A better way to secure the liferaft

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by monte

That looks a bit TOO secure! No hydrostatic release on that one?

{Sorry for the delayed posting... WiFi probs here in AmSamoa.}

Ref: Picture in post#7...

Nope. No hydrostatic release.

Despite best intentions and seamanship sailboats sometimes do a Murphy, have a knockdown, or roll. Me... I don't want that liferaft going walk-about while I'm still getting the vessel under control. From my point of view, it's best to allow ME to choose when to hit the abandon ship button, not some "device".

YMMV............

James

[monte]

Probably not a bad idea. I think theyre usually set to release at about 3m but who knows how reliable/unreliable the sensor might be...
Im pretty sure its required on commercial vessels (in Australia anyway) but being a private yacht I guess its up to the captain

[Terra Nova]

The raft remains tethered to the yacht even if accidentally inflated. If my boat suddenly goes down, before I could move to release the raft, I will be thankful for its hydrostatic release.

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

The raft remains tethered to the yacht even if accidentally inflated.

Then what? There we are, 500-odd miles off Tierra del Fuego, the vessel rolls (or whatever) and now I've got to deal with an inflated liferaft on top of everything else? Ha!

Okay... To each their own. Me my way; you yours. And what works for you is exactly what you should do. I applaud that.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Didn't see any mention of liferaft security from thieves. Fabric straps can be easily cut.

Might read my earlier post where I mention building an almost watertight, self draining deck locker, with room for a lock on it.

Also, in reference to your comment about raft tethers. They're VERY often, connected to a weak by design, attachment point on the raft. And it's common to read where rafts break free of the mother ship, before folks have finished doing all of what they want/need to do in terms of grabbing their ditch kit, water, etc. & boarding the raft.

Said attachment point is purposefully weak so that; it doesn't tear a hole in anything vital in the raft when it lets go, & that it's far from sufficiently strong enough to even begin to drag the raft down when the main vessel heads for the bottom.

You've gotta' figure that even in moderate seas, a raft, with it's ballast pockets, & sea anchors, is exerting a substantial amount of force on this line with each wave induced jerk. And by no means is the "painter" designed to tow a raft at even 2-3kts., especially given these "anchors".
It couldn't, or it'd rip the side out of a raft, given those kinds of loadings.

Given that you can't have it both ways, with one raft at least, then it might be worth considering 2 rafts. One on deck, with a hydrostatic release. And a 2nd one, which only comes free via a knife.
Though, such of course, represents a lot of $ (2 rafts that is). So, given that, it might be worth thinking through, & preparing other options for surviving catastrophic events.
Even with $ not being a factor, it's only wise to think through & make efforts towards preparing multiple solutions for when things go seriously awry.

[monte]

Jobs done, taking all the above advice and pics into consideration. Thanks for all the helpful input!
The buckles seem pretty secure and foolproof. They do take a good tug upwards to release. The two outer straps would probably be enough but the third is for belt and suspenders

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by svmariane

Then what? There we are, 500-odd miles off Tierra del Fuego, the vessel rolls (or whatever) and now I've got to deal with an inflated liferaft on top of everything else? Ha!

Okay... To each their own. Me my way; you yours. And what works for you is exactly what you should do. I applaud that.

It depends on where the cradle is.

It takes some pressure to release the hydrostatic (1.5 to 4m is standard I think) and then it takes a strong pull to open the raft.

In either case, some risk remains: or the raft goes down with the boat or it may in the worst case scenario, open on a rollover.

;-(

b.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by monte

Jobs done, taking all the above advice and pics into consideration. Thanks for all the helpful input!Attachment 101461Attachment 101462
The buckles seem pretty secure and foolproof. They do take a good tug upwards to release. The two outer straps would probably be enough but the third is for belt and suspenders

That's pretty much what I have done on my Lagoon 450. I have an 8 person Viking RescYou Pro raft and it is quite narrower than the opening. It kept sliding from side to side during our Pacific crossing. I glued some heavy foam to keep the raft from moving. I'm heading to Fiji next few days and I'll see how it holds up.
I also keep a safety knife mounted by the raft to cut the tie down straps, just in case.

[dgabier1]

Monte,

That looks good, but ponder this, I had my Revere similarly lashed on the way north from Puerto Rico to NC. A couple of miles offshore, a wave passed under and swept the canister around the side of the lashings. If I had not passed one of the lashings through the lifting lines like you did, the raft would have been gone. Yours looks much tighter and better thought out, just make sure the raft can't spin out around the sides.

Dan