Life Raft Decisions

[MicHughV]

I was given these automated lifevests sometime back.....y'know, the one's with the little cartridge attached.
After the expiration date on the cartridge had passed, I tried them out in a local pool, as the cartridges still seemed fine to me. The vests all inflated as designed, but lo and behold, within about 5 minutes they had all deflated due to leaks in the air bladder hidden beneath the fabric.

With this in mind, I went to our local liferaft center to see about getting my old liferaft re-certified, a older Plastimo model, but due to it's age, they would not do it, citing fabric and other issues. I did get to walk around their shop floor and could see various and sundry liferafts being serviced. The floor was littered with liferafts that had been inflated and they remain that way for several days to ensure no air leakage.
It's quite a process for sure and I could see why it's such an expensive task.

I had little choice but to get another one.

It's one of these things as it gets tossed in a locker somewhere and does not see the light of day again for years.

Being a belts and braces kind of guy, the decision to get a new one was an easy one.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Wotname

. . . Lady Luck favours those who have prepared properly

You're channeling Amundsen there . . .

[carstenb]

We have the same issue. Just before we left Denmark, we purchased a 6 man Zodiac. Had it serviced on Tahiti, but when we tired to get it serviced now, before heading back towards Denmark, everyone said "no". Apparently Zodiac went out of the leisure lift raft business just after we bought ours, so no one will service it. But Zodiac gave a 12 year warranty. Obviously, a warranty implies that you can get the damned thing serviced.

Querying Zodiac, I got the response that I should contact the selling dealer.

That is really helpful. The dealer in Denmark says he will service it when I get back.

Use them for practice - no one should place their life in the hands of a 20 year old raft.

[Mal Reynolds]

I bought a boat with a 23 year old 4 man Avon raft. I activated it in my driveway and it held air just fine for 48 hrs. Then I stabbed it with a knife and threw it away.

I bought another boat with a 6 year old Revere Elite 4 man. Had it serviced and it failed the pressure test.

I now have the Viking ResQue Pro 6 man. Needs servicing but easy here in Portland.

Do you need a raft with a canister if you have a dedicated locker? I guess if it gets wet in there.

Ask your raft servicing owner for recommendations. They see a lot of rafts. I asked the big service center in Long Beach, CA for their advice and he said these: https://www.oceansafety.com/product-...sure/liferafts I've no experience with them. There was one on the floor inflated and seemed fine to me but what the hell do I know?

He also advised to stove rafts horizontally. Vertically stored rafts get water in them & it causes problems.

I assume you have immersion suits for all crew. Also good fire extinguishing systems. For me higher priorities. Oh, and I also carry a thermal camera & scan the engine room and electrical panels & connections to identify any hot spots that could cause problems.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Mal Reynolds

I bought a boat with a 23 year old 4 man Avon raft. I activated it in my driveway and it held air just fine for 48 hrs. Then I stabbed it with a knife and threw it away.

I bought another boat with a 6 year old Revere Elite 4 man. Had it serviced and it failed the pressure test.

I now have the Viking ResQue Pro 6 man. Needs servicing but easy here in Portland.

Do you need a raft with a canister if you have a dedicated locker? I guess if it gets wet in there.

Ask your raft servicing owner for recommendations. They see a lot of rafts. I asked the big service center in Long Beach, CA for their advice and he said these: https://www.oceansafety.com/product-...sure/liferafts I've no experience with them. There was one on the floor inflated and seemed fine to me but what the hell do I know?

He also advised to stove rafts horizontally. Vertically stored rafts get water in them & it causes problems.

I assume you have immersion suits for all crew. Also good fire extinguishing systems. For me higher priorities. Oh, and I also carry a thermal camera & scan the engine room and electrical panels & connections to identify any hot spots that could cause problems.

My life raft servicing guy says that no life raft before or since has been made like the Avon Ocean, and it will give many more years of service.


But it's now looking like I will be buying that Viking.

[Bill_Giles]

To be honest, I think that it is easy to service one’s own life raft. As your are quite old it would be sensible to do it annually. Remove the raft and blow it up hard. If it stays firm over a couple of days there are no leaks. Inspect all seals, fixtures and fittings for damage and perishing. Pull on all items likely to be pulled when you are trying to climb aboard in high seas, so do not hold back when you haul on them. Inspect and enhance the emergency kit. Change all the dry cell batteries, even if they appear ok. Use them at home so it does not matter if they don’t last long. Check the weight and pressure of the gas bottle. (They should be tested every ten years.) now you have done a better job than you could pay anyone else to do (ie someone who does not have a vested interest in the life raft working properly.

