a cigarette or two of course, it was the 60's; and he made a full recovery within the hour.
The suit had leaked, and had no heat retention at all, nor were any fleece type, woolly bear undergarments available, so after capsizing and re-righting a couple of times, he was bolloxed and freezing. His crew, dressed in the contemporary kit of the time, Peter Storm top on woollen sweaters, tracksuits, etc.etc., was fine.
The suit that I've bought is a survival suit, without an option of using it on deck as the gloves are fixed in place, and is designed to keep me alive as I simply float around. My normal Musto BR2 stuff is designed for use whilst at sea and working on the boat, and wouldn't help much in the water, but that's not what it's there for, it doesn't pretend to be a liferaft!

 

[Stemar]

The suit that I've bought is a survival suit, without an option of using it on deck as the gloves are fixed in place, and is designed to keep me alive as I simply float around. My normal Musto BR2 stuff is designed for use whilst at sea and working on the boat, and wouldn't help much in the water, but that's not what it's there for, it doesn't pretend to be a liferaft!

I get the idea of something like that but, if you can't wear it all the time, are you going to have time to take off your Mustos and get it on when it all hits the fan?

 

[jamie N]

Yes. It's only going to require taking the jacket off. The survival suit's built to accept 'offshore' clothing and boots being worn, but the BR2 jacket would be too much.

 

[Stemar]

OK. For the sailing I do (Weymouth from the Solent is a blue water trip ), I think I'll stick to having my dinghy rapidly available

 

[seeSimon]

So, you've a couple of suits going cheap.......? (Asking for a friend)

No suits...more likely that damn raft!

 

[Cerebus]

Be careful of these.
I'll explain; my Father used one of these that he'd 'borrowed' from the Fleet Air Arm, with the idea of using it whilst racing his Hornet at Hayling Island. I recall it as an early year race around the cans in Chichester Harbour. This was in 1969 maybe when he was still flying (single seat-fixed wing).
I seem to recall that the suit was made by the Frankenstein company, which was a curiosity in itself!
It was a fairly blustery day, and they'd capsized a number of times, during which my Dad became incapacitated with Hypothermia, and had to be rescued, helped into the showers at HISC to recover with a large Brandy, and a cigarette or two of course, it was the 60's; and he made a full recovery within the hour.
The suit had leaked, and had no heat retention at all, nor were any fleece type, woolly bear undergarments available, so after capsizing and re-righting a couple of times, he was bolloxed and freezing. His crew, dressed in the contemporary kit of the time, Peter Storm top on woollen sweaters, tracksuits, etc.etc., was fine.
The suit that I've bought is a survival suit, without an option of using it on deck as the gloves are fixed in place, and is designed to keep me alive as I simply float around. My normal Musto BR2 stuff is designed for use whilst at sea and working on the boat, and wouldn't help much in the water, but that's not what it's there for, it doesn't pretend to be a liferaft!

Point taken, but the suits I have are modern and tested (you can take suits to dive shops and they test them). Important for the point you make.

Being breathable, I have worn them cruising all day long. Even on wet but warm Summer I wore an orange one all day once. I was the only person left standing who was dry. Clothes fit underneath fine.

Wintertime and they really come into their own whether dinghy sailing (where they will save your life possibly) or cruising where they keep you warm and dry.

 

[seeSimon]

Point taken, but the suits I have are modern and tested (you can take suits to dive shops and they test them). Important for the point you make.

Being breathable, I have worn them cruising all day long. Even on wet but warm Summer I wore an orange one all day once. I was the only person left standing who was dry. Clothes fit underneath fine.

Wintertime and they really come into their own whether dinghy sailing (where they will save your life possibly) or cruising where they keep you warm and dry.

CAA Type flight suits (in my experience as an offshore helicopter passenger. Pilots appeared to have better kit?) REQUIRE different underlayers, according to season. More in winter, obvioulsy. It is some sort of statutory requirement and they follow this up at check-in. I've never managed to acquire one of these for sailing.
Ours were some sort of flame resistant goretexy fabric, by Multifabs. Personal issue for the duration of your offshore shift.

SOLAS suits are available in both insulated (neoprene) and uninsulated (membrane) types. Some have built in flotation pillows too, (substitutes for LJ) and these are pretty unweildly, imho. The rig was REQUIRED to carry these. I wouldn't fancy my chances of climbing down an "emergency escape to sea" ladder wearing one of these. And While we were trained to jump from height (30ft maybe? Rig deck could be 100ft) wearing a SOLAS LJ, we never trained to jump from higher, or wearing a SOLAS immersion suit. Scary?

I used to have a MOD "boat suit" (RHIB crew) which was rather like a diving dry suit, membrane type, but fitted with steel toe cap wellies and no inflator or vent. Chest zip, so you don't need help to don. I changed the wellies for latex socks (allowing my choice of "boat appropriate " footwear) and this was excellent for yotting.
Sadly I grew out of it to the extend that my personal onboard insulation didn't allow me to wear a "wooly bear" or "weasel suit" underneath it anymore. As mentioned by others above, this was cold! Already sold.

My SOLAS immersion suits are as last resort, and sufficiently large to don over my foulies.
The SOLAS standard REQUIRES donning within 2 minutes.
Like JN, I planned to float in this, wearing my LJ, and accompanied by my PLB, AIS beacon and h/h VHF to await rescue, in near coastal waters in my case!

 

[Cerebus]

CAA Type flight suits (in my experience as an offshore helicopter passenger. Pilots appeared to have better kit?) REQUIRE different underlayers, according to season. More in winter, obvioulsy. It is some sort of statutory requirement and they follow this up at check-in. I've never managed to acquire one of these for sailing.
Ours were some sort of flame resistant goretexy fabric, by Multifabs. Personal issue for the duration of your offshore shift.

SOLAS suits are available in both insulated (neoprene) and uninsulated (membrane) types. Some have built in flotation pillows too, (substitutes for LJ) and these are pretty unweildly, imho. The rig was REQUIRED to carry these. I wouldn't fancy my chances of climbing down an "emergency escape to sea" ladder wearing one of these. And While we were trained to jump from height (30ft maybe? Rig deck could be 100ft) wearing a SOLAS LJ, we never trained to jump from higher, or wearing a SOLAS immersion suit. Scary?

I used to have a MOD "boat suit" (RHIB crew) which was rather like a diving dry suit, membrane type, but fitted with steel toe cap wellies and no inflator or vent. Chest zip, so you don't need help to don. I changed the wellies for latex socks (allowing my choice of "boat appropriate " footwear) and this was excellent for yotting.
Sadly I grew out of it to the extend that my personal onboard insulation didn't allow me to wear a "wooly bear" or "weasel suit" underneath it anymore. As mentioned by others above, this was cold! Already sold.

My SOLAS immersion suits are as last resort, and sufficiently large to don over my foulies.
The SOLAS standard REQUIRES donning within 2 minutes.
Like JN, I planned to float in this, wearing my LJ, and accompanied by my PLB, AIS beacon and h/h VHF to await rescue, in near coastal waters in my case!

Yes.

My Multifabs suits are Gortex and Nomex (fire retardant).
Legs have compression zips so air is trapped in chest space and float upright! Even without a lj.

Expensive.

Just a zip costs over£60.

Cuff and neck seals will harden and need replacing if not treated with “seal saver” and French chalk. But replacements are cheap.

Plenty of room underneath for clothes a suit and tie.

I bought a polar dry suit from someone who did not go in the trip. It has a removability thermal lining and pockets and is not orange like the Multifabs.