life raft

[SHARKN]

I just purchased a new 30 marlin and am looking at life rafts. I would be interested if any one has good or bad comments about the different offshore rafts. (other than hopefully you never need to use them) Offshore 30+ miles.
Thanks in advance
Sharkn

 

[megabytes]

Great boat. Post pix. Don't have a raft but have heard good things about Switlink (sp) and Revere. Let us know where you find a good place to pount it. As I get older I keep thinking I should get one for my next boat or maybe even this one (if I go with a valise).

 

[fishingFINattic]

I have a revere 6 man offshore raft in a valise.
It is a little heavy, but I carrying it onto the boat and leave it in the cabin during the offshore season.
I think some grady's have issues with rafts mounted on the hard top. (I think my 265 is one that wont support the weight)
Good luck....
Tim

 

[Scarlet Knight]

Just purchased Winslow 6 man with canopy, double floor in ultrapack which is vacuumed packed into a 18'x8'x22' hard pack that weighs 43lbs. 4 man would weigh approx 36lbs. Hopefully never need to use it ,but given small size and realtivley light it was agreat choice for me.

 

[gradyfish22]

Most brands these days are good, but I'd recommend one with a double floor, and a 6man over a 4 even if you only fish with 4...more space is important when things go bad. As for install, most Grady hardtops cannot support the weight of the liferaft, I'd call Grady and find out. Personally, I'd spend a few extra bucks and buy a valise, it takes up less space. Buy a light one so your crew(wife, kids, etc) can lift it.
The one Scarlet Knight purchased would be a very good raft, revere is a good brand also. Viking would be my top pick if it is a hard canister, but they are typically heavier and harder to mount and store. You could place it in your walk around up forward between the anchor locker and cabin. I have a 6 man canister that I tie down on my bow in that area, but at 80lbs, you feel the weight of it that far forward. As soon as it needs a repack, I'll buy a valise, but the one I use I did not pay for so I was not going to say no and not sue it.

 

[HDGWJOE]

Scarlet, I think I have the same raft as you... mine is the Winslow Ultra Light 6 man valise... 40 some #'s, double tube, floor etc. w/canopy. It is perfect on my Marlin... when I head offshore I slide it rigtht under the companion seat.

The first one I bought (6 man valise from L.R.S.E.) I sent back... way too big, bulky and heavy(85+#'s) for my wife to handle and I wanted her to be able to handle it in case it's just me and her on the boat when things go bad. LRSE took it back no problem and gave me a great deal on the Winslow.

FishingFinattic is correct... Grady won't support putting rafts on their hardtops... they claim their hardtops were not designed or tested with that in mind( at least that's what they told me 3 yrs ago).

 

[fishingFINattic]

For comparison, my Revere is 73 lbs

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/396973414.htm

Tim

 

[SHARKN]

thanks

thanks for all the great advice. lighter is better for my family in case of any emergency.
As soon as she gets in the water I will send a picture.
thanks again

 

[fishie1]

Some basics

I think a double floor is very important given where you'll be boating. It will provide an extra measure of insulation in the cold water. For this same reason you may want to also consider survival suits. Don't forget the ditch bag and its contents either when you are planning your survival strategies.

You may also want to consider the repacking intevals, some are every year some are three, etc. and where/who can do the repack since it can be a bit expensive.

Once you get the raft, familiarize yourself and your crew as to how it is to be deployed. You don't want that to be the time to read the manual.

 

[BobP]

Who talked to Grady HQ about the hardtop load capability?? Let's have some fun.

Call again with this (I added a hint below even though Joey's people may get tipped off)

1. You: "Can I install a liferaft canister on 30 ft hardtop ?"

2. GW; "No. Too heavy".

3. You : Are you sure about that ? Please turn to catalog page of 305, is that an open array (70 lb) scanner on the hardtop in photo ?