[powsmias]

portland pudgy

[AiniA]

When I bought our boat for offshore cruising it had a 28 year old, 8 person Avon. I did not like the age or the fact that it was much too big for my wife and I. Pulled the cord and it inflated perfectly and held air until I threw it out. Replaced it with a Zodiac. At first service, at correct time it was leaking through the fabric. Zodiac refused the warranty claim for a ridiculous reason. Would never buy anything from them again.

[CarinaPDX]

Apparently life raft repackers don't repack liferafts that they have not been certified to repair, at least in the litigious part of the world. I think that they get their liability coverage through their manufacturers. So once a liferaft company goes out of business the repackers won't touch them. This happened to me with my British-made Lifeguard raft; the company was acquired and then closed down. I was not able to get it repacked. While I could do that myself, as others have done, it is a bit more complicated than that. The gas pressure tank requires hydro testing at 5 years, but this is not DOT certified so US firms won't touch it. I would probably have to replace the tank. At some point it is time to move on...

What has not been mentioned is the material used in the raft, which has a huge impact, and also the technique for gluing or welding. Neoprene is heavy and porous (why bicycle tubes deflate so quickly) but is easy to repair with glue. Butyl is a bit lighter and much less porous (N.B. buy butyl bicycle tubes and enjoy longer air retention) and is also easy to glue. Polyurethane and other high tech fabrics are much lighter and probably low porosity - I have no experience. PVC is inexpensive but IIUC is welded and I think less durable, but subject to verification All of these materials are bonded with a fabric, usually nylon (older products) or polyester. When I bought mine butyl was clearly better than neoprene without getting into welding. At that time the transoms were falling out of Zodiak dinghies due to bad welding, and I knew of one Zodiak raft that failed to inflate at 5 years due to extensive seam failure - pass. Today I would still prefer butyl over neoprene but would also have a serious look at the polyurethane ones. I have my doubts about the PVC's longevity, subject to proof to the contrary.

Greg

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Bill_Giles

To be honest, I think that it is easy to service one’s own life raft. As your are quite old it would be sensible to do it annually. Remove the raft and blow it up hard. If it stays firm over a couple of days there are no leaks. Inspect all seals, fixtures and fittings for damage and perishing. Pull on all items likely to be pulled when you are trying to climb aboard in high seas, so do not hold back when you haul on them. Inspect and enhance the emergency kit. Change all the dry cell batteries, even if they appear ok. Use them at home so it does not matter if they don’t last long. Check the weight and pressure of the gas bottle. (They should be tested every ten years.) now you have done a better job than you could pay anyone else to do (ie someone who does not have a vested interest in the life raft working properly.

That's an interesting idea.


How do you put them back in the vacuum bag, though? You need the bag, and then probably some special gear, no?

[jalmberg]

A 6-man raft might be too big for a 2-man crew if the weather is nasty. Check with the manufacturer.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by jalmberg

A 6-man raft might be too big for a 2-man crew if the weather is nasty. Check with the manufacturer.

That is also my understanding.


That's why I will keep one of the 4 man rafts.

[sepharad]

My 1991 Avon simply became "porous" and the servicing folks said it would not hold air. They also stated there was no discreet leak to be repaired.

I am considering Seago.

[Bert46]

Originally Posted by Bill_Giles

To be honest, I think that it is easy to service one’s own life raft. As your are quite old it would be sensible to do it annually. Remove the raft and blow it up hard. If it stays firm over a couple of days there are no leaks. Inspect all seals, fixtures and fittings for damage and perishing. Pull on all items likely to be pulled when you are trying to climb aboard in high seas, so do not hold back when you haul on them. Inspect and enhance the emergency kit. Change all the dry cell batteries, even if they appear ok. Use them at home so it does not matter if they don’t last long. Check the weight and pressure of the gas bottle. (They should be tested every ten years.) now you have done a better job than you could pay anyone else to do (ie someone who does not have a vested interest in the life raft working properly.

My current Viking Coastal is sealed in a heavy plastic vacuum bag. It had previously been stored in a hard case in a vertical position which I believe is what caused some water to get into the case. I believe the vacuum bag is what kept it dry and 2 weeks ago it passed service at Viking in Miami. It will be stored in horizontal position from now on.