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Post by hoppy on Nov 29, 2015 13:04:38 GMT
I currently have an Arimar Neptune liferaft onboard and as I'm looking at the ARC for next year have been looking to see if it is suitable for ocean crossings. There is only limited info online and from what I gather they are not good at all.
So I am looking for something suitable for my plans. I have established that I should get one built to ISO 9650 and designed for open ocean.... I will probably get an 8 persons as that is what I'll need for coastal on occasions and probably one equipped for <24 hours to keep it's weight down (Plastimo 8 persons >24hr is 24kg heavier than the <24hr). For ocean crossings I'll equip a grab bag for whats needed for >24, which will be minimal as it will only be 2 to 4 persons.
Some I've seen online so far
Zodiac Open Sea ISO 9650
VIKING Liferaft, 8 persons RescYou™ Pro
Plastimo TRANSOCEAN ISAF
Anyone got any good suggestions for brands (readily available in the EU), links to comparison tests or EU based stores?
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Post by ianpowolny on Nov 29, 2015 15:34:33 GMT
Hoppy, Have a word with www.universalsafety.co.uk/. They supplied our liferaft in 2014 when the old one went over the side. I was impressed by their professionalism. They give good advise. Not as cheap as straight off the internet but they did hand deliver to Guernsey at no extra cost and the new one was delivered via them dirct form Plastimo. Ian |
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Post by sleighride on Nov 29, 2015 15:57:13 GMT
I have owned a Winslow for over twelve years and did extensive research on life rafts before I purchased it. One word of caution on an eight man raft if you only cruise with four persons on a regular basis. I have been told by different dealers that it is dangerous to have a raft too large for number of persons on board, as a larger raft with too few persons may flip or even roll in strong wind and heavy seas without the weight it was designed to carry.
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Post by Tafika II on Nov 29, 2015 19:42:12 GMT
We purchased a VIKING RescYou 4 person as there are 2-3 on board 90% of the time. Mounted on the cabin roof with hydrostatic release. Don't get something too large...you want body heat to be shared. Have a well supplied ditch bag. With an EPIRB your not likely to be stranded more that 1 week.
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Post by vasko on Nov 29, 2015 20:49:47 GMT
My one is Duarry KHY F-6 - Group A ( Pack B -hard ) - just serviced 2 days ago, very heavy to be honest two people are needed to move it ....
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Post by hoppy on Nov 29, 2015 23:11:04 GMT
I can just imagine that if I got a 4 person LR, either in the Med next year or in the Caribbean next year, I'll get a boat load of family visiting. If I get an 8, then it will be quiet on board  2x4 would be perfect but blooming expensive  |
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Post by rxc on Nov 30, 2015 3:46:01 GMT
I bought the Winslow 6 person raft for an anticipated crew of 4, because I had also read that if you buy one that is too large it will have stability problems. We now cruise as a couple, with 2 others on board very rarely, but with coastal cruising, I believe that an inflated dinghy that can be launched quickly is more reliable than a liferaft that is never tested or used until you really NEED it.
I am wary of participating in ARC crossings because of the equipment/inspection requirements. I don't think that some of the stuff that they require is even desireable (can't think of anything now, off the top of my head, but I can remember that there were some things I thought were bad to do). And, again, if you don't use the stuff regularly, when you are called to figure out how to work it, in the dark, in the rain, when the boat is sinking and you only have 5 minutes to figure it out, without having access to instructions, it might as well not be there. And if the person who does know how to use it is injured, then it is also useless.
EPIRBs are simple to use. PLBs as well. And relatively cheap.
