Look what I bought for a pittance today!

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GILow

.........

Head out to the southern ocean and you are signing in for the likelihood of many, many days before a ship finally gets to you. So you need the raft to stick together for a long time, which means it needs to be a lot tougher.

The provisions have very little to do with it overall.

Originally Posted by GILow

Yet another reason for a hand held VHF in the grab bag. “Their mobile phone went flat.”

Offshore (well past the helicopter range) and a Coastwatch Bombardier DHC-8-202 Dash 8 circling overhead.

You (on your handheld VHF) - "Guys, when is that ship going to get here???"

Dash 8 - "Three days but we will hang around and keep a eye on you"

You - "OK but FYI, my raft is falling apart - it only good for 24 hours and I have been here for a day already"

Dash 8 - "Stand by, we are arranging for an airdrop of another raft"

Yep, much more comforting to be able to communicate with voice rather than waving your arms around as the raft breaks up. You will want a IP76 one though, gets pretty wet pretty quick inside a raft I'm told.

[Wotname]

^^ BTW, I referring to an IP67 VHF, not the raft .

[goboatingnow]

24 hour rafts don’t disintegrate after 24 hours.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

24 hour rafts don’t disintegrate after 24 hours.

Err... I think we know this but perhaps the humour in post #106 wasn't obvious to all...

[coopec43]

Maybe Plastimo has two rafts which meet the ISO 9650-1 rating. The <24hr has just one floor but the one meant for open sea (>24hr) has two floors.

When I get a chance I'll check that out.

Are you guys going to scotch that idea?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

24 hour rafts don’t disintegrate after 24 hours.

Not so sure about OLD ones, but yeah, I think even the sub 24 hour models will go longer than 24 hours.

Probably 25 hours at least...

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Wotname

^^ BTW, I referring to an IP67 VHF, not the raft .

Actually, I’m not sure the raft could be described as IP67. Probably IP12 or thereabouts.

Not sure about my hand held VHF. It’s the sort that floats and flashes a little light if you drop it in the water. But I’m not all that keen to test it.

[coopec43]

I just had a phone call from the life-raft servicing people:

• The raft is 20 years old
• The raft "looks good"
• The epirb still has a few years of life (but we agreed it's probably better to buy a new one than replace the battery)
• They said as it was for recreational purposes they could service it fairly cheaply.

The new life rafts they sell these days have an 18 year warranty and this one would have had a 14 year warranty.


I've decided not to spend money on it. (It would be dreadful while watching your yacht go down the life-raft refuses to inflate. I think I'll buy a new raft)



If I wanted to hire a 4 man raft it is $800/year.

[Mr B]

What goods a 20 year warranty if your life raft refuses to inflate and your Yacht is heading for the bottom 5000 feet below your feet, ,

Thats the only time you need your life raft,

[paralog]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Yep! I'll take my old car (the only one I have) and I'll wear my old shorts still smelling of polyester resin!

I'm quite excited!



If you look at the table (above) listing items inside the "Coastal" version has more. For example the Coastal version has an epirb as well as X6 Solas hand flares.

I wonder how confident I would feel if they said "It is now out of warranty being 15 years old but it is in very good condition" Should I use it? (The canister is in excellent shape)

There are sites on the net showing how to replace batteries in Epirbs and how to test it. I have taken quite a few apart before disposing of them and the internal batteries are nothing special and the same for the seals on the casing. They came apart easily.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by paralog

There are sites on the net showing how to replace batteries in Epirbs and how to test it. I have taken quite a few apart before disposing of them and the internal batteries are nothing special and the same for the seals on the casing. They came apart easily.

Thanks for that. When I spoke to the woman she said the batteries were quite cheap but it was the testing that cost money. (Because they are considered "dangerous cargo" the freight cost a lot)



She said the battery had a few years left. Does the battery suddenly go flat once they are 10 years old? Why not keep it as a back-up epirb? Why not keep all the flares as back-up?


But my friend has a trimaran and I wonder if he has a life-raft?

[coopec43]

Apparently you can test a GME epirb just by pressing a button (and the batteries are easy to change)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oI9FFtCfbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spGmO-nc7r0

[Tillikum]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

This is a great concept. Many, perhaps most of the great survival stories throughout history show that one cannot count upon rescue, and must often save yourself.

While I have not looked at this in detail, there are a few concepts that I rather like. The fact that it cannot deflate is quite nice, as is the fact that one can do the inspection yourself. The multi-function ability is very nice too.

Thanks for sharing this.

Glad it was of interest.

Worth remembering that this gentleman is building these dinghy-liferafts to a budget; a person who wanted to build something similar with no expense spared could probably do even better.

The shelter of the canopy would be critical long-term I suspect, but if it had detachable carbon-fibre(?) arches, and some velcro "scuppers" in the cover that would tear open in the event of wave hitting etc. that might be useful in really rough weather. Better to get soaked/swamped than pushed under/over.


Agree completely on self-reliance. It's comforting to depend on others, until you can't!

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Thanks for that. When I spoke to the woman she said the batteries were quite cheap but it was the testing that cost money. (Because they are considered "dangerous cargo" the freight cost a lot)



She said the battery had a few years left. Does the battery suddenly go flat once they are 10 years old? Why not keep it as a back-up epirb? Why not keep all the flares as back-up?


But my friend has a trimaran and I wonder if he has a life-raft?

I have the bottom pictured Epirb, My battery was out of date.
I took it in to the shop to get it updated, By regulations,
They had to send it to Sydney on a special truck, get it repaired and sent back on a special truck, Hazardous goods,

When I went in to get it, She rang Sydney and they had not done any thing to mine, So she gave me a new one instead,
With Appologys for not repairing mine, This was 2 months later and I was heading out into Bass Strait for a week,

Its compulsory to have an Epirb in Victoria if your 2 miles off shore,

Plus all the rigamarole of getting it listed on AMSA with all your details and contact numbers of relatives or friends to be listed on the Epirb Site,

They contact your listed numbers first before they send out the cavalry to find you if you do set off the Epirb,
That can add time to mounting a search up for you,

Setting off my Epirb, Means I am sitting in my dinghy with Epirb in hand and my boats gone down,

The cost of repair of an Epirb is almost the same cost as buying a new one,
I keep all my old outdated flares, Just in case,
How do I know if the flares in date will work any way, Unless I set them off,

Cheers, Brian,

[Rucksta]

Regarding weight of offshore vs coastal rafts

Offshore rafts would / should /may have a double floor to delay hypothermia onset of the occupants.

Additional / alternate protection can be "body bags" made from space blanket material.