LIFE RAFTS

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:53 pm

Are any of you guys knowledgable regarding life rafts. I have called a number of different boating and fishing sponsors and it seems like they all have something bad to say about each others rafts - either about who bought what company, poor quality, poor material. I am leaning towards a viking rescue you 6 man offshore with the insulated floor in a valise Every raft I found a deal on - someone else talked me out of it. My current raft is old and not worth recertifying - so I need to get something in the next month or so.

franklyprice · Post by **franklyprice** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:26 pm

At the Boston boat show I found these guys. They are very competitively priced and have and sevice most brands.They also have the best deal on epirbs I've seen. I'll be buying mine from them soon. www.LRSE.com Liferaft and survival company, inc.

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:21 pm

Frank, I have spoken with them and their pricing is great. I have the EPIRB already - and that way a fairly simple purchase - only a couple options. But the raft??

franklyprice · Post by **franklyprice** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:09 am

If the raft is CG approved I wouldn't give it too much thought. Switlik would probably be the best but a bit pricey for me. Obviously how far out you go in what temperature waters should weigh heavily on your choice but it's not like one would fail you in an emergency if the CG approved it. At least one would hope.

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:15 am

Switlik supposed to be right up there with the best...I have the MD-1. It's not approved for offshore, but it'll beat the alternative. With my gas engines, I barely brush offshore anyway. I bought it off ebay and have it inspected every year. But here's the deal. I got the raft for $1,000. But pay $200-$300 every year for inspection. Seems the older it gets, the more inspection costs.

richcatch22 · Post by **richcatch22** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:06 pm

The folks at LSRE are very knowledgeable, call them and discuss with them how you plan to use your boat (and what you want to pay initially and for inspections) and they will steer you in the right direction. Rick is right on, inspection every year keeps the cost to a minimum. There are many items that are date coded and expire after different time periods in addition to required testing, thus the longer you wait the more the cost. Capt Rich Catch 22 1989 33 FBC

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:42 pm

I think the newer vaccuum sealed rafts have 3 year inspection intervals - but it is close to tripple the cost. Much more convenient.

Capt. Ed · Post by **Capt. Ed** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:55 pm

One thing that you want to have is a double walled insulated floor and buoyancy chambers. USCG/SOLAS approved rafts are built under CG inspection at the plant I am told. I would also recommend if you are going to get a life raft, get a good one, canister mount it with a hydro-static release. Don’t be cheap and try to save a couple hundred dollars, you are buying this to save you, your family and friends on board, right? In addition, if you have it vacuum packed it can go three years before the first inspections. As for inspection cost being different at it get older, it is due to the emergency supplies expiring and having to be replaced, (i.e. flares, water, etc.). On flares, get the SOLAS flares they are 10x brighter than the recreational consumer type. Plus SOLAS grade reflective tape to be better seen at night. Also mount it at the highest clear point you can, so that if you sank fast, it can clear the ship's rigging and float to the surface. Hope this helps.

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:08 pm

Capt Ed, I agree with everything you said - except the mount. My current raft is up on the bow and if there was ever a problem in rough seas - it would be very difficult to get to. I went back and forth on this - and decided to go with the valise.Not because of the $200 difference - but the convenience of knowing I can have it with me on the bridge and can get to it. Also - I fish on a few other boats and I can bring it with me. I am going to keep the raft and well stocked ditch bag together with me on the bridge. This is a much debated topic on a few different sites. I think the portability of the valise was my final decision maker. And the Viking seems to have the strongest valise material - so I think the Viking rescue you 6-man valise is what I am ordering. Price - around 2500.