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Post by On y va on Nov 30, 2015 17:25:00 GMT
hoppy : I have seen (and lifted) many liferafts and I have gone off the ISO9650. They are just so bloody heavy!!!!! I used to have a Plastimo IBIZA 8p, which is a spanish homologated unit, also ISO 9650. It had every imaginable item in it, just a coffee maker was missing. And it weighed 49kg and since I am sailing most alone or just with the ball and chain, I was dreading to actually getting that lump of the deck in case it was really needed. So I got rid of it (they use it as a test unit now for courses) and got a simple Zodiac Eversafe 4p (offshore unit, but not ISO 9650), which only weighs 26kg. A good, but basic unit, but a lot smaller and more manageable. It doesn´t have the party packs and gadgets, but I specifically chose this one, as I much more believe in grab bags instead of everything in the life raft itself. It also makes servicing a LOT cheaper. Anyway, that is my point of view on the matter.
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Post by vasko on Dec 1, 2015 23:37:22 GMT
agree !!! my one is ISO 9650 and it is booody heavy not sure if i will be able to drop it in the water by myself!!! two people can barely move it from the boat to the car trunk 30meters !!!!
lucky my boat has by design a liferaft garage that is designed to self open and let the liferaft inflate in case the boat sunk... and a system for deployment - drop in the water from single person .., but still bloody heavi thing !!!
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Post by hoppy on Dec 2, 2015 6:11:20 GMT
I would like to mount the LR on the pushpit but when I sea how heavy they are I start to wonder if it's a good thing to do unless I add some strengthening.
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Post by MalcolmP on Dec 2, 2015 14:59:45 GMT
I would like to mount the LR on the pushpit but when I sea how heavy they are I start to wonder if it's a good thing to do unless I add some strengthening. Couple of options here: www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/Pushpitstrengthening.htmlWe had a variant of the one done by Mr Stainless and it has worked really well since 2008 plus the bars are really handy for getting in and out of the dinghy when it is choppy or transferring the outboard etc. One side supports my liferaft and the other the outboard |
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Post by ianpowolny on Dec 2, 2015 15:57:41 GMT
I would like to mount the LR on the pushpit but when I sea how heavy they are I start to wonder if it's a good thing to do unless I add some strengthening. That's a good question. We didn't add strengthening when put the life raft on the stern handrail and we can see crack in the top side gel coat were the stanchion meet the hull. We need to check how much flex is left now we've added the arch with its 48mm stanchions. I do have a plan to steal Malcolm's idea. Ian |
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Post by On y va on Dec 2, 2015 17:47:29 GMT
I put my life raft inside one of the cockpit lockers and next service, I will change it from a container to a bag. I don´t want some ugly, bulky white thing on the top of my roof or at the back of my pushpit. And since there is no conclusive proof what is the best position, I rather have it tucked away safely in a locker.
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Post by vasko on Dec 3, 2015 7:23:39 GMT
On y va is correct when I need to change my luferaft I will go for a lot lighter and in a bag and move it to the locker and use the liferaft garage for a generator or a big gas bottle
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Post by hoppy on Dec 3, 2015 7:36:29 GMT
I would like to mount the LR on the pushpit but when I sea how heavy they are I start to wonder if it's a good thing to do unless I add some strengthening. Couple of options here: www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/Pushpitstrengthening.htmlWe had a variant of the one done by Mr Stainless and it has worked really well since 2008 plus the bars are really handy for getting in and out of the dinghy when it is choppy or transferring the outboard etc. One side supports my liferaft and the other the outboard The 2nd one looks pretty neat to the point of almost looking factory. If I need to add support I suspect that I'll take the easy option and go for something more like the first I put my life raft inside one of the cockpit lockers and next service, I will change it from a container to a bag. I don´t want some ugly, bulky white thing on the top of my roof or at the back of my pushpit. And since there is no conclusive proof what is the best position, I rather have it tucked away safely in a locker. My desire to move the location of my LR is really only about freeing up space on the cabin top. Over the summer for about a week I had the dinghy rolled up and tied down against the LR. It was soooooo nice to have a free foredeck, but how I tied it up was idea with a couple of "tripping" lines added to the cabintop. If I can remove the LR from there, then I can tie it down better and be more inclined to deflate it on shorter passages. For longer passages like the Atlantic then the dinghy will go below deck. I have certainly decided to go off the idea of a 8 person LR now, so 6 is the max I'm considering now. Over on another forum in the LR threads there's always a few people who just say no to LR and say the'll just use their dinghy even on ocean crossings. Whilst I think they are idiots  , it has got me thinking that perhaps I can just get a 4 person liferaft and if I have 6 people on board, which will only be for island hopping day trips in Greece or Carribean, then I could just use the LR & dinghy if the nuts hits the fan. |
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Post by On y va on Dec 3, 2015 8:08:12 GMT
I always had my LR on top op the sliding hatch, just in front of the spray hood middle window. I had modified the 2 teak strips, under which the hatch slides and had 3 quite heavy teak bars across, bolted through the deck, with 4 ss eyes, to hold the life raft in case of a big wave crashing on deck. But, even then I wondered, if a large breaker hits you, will your life raft stay on deck. I had my doubts.
