2007 54DS - Life Raft

[jcody]

I recently purchased a 2007 54DS and it does not have a life raft. Most of the time it will just be two people on board sailing but on occasion maybe another couple. Can someone recommend a good quality life raft that would fit in the life raft well in the cockpit. If there are specific reasons why you chose the one you did that would be great to know as well.

Thanks

[rxc]

The first question I have to ask you is why you think you need a life raft. Are you going to be doing open ocean sailing?

Then I would ask whether you have a reliable dinghy on board, full inflated, if possible, ready to launch into the water if you see the need to abandon ship. Do you have an EPIRB? A ditch bag with all your documents, plus supplies, a handheld radio, extra batteries, and anything else you would need?

I ask this question because you will never know whether the liferaft will work when you need it. Even the day after you buy it or get it serviced, somewhere in the world. You will only know whether it will work, when you ask it to work.

A working dinghy is something that you will be using often, and you will KNOW its condition when you need it. It should be the first thing you throw into the water before abandoning ship. THEN get out the liferaft and see if it works.

If I sound pessimistic, it is because I have a lifetime of engineering experience with safety equipment that is only used when it is needed, and they inevitably disappoint the user, in one way or another. From highly qualified equipment in power plants to liferafts, all this special safety equipment, especially if it cannot be regularly tested (not just inspected), cannot be relied on to provide assistance.

A story. In 2007 I purchased a liferaft from a highly regarded liferaft company that provides rafts to the airline business. This was before a transatlantic trip where use was actually considered, at one point, but it was not really needed. 3 years later it was time to re-inspect the raft, which could only be done at a major airport in a major European nation. I brought the raft to the facility, where there were a LOT of other liferafts from this manufacturer, taken out of airplanes for their periodic inspections.

My liferaft was there for 2 weeks before I called to enquire about it. I was told that they were in discussion with the manufacturer and I should get a call in about a week. I did, and went out to pick it up. I am standing in the office and a guy comes out with a brand new liferaft for me. It was explained that the original liferaft could not hold air for more than one hour. The fabric "permeated". The manufacturer replaced the entire unit, for no charge other than the cost of the "inspection". I received no further communication from the manufacturer.

I have often wondered what the liferaft manufacturer or the inspection facility would have done if the liferaft had come off an airplane. Would it have been reported to the appropriate regulatory organization, with an explanation of what happened, and whether it might have affected other rafts which needed to be recalled.

What I learned was that I needed to have a reliable dinghy ready to be launched when needed, with a ditch bag that has all the needed papers, and provisions, and supplies, and my EPIRB, and a handheld radio nearby. If I need to abandon ship (not really needed now considering the sailing I do), the dinghy goes into the water first, and then the liferaft. In fact, I finally replaced my original dinghy 2 months ago. It was 21 years old, and had NEVER lost air in those 21 years, until this past winter, when the surface started to crumble. It was time to get a new one, based on the fact that it failed the test of being able to reliably float and carry me around.

One other anecdote to consider. I now have a flashing light device that is supposed to replace the need to carry flares. It can be tested easily, and last week I discovered that one of the batteries had died and they all needed to be replaced. This is a good piece of safety equipment - it is easily testable and replaceable. But I still carry around a bunch of handheld flares, a flare pistol with star shells, and a 15 year old SOLAS parachute flare that I bought in 2007 for the transat trip. I once spent a 4th of July evening in the Chesapeake Bay testing flares and star shells, and discovered that most of them continue to be workable long past their expiration dates. I tested about 15, and only one star shell failed - it was about 6 years out of date, at that point. It is not that I don't trust the light - the old flares provide me with a certain amount of backup ability, even if they are out of date. Don't throw them away just because they are out of date.

[jy51]

May 3, 2023 14:44:41 GMT jcody said:

I recently purchased a 2007 54DS and it does not have a life raft. Most of the time it will just be two people on board sailing but on occasion maybe another couple. Can someone recommend a good quality life raft that would fit in the life raft well in the cockpit. If there are specific reasons why you chose the one you did that would be great to know as well.

Thanks

I think the best idea is to read the requirements for a pleasure craft over 15 meters and how it relates to your flagged boat.

I believe in the UK it is a requirement to have a liferaft along with other safety equipment.

I purchased a Seago liferaft, but its all down to money, personal choice and availability to purchase and service in your chosen region. 

[shenandoah]

We chose Viking. Thankfully never had to use it but they have a strong reputation. We did get the 6 person raft, because the person who decides how many people can fit in a raft is evidently related the the person who designs airplane seats. 

Hope that helps. 

Warm regards,
Chuck

[fma]

I have a Viking 6 person raft (paid ~$2000) and was surprised to find last week it would cost $1,800 to get inspected and re-certified in Florida.  Don't even get me started on trying to call Viking on the phone! 

[shenandoah]

Not sure what they charge now, but River Services in Savannah, GA provides very good service. They are a Viking dealer. It is a long way from Miami but a frequent stop for cruisers headed north for hurricane season if that is in your plans. 

If done properly the recertification is practically a rebuild. They set it off, then replace all the gear inside and new gas canister and repack. So $1,800 doesn't surprise me.