Life Raft Discussion.... Yes or No?

[libspero]

I have no particularly strong view on this either way, but here is a small extract from a recent account of a yacht lost last week due to heavy weather:

Loss of Kelaerin, June 17, 2018

"He then asked if I could take the wheel, which I did while he went down below to check the damage and make sure we weren’t taking on water. While behind the wheel I had to keep the stern to the waves. I concentrated on steering and at some point as I looked forward I could see that the dinghy was gone. The handrails it had been tied to were broken, snapped like twigs. Then I realized something else was missing….the liferaft. I leaned over to see if it had maybe been caught in between the cabin top and the lifelines or blanketed by the main sail but it was not there. It had been tied to a stainless steel luggage rack that we had constructed and bolted to the cabin top just forward of the dodger. The teak coaming that ran across the cabin top was broken off with a part of it in the cabin. It was probably that which had hit Jim and gashed him above his eye."

https://www.thehulltruth.com/docksid...yed-storm.html

[daletournier]

I read the above article. It dosent mention what type of boat (just curious). Was the boat found or sighted later?

Something I'm not happy about with my setup is having the liferaft mounted on deck. It's not a great position IMO although common. A mate had his washed of deck south of Madagascar several years back. I'll be relocating mine.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I read the above article. It dosent mention what type of boat (just curious). Was the boat found or sighted later?

Something I'm not happy about with my setup is having the liferaft mounted on deck. It's not a great position IMO although common. A mate had his washed of deck south of Madagascar several years back. I'll be relocating mine.

See this thread for more details, photos, video link, and weather maps of that storm.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-a-203410.html

The boat was identified as an Omega 45, built in 1980.

[Eder]

I carry a raft but doubt myself or my wife will be able to get in the raft (or dingy) when **** hits the fan...benign conditions I'll be doing Captn Ron standing on the spreader as rescue arrives.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Something I'm not happy about with my setup is having the liferaft mounted on deck. It's not a great position IMO although common. A mate had his washed of deck south of Madagascar several years back. I'll be relocating mine.

Ditto for me Dale. Seems like it should be closer to the cockpit. The rail-mounted ones seem to make a lot of sense but I worry about the load on the pushpin stanchions. Already have my outboard mounted there & not sure about adding more weight.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Exile

Ditto for me Dale. Seems like it should be closer to the cockpit. The rail-mounted ones seem to make a lot of sense but I worry about the load on the pushpin stanchions. Already have my outboard mounted there & not sure about adding more weight.

I already have quite abit of weight on the back, Hydrovane, arch, solar panels plus outboard. I'm thinking of going back to a Valise. I've got quite abit of room under the dodger, if secured well it maybe better. I keep the grab bag (while under passage) under the dodger for quick "grabbing".

[Exile]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I already have quite abit of weight on the back, Hydrovane, arch, solar panels plus outboard. I'm thinking of going back to a Valise. I've got quite abit of room under the dodger, if secured well it maybe better. I keep the grab bag (while under passage) under the dodger for quick "grabbing".

I am also thinking valise, especially when I learned how compact they are. I checked and prices in the UK are indeed substantially less than the US for some reason, even with shipping. Who knows if my old Givens will still pass inspection at this point, and getting that done is quite cumbersome & expensive. But then so is moving the heavy Givens and its bolted on cradle closer to the cockpit. Dockhead's example of having two life rafts may be a more reasonable solution, or if the Givens is toast then maybe only the valise.

Wrong thread I know, but has your Hydrovane been working out OK? We have similarly sized boats which are probably towards the upper end of the HV's capabilities, so thought I'd ask.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Exile

I am also thinking valise, especially when I learned how compact they are. I checked and prices in the UK are indeed substantially less than the US for some reason, even with shipping. Who knows if my old Givens will still pass inspection at this point, and getting that done is quite cumbersome & expensive. But then so is moving the heavy Givens and its bolted on cradle closer to the cockpit. Dockhead's example of having two life rafts may be a more reasonable solution, or if the Givens is toast then maybe only the valise.

Wrong thread I know, but has your Hydrovane been working out OK? We have similarly sized boats which are probably towards the upper end of the HV's capabilities, so thought I'd ask.

Hi Exile, to answer your question I just updated an older thread.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=182733

Cheers Dale.

[Jimmyhenry]

Valise v canister.
They weigh about the same. Ours is six man canister. I cannot easily lift it.
Location. I see them in racks on the cabin top. Under the main boom. In front of the mast. Madness. There is only one place for the canister and that is on the push pit with a quick release. No need to lift or throw.
I asked a good friend who has over 100,000 NM. He has a valise.
Where stored? In the aft cabin.

I put to him a scenario.
Roll over. One arm damaged.

Can you lift the valise with one arm. NO

Boat heaving and rolling. Can you get to it and get it to the cockpit. NO.

One arm. Boat rolling crazy. Can you throw it over. NO

Did you tie it on?? Darn.

Only a canister for me.
Only one place to have it for me.

Would I go without. No way.

Pete

[Sojourner]

Apart from insurance requirements and the instability of a dinghy in open ocean conditions, in a fire situation, what do you do? If you're on long passage, you're not towing your dinghy, most likely on a monohull it shouldn't even be on the davits... it'll be lashed down fore or aft. If a fire breaks out, you'll spend the first proportion of your time fighting it like hell. If you win, great. If you lose, that means the fire has spread out of control. If that happens to me, no matter how fast my 'fast release' dinghy system might be (it is not, dinghy is lashed upside down up front), it cannot possibly be faster than unclipping one release on the stern rail and watching the life raft drop by itself into the water. Which means instead of stopping 5 minutes before the end of fighting to undo the dinghy, I can fight the fire until the last 0.5 seconds, until at the back edge of the boat I launch the raft. That fact alone makes going without a raft (in a quick drop rail mount of course) absolutely nonsense for me.

[Kenomac]

In the senario you just discussed concerning fire, one person or two should be fighting the fire while the others ready the life raft, dinghy or both and radio for assistance. All hands should not be engaged only in fighting the fire. A water hose with a tap hook up is a necessity.

[TeddyDiver]

Seems most have never heard of or seen a dinghy bay, not a self rightening boat (dinghy, RIB or whatever) nor much else except believing the hype of "life saving rafts".
Do you think yours is any better than the rafts of Estonia?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Jimmyhenry

Valise v canister.
They weigh about the same. Ours is six man canister. I cannot easily lift it.
Location. I see them in racks on the cabin top. Under the main boom. In front of the mast. Madness. There is only one place for the canister and that is on the push pit with a quick release. No need to lift or throw.
.....

I don't think the pushpit rails are strong enough to properly mount a raft. I've seen plenty of them mounted there, but I've also seen pictures of the pushpit being shorn off in a 360 roll.

Our boat is designed with an aft dedicated locker box that is mounted near the swim step and the opening to the cockpit. I never liked this setup and use this locker for dinghy fuel tanks, etc. The raft is mounted under the boom in front of the dodger in a purpose built stainless, through bolted frame.. On a passage from Tonga to New Zealand we took a sea that tore the 'dedicated locker box' off the boat.

Wherever you store the raft, it should be launable by the weakest crew member.

[Jimmyhenry]

Phew. 50 to 100 kg main boom loose and swinging crazily centimetres above the liferaft.

No thanks.

Remember Platino.??

Pete

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Jimmyhenry

Phew. 50 to 100 kg main boom loose and swinging crazily centimetres above the liferaft.

No thanks.

Remember Platino.??

Pete

Certainly a possibility, as is the main mast laying across the cockpit and smashing the pushpit. There is no perfect solution.

No, I don't remember the Platino. What's the story?