liferaft storage

[casual]

Having read many accounts of liferafts being swept overboard,I,question storage on deck.I,am planning on taking my raft from a on deck container to a soft valiese and storing below aPITA but safe storage.I,would welcome other opinions or options.

Thanks all

[bewitched]

I guess the two leading reasons for getting into a liferaft would be a significant breach of the hull that presents an immediate risk of sinking and a fire of such proportions that it would be life-threatening to stay aboard.

In neither case would I be too happy going down below to retrieve a liferaft.

Although there may be accounts of them being swept overboard, these cases are rare and I would suspect that in the majority of these cases they are not secured sufficiently.

I think I'd be looking at engineeing a dedicated stainless steel cradle for the canister, before considering the valaise below.

[Jentine]

I have mine mounted on the swim platform and I have seen many other mounted on the stern rail.

[Curmudgeon]

The canisters are a PITA. Waste of deck space. Best solution IMHO is to have a dedicated liferaft storage area below the helmsman's seat or somewhere in the stern area. Failing that, put it in a valise and store it on deck on chocks when you are making a passage. When you are inshore, put it in a lazarette.

[casual]

Curmudgeon Deck storage in a Valise?Will water infiltrate and later harm the raft?I,am thinking of a Pelican case hard but light opinion?I,Carry a Winslow 6 man offshore

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

The canisters are a PITA. Waste of deck space. Best solution IMHO is to have a dedicated liferaft storage area below the helmsman's seat or somewhere in the stern area. Failing that, put it in a valise and store it on deck on chocks when you are making a passage. When you are inshore, put it in a lazarette.

I like this approach. I opted for a valise a couple of times, stored in the lazzarrette. It's a risk I was willing to take...

[Curmudgeon]

My valise is waterproof.

[casual]

Curmudgeon What type of raft?

[Curmudgeon]

Givens 6 man offshore

[jackdale]

Regardless of where you intend to stow a liferaft , you might check out ISAF race regulations. You should be able to launch within 15 seconds.

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documen...4012012Colour-[11765].pdf

[daddle]

If you store it on deck do it with a serious mount. Thru bolts, backing plates. Make sure if a wave takes the raft (thousands of pounds of force) that the deck goes with it.

Mine is at the bottom of the companionway stairs, Tied to a bulkhead. With the ditch bag and 2nd EPIRB. I can have it overboard in 15 seconds from either my bunk or the helm. I have absolutely nothing stored on deck during a passage.

I have seen cruisers that would need to spend an hour clearing all the yard sale debris on their deck before they could reach the raft. Almost funny.

[Dockhead]

Mine is in a hard case inside a dedicated locker behind the cockpit. I have a second raft in a valise in the laz. They are both 4-man rafts.

In the dedicated locker, the first raft won't get swept overboard, but the locker lid is not fixed down, so could fly open and eject the raft in case of a knockdown (God forbid, of course). Adding a sturdy latch is on my list.

[Hydra]

My raft is in a valise, stowed in a shallow cockpit locker. The last time I checked, I had it on deck in 45 seconds, taking my time to clear the clutter from the locker. If I were in a real hurry, the clutter would be moved MUCH faster but would suffer some damage (not important in an emergency situation).

I feel that a raft is much better protected from heat, cold, moisture etc. this way than in an exposed canister. It's not sufficient to have the raft on deck, I want it to inflate when I pull the cord and to stay inflated after that: no rusted gaz bottle, no worn buoyancy tubes.

Moreover, it's not easy to design and built a mount strong enough to withstand breaking wave impact forces. I wouldnt want a wave to take a big chunk of the deck with the raft, for it would meant that the next wave on deck could fill the boat with water.

Alain

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by casual

Having read many accounts of liferafts being swept overboard,I,question storage on deck.I,am planning on taking my raft from a on deck container to a soft valiese and storing below aPITA but safe storage.I,would welcome other opinions or options. Thanks all

Ours is in a valise stored under the nav table at the foot of the companion steps when underway. It might take a little longer to launch but its secure and dry. As a 4 man raft it only weighs 23 kgs so easy enough to move about in a hurry.

Pete

[simonmd]

I have a canister and it's securly bolted to the foredeck to one side of the windlass. Being a Cat', I have more room up there than a mono and wanted to balance the weight against additions to the rear of the boat as well.

Surely those reports of rafts being swept overboard imply that its the mounting and not the possition that you should question? IMHO, on deck (or at least in a cockpit locker) is the ONLY option for such a vital bit of equipment. If it's below and you capsize, how on earth would you get it out?

I also have the lanyard securly fastened to a foreward cleat, so there is no risk of loosing it in deployment.