Capt. Ed · Post by **Capt. Ed** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:19 pm

Sean, the most important point is that you have a good raft. (Please read this recall on Viking to insure yours is not included http://www.uscgboating.org/alerts/alertsview.aspx?id=68) Mine is mounted on the forward deck, I would prefer to have it near the cockpit or the roof, but the deck was the only workable area. I am looking at upgrading to an eight-man raft now, as there are generally 6 to 8 on board when we are offshore fishing. Other than the USCG requirement for commercial vessels to have a auto-deploying raft, is that in a sudden sinking, you may not have time to get and deploy it. Where as I know that once the vessel is below 15’ of water that raft is going to deploy; if needed, I can get to the deck via the forward hatch, and the raft is right behind it. You will see on many commercial vessels the raft and an EPIRB mounted on the hard top. I also have a Category I - float-free, automatically activated EPIRB mounted above the cockpit near the bridge for both auto-deploy or manual activation. On another note, a recent example why to have a raft, only 10 miles offshore http://www.d8externalaffairs.com/go/doc/425/149382/ And one for an EPIRB http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/586/149493/

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:09 pm

yes - that is the raft I am looking at - maybe i'll reconsider!! Until now - I had not heard anythig bad about the Viking rafts - I have had the epirb for a few years and it is mounted with the release - but the raft I have is old. After reading a lot about boats going down - I am looking at every safety option for this summer. I think I might even get a Sat Phone. I was considering the 8 man raft as well - I know Charlie (B35) recommends a larger raft - maybe. The current mount on my raft is on top of the forward hatch. It is a different set up. I guess the positives are that it didnt require the old owner to screw into the deck. The cradle mounts around the hatch. But - since I have owned the boat - we cannot open the hatch - the mount has to be opened from the outside. Actually - I hate the current set up and until I realised how old the raft was - I was looking into a different mount.

Capt. Ed · Post by **Capt. Ed** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:21 am

Sean, I would deck mount an auto-deploy canister raft so that you could reach it from the forward deck hatch. The recall problem is with the Viking Raft is with a supplier’s part. I do not know their rafts and cannot say one way or the other how good they are. If you go with it, just be sure you have one not affected by the recall. Mine is older also, which is why I am upgrading to a new one. I know many people are going to SAT phones, and for good reasons. Just keep in mind that they have to be used outside, (unless you have and ext. ant.), that you will have times with no coverage. The only SAT system that does not have these issues is units like the KVH and Sat-Tel, and both are pricey. With that said, I think SAT phones are good, and would also have a HF SSB radio if I could. I have one on my Grady, but not on the Bertram (yet). When you put out a distress call with a radio, many hear you, when you make a SAT call, only the caller hears you. With a radio, you can be triangulated, with a SAT phone you cannot. However, a SAT phone can go in a ditch bag, while a SSB could not. Bottom line, both are good, just know and understand their limitations. I think an EPIRB (w/GPS), and a SAT phone, are a great combo for anyone.

GMarty · Post by **GMarty** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:33 am

I have the 6-man Viking in valise - bought it last year. Curious as to the recall? My research suggested they are high quality. Anyway, I bought it from Landrigan in Boston and I totally agree that valise makes for easy access and everone (anyone) on board can deploy if needed. After seeing the difference between how a self righting raft deploys compared to one without that feature it was an easy add-on. Look into that. It is surprising. If you run offshore to the canyons as we do, the raft is hardly the place to start getting cheap. Think of it this way, if it hits the fan 100 miles at sea you would trade your house for a quality raft at that point so what's $3 grand to save your life. If you fish offshore in a nice Bertram then you can afford a quality raft! I rented a Sat phone last year for a week during a tournement and it was great. I am buying one this year. Be careful, the Iridium (I think that's what its called) is a must - my buddy has the other type and rarely works. The other thing I would consider, ask if you can see the rafy being deployed when its inspected. I've heard guys say it was worth seeing.

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:22 am

Just got mine back from annual inspection. They "didn't have to do anything really". $210 please. One of those things....like the natural gas bill....they come up with a number and you have to pay it.

smanni · Post by **smanni** » Thu May 10, 2007 9:08 am

UPDATE I bought the 6 man VIKING in a valise I spoke with several manufacturers and resellers at boat shows and on the phone and even the distributers that dont sell viking had great things to say about them. I compared it to many other rafts in the 1600-3500 range and it seemed to be the most recomended. Everyting from the material used to their testing came up. I agree with rick about not wanting to be cheap on a safety item - but I had to keep it reasonable. You can easily spend 5-6k on a raft. I think my safety gear is now updated for the year - maybe add a sat phone at some point - not yet.