Sans Bateau
Well-known member
Several months ago Yachting Monthly did a test report on life rafts, a VERY important subject.
I recall that in that test the Zodiac raft did not fair very well. Although a respected name one would expect could be trusted to perform when needed, even in a swimming pool it failed to inflate properly. I also recall that the official comment from Zodiac was rather dismissive of the failure.
Last week a Hanse 371 MEGAWAT, owned by the Irish Hanse dealer, sailmaker and racing yachtsman Philip Watson, sank in the Irish Sea. The sinking has been reported due to the failure of the rudder stock, a part which is common to many leading brands of yacht, not unique to Hanse. The yacht had completed about 14,000 sea miles.
The sinking of the yacht, whilst tragic, is not so significant to this post as is the fact that had another yacht, QUITE CORRECT, a Jeanneau 54 not been able to evacuate the crew of 4, then we may have been discussing a loss of life. The yacht sank in about 15 mins after the initial mayday call. As Quite Correct responded to the call, Philip Watson and his crew were making ready to abandon ship to the life raft, a hired Zodiac 6 person raft, 5 years old and serviced in Jan 2005. On an attempt to inflate the raft, in Philip Watson’s words, “there was only enough air to inflate a life jacket”. In other words the life raft failed. The rescue being completed as the Hanse disappeared beneath the crew by using the inflatable from Quite Correct.
The point is, if you buy or hire a life raft you only ever get to use it once, if at all. You might be drawn to a particular brand because of its reputable brand image, only to be let down when it’s called to duty. How do you feel about your life raft? I know if I had a Zodiac I would be looking to return it for a full refund, if I were going out to buy a raft, no way would I even consider a Zodiac; it looks like they don’t work! Zodiac could have had the lives of 4 seamen on its hands. When you buy safety equipment you have to trust that the manufacture has got it right, you cannot take it back and say it hasn’t worked, YOU MIGHT BE DEAD!
I recall that in that test the Zodiac raft did not fair very well. Although a respected name one would expect could be trusted to perform when needed, even in a swimming pool it failed to inflate properly. I also recall that the official comment from Zodiac was rather dismissive of the failure.
Last week a Hanse 371 MEGAWAT, owned by the Irish Hanse dealer, sailmaker and racing yachtsman Philip Watson, sank in the Irish Sea. The sinking has been reported due to the failure of the rudder stock, a part which is common to many leading brands of yacht, not unique to Hanse. The yacht had completed about 14,000 sea miles.
The sinking of the yacht, whilst tragic, is not so significant to this post as is the fact that had another yacht, QUITE CORRECT, a Jeanneau 54 not been able to evacuate the crew of 4, then we may have been discussing a loss of life. The yacht sank in about 15 mins after the initial mayday call. As Quite Correct responded to the call, Philip Watson and his crew were making ready to abandon ship to the life raft, a hired Zodiac 6 person raft, 5 years old and serviced in Jan 2005. On an attempt to inflate the raft, in Philip Watson’s words, “there was only enough air to inflate a life jacket”. In other words the life raft failed. The rescue being completed as the Hanse disappeared beneath the crew by using the inflatable from Quite Correct.
The point is, if you buy or hire a life raft you only ever get to use it once, if at all. You might be drawn to a particular brand because of its reputable brand image, only to be let down when it’s called to duty. How do you feel about your life raft? I know if I had a Zodiac I would be looking to return it for a full refund, if I were going out to buy a raft, no way would I even consider a Zodiac; it looks like they don’t work! Zodiac could have had the lives of 4 seamen on its hands. When you buy safety equipment you have to trust that the manufacture has got it right, you cannot take it back and say it hasn’t worked, YOU MIGHT BE DEAD!
