Estimated Cost of Liferaft Certification

[PamlicoTraveler]

I am interested in what others have paid recently to have their liferafts re-certified. 4 years ago we paid 4 or $500, but a recent quote was much higher. I am wondering if I even want to spend the money since it isn't required, but I hate to skimp on safety. Its a Viking 4 person.

Interested in what others have paid..

[James S]

I recently paid 150$ in Leb. for a 6 man Avon...I found the place down at the commercial port....they do a high volume.
Glad I did it....although it inflated...it was really dry and cracked looking.
Replaced it with a Viking 6 man.

[nigel1]

Paid £150 for a 6 man RDF in container last year.

[James S]

Originally Posted by nigel1

Paid £150 for a 6 man RDF in container last year.

That's a hell of a deal if its in good shape.

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by James S

That's a hell of a deal if its in good shape.

Hi James,
That was for a service, not the raft

[James S]

I'm so easy....
Thanks Nigel

[PamlicoTraveler]

Nigel...I'll give you £200 for that raft!

Thanks for those prices. We got a quote for $1,000 (£600?) from somebody and thought it was crazy. So I'm gonna keep shopping...

[Sailor g]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

Nigel...I'll give you £200 for that raft!

Thanks for those prices. We got a quote for $1,000 (£600?) from somebody and thought it was crazy. So I'm gonna keep shopping...

We also got a quote for $1000. $800-900 to blow up, measure pressure & see if it holds air and they replace stuff inside like sea sick pills, food, batteries, etc. $300-350 to get a hard case instead of valise. Then they mumbled about hydro? Not sure for what that would cost if its extra. The quote was in California (LA area) so we will keep checking in other areas north since they are cheaper.

[Hud3]

I had my six-man Viking inspected and re-packed by USA Services in Norfolk, VA for between $400 and $500, but that was 5-6 years ago. I wouldn't expect the cost to more than double in that time period.

[sded]

My last service (April 2011) was $710 in Los Angeles for a 6 person Winslow CCP in a valise. $425 labor plus parts. $359.50 more if it was time to hydrotest the cylinder.

[SaucySailoress]

I never thought of looking in the commercial port area... I don't think they let normal humans in there though... We have never heard of anyone servicing life rafts in Kuwait. have to admit, haven't looked THAT hard tho!

If not, might be a possibility to bring it to Lebanon - do they let you fly with these things as luggage?

[cabo_sailor]

My six man Givens (cannister) was about $700 a few years ago. That included replacing all the interior supplies and hydrostatic testing of gas cylinder. Hydro testing is not an option, it is required just as it is for SCUBA tanks every 5 years.

Rich

[AnchorageGuy]

This does depend on what you will need. If just an inspection and recharge or replacement of the cylinder it will be about $500.00 to $700.00 depending on who does it and where. If you will need to replace most of the contents it will be more expensive. So if someone has had it done for more or less you will need to know exactly what they had done. And the price in Europe will be quite different than North Carolina. Ours was last repacked in Fort Lauderdale and the total cost was $800.00. Almost all of the safety equipment, flares, etc. had to be replaced as did the provisions. We also had a few things added that did not come with the raft. This was for a Switlik 6 person. Chuck

[sww914]

In the SF Bay area I was quoted $350.00 plus parts, basically. Starts out about $550.00 and goes up from there depending on what it needs. There are a lot of variables because the included supplies vary from raft to raft and from manufacturer to manufacturer, and the age decides if the cylinder needs re-certification or if the actual raft needs repairs.

[hellosailor]

Rich-
"Hydro testing is not an option, it is required just as it is for SCUBA tanks every 5 years." Not quite the same. A SCUBA tank must have a current hydro test in order to be refilled. It does not require a hydro test if it is just sitting in a closet. Since the gas cylinder in a life raft can simply be weighed in order to determine if it has a full charge, there is no need to discharge the cylinder in a life raft, and no need to recharge it--ergo no requirement that it be hydro tested per se.
It is easy for a shop to say they have to discharge the cylinder and refill it, but all that accomplishes is raising your bill and freezing the life raft material during the discharge--which helps shorten its life and then of course, gee, you need to buy a new raft.
Call me a curmudgeon, but there's no absolute and routine need to discharge a perfectly good gas bottle UNLESS it has leaked. Especially when it is full of inert gas, not the oxygen loaded air that's in a SCUBA tank. There's a lot of FUD in the SCUBA business.

Pamlico-
Yeah, hold onto your socks, the life raft certification business is damned expensive, even more so for "certified" shops. I sometimes think a very good case can be made for simply selling a raft and replacing it with a new one every two years, instead of paying the certification fees and eventually, the raft is condemned anyway. Sadly, they're all very much disposable goods. The guy who figures out a new paradigm for life rafts that don't rot on the shelf is probably going to make a lot of money.