8 Man SOLAS Life Raft Question

[Capten]

A friend has an older 8 Person Zodiac SOLAS Canister (barrel) Life Raft that we wants to replace. It was manufacturered in 1997. Last repack and inspection was back in 2004. Question is, might this raft have some value to someone? Should he bother trying to sell it or plan on having some fun and deploying it for the kids to play with?

 

[spartonboat1]

Is there some type cutoff on the approved official life? How much is he asking?

 

[Maynard Rupp]

There is no cutoff date. Some rafts last 30 years and still pass inspection. The problem with a SOLAS raft is that it may be heavier than your boat. Only commercial boats, cruise ships etc. use SOLAS rafts.

 

[captddis]

I had an 8 man raft on my boat, it was a 1986 model and last certified in 1988. I saw no sense in trying to recertify it. I put it on the dock and pulled the rip cord and POOFFFFF it inflated! I was shocked it worked. No real loss as the bottom was coming apart and one chamber had a rotten area around the valve. The other chamber held air overnight. Next morning it went in the dumpster.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

You can't keep a liferaft on deck for ten years baking in the sun and soaked with saltwater. I recommended a Winslow lightweight raft in a soft pack that is stowed in a compartment on the flybridge. If you must have a deck mounted cannister raft then it must have a hydrostatic release, and the whole thing needs to be inspected and cleaned every year. The worst piece of safety equipment on a boat is a liferaft that won't work. If you have a raft, you will be counting on it in the event of a serious problem. If it fails you are in worse shape than you would be if you never had one in the first place.

 

[captddis]

Not sure what you were referring to, But the raft was in a composite case mounted on the bridge. It was clean and dry, but old and I had no intention of wasting money trying to certify it. I pulled the rip cord just out of curiosity to see if it still would work..... I planned to scrap it anyway.

You are absolutely correct that if you want to bet your life on it , you need to maintain the raft.

 

[Nonchalant1]

I recommended a Winslow lightweight raft in a soft pack that is stowed in a compartment on the flybridge. If you must have a deck mounted cannister raft then it must have a hydrostatic release, and the whole thing needs to be inspected and cleaned every year. The worst piece of safety equipment on a boat is a liferaft that won't work. If you have a raft, you will be counting on it in the event of a serious problem. If it fails you are in worse shape than you would be if you never had one in the first place.

I think that's the best solution for the many combinations balancing safety, space and weight. I have the Winslow "Ultralight Island Flyer" 6 man raft in soft pack valise stored on the flybridge in an "indoor" compartment. It only weighs about 40 lbs. including the water and food rations, flares, survival kits, etc., so it can be picked up like a suitcase fairly easily. It's certified for 9 people in a pinch, but that'd be really tight. I just had it recertified at Winslow and they have a vacuum pack deal that retains certification for 3 years. I asked when I was at the factory and they said there is no limit to useful life, it just has to pass recert every time.

BTW - It was great to see a USA manufacturing company making them right there in Florida and doing quite well. I saw the assembly lines when I was there. They also do all the recerts for United Airlines riaft and emergency exit slides.

Doug

 

[spindrift]

Paul:

I have used an offshore rated Givens, and Avon, both very good rafts. I would not be conerned about the age of the raft, rather the condition. The first step your friend should consider is to go to a Class A life raft repacking / service station that is approved. For example life raft and survival in Newport RI is such a facility but does get quite busy at times due to the number of boats undertaking the Newport or Marion to Bermuda race.

If you are in Florida or another spot, call up a qaulity company like Switlick and see who they use as authoriozed service station. Alternatively, you can call Liferaft and survival in Newport and if they cannot easily service, they will recommend a facility in your are.

Have the facillty test the raft for inflation, condition, etc. They will inflate in the shop and check this. My guess is the cost is about $ 300 or less to do this. If they rapack and recertify you are probably in the $500 range depending on how much of the emergency stores that need to be replaced.

This is far less than what a top qualitly 8 man raft costs which is in the $3000 plus range. You can buy cheaper rafts, but I always took the approach that my life was worth a bit more if my boat sank.

One last note, I did actually have a dear friend who lost his boat about 300 miles off Cape Cod. I think he hit a container. The boat went down in about 40 minutes. He inflated the Givens raft, it worked and saved his and his wife's life. A Coast Guard Helo pulled up out of the water and top him back to the cape. The sad part of the story is that this poor guy contracted cancer about 4 year later and died at age 60.

spin

 

[Capten]

Is there some type cutoff on the approved official life? How much is he asking?

He will entertain any offer. He is repalcing it with a smaller valise raft. The boat used to be in charter and needed the SOLAS - he does not.

Shot me a note if you have any interest or would like photos. I will also post up in the items for sale forum.

Paul