4. GW: ????

5. You: report response back here.

 

[Scarlet Knight]

HDGWJOE Yes same one. Purchased at Atlantic City boat show when then were adding double floor 3rd tube for canopy and vaccum pac at no charge. The hard pack is great it is not a canister, but hard pack so it stays dry and will not get damaged by being punctured. It advertised at 36lbs for the 6man and when it arrived it weighted 43lbs. I really got upset, but after seeing most life rafts were in the 70-80lbs range I quickly realized I was making a dig deal about nothing and the extra weight was probably the double floor and the 3rd tube. Does not tak up a lot of roome and can easily be brought on or off the boat. Denifently not a cheap life raft but worth it having smaller size and weightt and being able to have in near cockpit. Others brands seem to have recent recallsos I researched and liked the Winslow the best. It shipped directly to the house in two weeks and was manufactured to order so you have full 3 years before needing to be repacked.

 

[HDGWJOE]

Scarlett Knight... mine is not in a "hard" case... more of a rugged yellow nylon case... with the vacuum pack the contents feal hard.
Another nice thing about Winslow is supposedly they will replace your raft for free if you are ever rescued by the Coast Guard and they have to scuttle your raft. All you have to do is agree to let them use your story.

 

[freddy063]

this is where I mounted my raft, and in Maine I found that Maine Liferaft & Inflatable Company (207) 772-8095 had the best prices.

 

[MRT]

I have the 6 man winslow Ultralight in the hard valise as well. I believe it was originally desinged as an aviation raft & packs out much smaller than any other raft that I could find

SK - you are correct - The base raft does weight 36lbs. The extra lbs come from the double floor, tripod arch, and any other options. Mine weighs in at a little over 42 lbs.

Another nice thing about Winslow, they offer several will pack it to your demensions if one of the standard demensions wont work for you.

 

[tilewave]

there is a company that does the periodic repack/inspections of lfe rafts near me. i went to pick their brains when i was in the market. the guy there told me a switlik was the best bang for my buck. better quality than the winslow or revere. i got a 4 man in the valise.

 

[pablor]

Go to www.boemarine.com

They are great people and help out a bunch in the selection process.

If you have an EPIRB and you are in a heavily travelled area you can go a little cheaper with the raft. It all depends on weather and time of the year...

 

[Recess]

Life raft selection

Hello all. I'm new to this forum, but not new to the life safety industry. In my earlier life, I use to inspect and repair the inflatables that you are talking about. (350 to 400 per year) Tilewave hit it right on the money. Go talk to the guys who inspect and repair them, not the salesman. The raft is only as good as the servicing done on them, and trust me, it needs to be done annually, especially if stored on the vessel. They see all different types and know which ones hold up, and which ones are not for offshore use. I have not done servicing in years, but I see all the same brand names mentioned and can attest for Viking and Switlik as I have been to the servicing schools and production facilities. When I sold a life raft, I always encouraged the new owner to come in the shop and see a life raft being serviced. That way they new what was inside and what had to be done to maintain them. The materials they are made of vary greatly. Go look firsthand at them and you will easily decide the difference.

 

[sel1005]

bought the 6 man winslow also, provided dimensions and they filled the order perfectly. it fits under the the seat in the galley in my 360 perfectly, along with other emergency gear, easy to access. only part of my emergency gear not in that one spot is my EPIRB which I mounted under the hardtop outside of the canvas but thats also easy to access if I didnt want it to auto deploy. They are great to talk to, work with, would recommend for sure.

 

[pablor]

I just got 6 man Revere Elite with a manual EPIRB from them. Great service...

 

[Tunateaser]

Hey Guy's,

I have just started researching purchasing a life raft for my 265 Express. This post has some great information that will assist me in this search. I would like to ask what the issue is with mounting this device on the hard top. I actually have been standing on the hard top while washing the boat down and I weigh about 185lbs. Is this not recommended? Will mounting it on top make the boat top heavy making it roll more? Has anyone with the smaller 265 mounted one on the hardtop?

Thanks in advance.