But, more importantly, when I do overnighters, I sit in the companion way, where I have made a quite comfy seat. So I always had to look either side of the life raft. Now I have the LR in the cockpit locker, I have a beautiful, protected view of like 200 degrees through the sprayhood windows. When I did my solo overnighter earlier this summer, it was such a good spot to sit and rest.
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Post by hoppy on Dec 3, 2015 9:07:16 GMT
On y va is correct when I need to change my luferaft I will go for a lot lighter and in a bag and move it to the locker and use the liferaft garage for a generator or a big gas bottle I've asked it before and I'll ask it again, how big is your boat? 34 meters? Liferaft garage and room in a locker Next time I'm onboard and before I buy a new LR, I will reorganise my lockers to see if it will be possible to fit the LR in with the rest of my gear. My "roper locker" will have room when I rationalise my collection of ropes and if I move the outboard fuel tank to somewhere else. |
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Post by hoppy on Dec 3, 2015 9:32:03 GMT
I always had my LR on top op the sliding hatch, just in front of the spray hood middle window. I had modified the 2 teak strips, under which the hatch slides and had 3 quite heavy teak bars across, bolted through the deck, with 4 ss eyes, to hold the life raft in case of a big wave crashing on deck. But, even then I wondered, if a large breaker hits you, will your life raft stay on deck. I had my doubts. But, more importantly, when I do overnighters, I sit in the companion way, where I have made a quite comfy seat. So I always had to look either side of the life raft. Now I have the LR in the cockpit locker, I have a beautiful, protected view of like 200 degrees through the sprayhood windows. When I did my solo overnighter earlier this summer, it was such a good spot to sit and rest. Mine is in the same location and with teak bars although I don't know how it's mounted. I must check that out especially if I use the mount for my replacement LR. I like sitting with my back to the compass and the LR causes me to have to get off I disagree which is another part of my moving motivation. Got any photos of your seat? |
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Post by touchngo on Dec 3, 2015 11:38:11 GMT
We have a Plastimo TransOcean 8. It's a beast and weighs a ton!  We've been trying to get rid of it for the last two seasons with absolutely no takers! As we have no intention of ever crossing the Atlantic, we intend to replace it with a 4 person coastal style one. The current one has lived in our cockpit locker for the last 6 years and is an absolute nightmare to move. We toyed with the idea of mounting it on the coach roof but didn't like the idea of reduced visibility. Then we toyed with the idea of mounting it on the pushpit, but decided against that when we got the quote for the stainless work! So, we are now thinking of a valise, and storing it in the same locker that the current one is in. At least the 4 man will be lighter and smaller, not to mention that as we only sail with 2 to 3 people on board, the 4 man will be safer for us than the 8 man (with only 2 people in an 8 man, you are supposedly more likely to be tossed about and injured, as well as more prone to hypothermia, capsize etc...). Now we just have to find one at the right price, in the right location! Anyone want a Plastimo TransOcean 8? Cheers, PT |
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Post by On y va on Dec 3, 2015 13:26:38 GMT
hoppy: maybe the word seat is somewhat misleading  and I have no photo of this. It is not like a chair. Basically a sturdy 30mm plank, sitting on two polywood strips fitted either side of the companion way. It is at a height so my knees are perfectly 90 degrees and I can lean with both arms either side onto the roof. This gives a very well braced position. On that plank, which I spraypainted white, I have a cushion made from memory foam covered by light grey imitation leather. So very comfy indeed
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Post by sleighride on Dec 3, 2015 15:34:47 GMT
On Sleighride (DS43), I stow the four person Winslow below deck in the aft stateroom on the port side by the battery charger where it stays dry and secure. The Winslow in its valise is light enough to move around quickly in an emergency. I use the life raft garage at the stern to store 3 five gallon diesel cans, a 2.5 gallon outboard gas can, and an extra propane can for the stove-oven. I need the cockpit lockers for dock lines, fenders, and 300 feet of extra anchor line.
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Post by dublin on Dec 3, 2015 19:35:08 GMT
Ocean safety experts recommend buying the smallest life raft for the intended crew. They claim that if the life raft is bigger than required for the crew number it is actually dangerous and more likely to result in injuries to the crew in rough seas
At least that's what we were to,d when we did our ocean survival course
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Post by vasko on Dec 3, 2015 19:51:36 GMT
On y va is correct when I need to change my luferaft I will go for a lot lighter and in a bag and move it to the locker and use the liferaft garage for a generator or a big gas bottle I've asked it before and I'll ask it again, how big is your boat? 34 meters? Liferaft garage and room in a locker Next time I'm onboard and before I buy a new LR, I will reorganise my lockers to see if it will be possible to fit the LR in with the rest of my gear. My "roper locker" will have room when I rationalise my collection of ropes and if I move the outboard fuel tank to somewhere else. Thanks hoppy  but she is still only 34 feet before I decided to go for Sun Liberty I had two other boats ( Bavaria 34 and Bavaria 40) and spent some time searching for the right design boat and found Sun Liberty 34 and yes she has a lot of space in the places where you need it - I have two cockpit lockers - both with two levels - the port side is really HUGE ... and I have also space for nice girls sun bathing under the boom  btw: regarding the LR garage - take a look on the next picture - LR garage is under the cover behind the bathing ladder where the text "Jeanneau" is:  |
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Post by On y va on Dec 4, 2015 8:28:51 GMT
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Post by vasko on Dec 4, 2015 8:36:48 GMT
yep all correct except my hair still black and I'm still only 45years old |
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, it has got me thinking that perhaps I can just get a 4 person liferaft and if I have 6 people on board, which will only be for island hopping day trips in Greece or Carribean, then I could just use the LR & dinghy if the nuts hits the fan.
We've been trying to get rid of it for the last two seasons with absolutely no takers! As we have no intention of ever crossing the Atlantic, we intend to replace it with a 4 person coastal style one. The current one has lived in our cockpit locker for the last 6 years and is an absolute nightmare to move. We toyed with the idea of mounting it on the coach roof but didn't like the idea of reduced visibility. Then we toyed with the idea of mounting it on the pushpit, but decided against that when we got the quote for the stainless work! So, we are now thinking of a valise, and storing it in the same locker that the current one is in. At least the 4 man will be lighter and smaller, not to mention that as we only sail with 2 to 3 people on board, the 4 man will be safer for us than the 8 man (with only 2 people in an 8 man, you are supposedly more likely to be tossed about and injured, as well as more prone to hypothermia, capsize etc...).
and I have no photo of this. It is not like a chair. Basically a sturdy 30mm plank, sitting on two polywood strips fitted either side of the companion way. It is at a height so my knees are perfectly 90 degrees and I can lean with both arms either side onto the roof. This gives a very well braced position. On that plank, which I spraypainted white, I have a cushion made from memory foam covered by light grey imitation leather. So very comfy indeed 
but she is still only 34 feet 