Tuesday, 08 December 2009

Boatshed Yacht brokers investigate life raft servicing

The bag's zip is designed to burst easily when the liferaft starts to inflate, with a raft in a canister Terry suggests you watch your head as each half can travel quite some distance when they are triggered

Tony and Amina Cleal of Boatshed Plymouth took a couple of hours off from their busy Plymouth brokerage to find out what happens when a life raft is serviced. Out of date safety equipment is one of those things which regularly crops up on used boat surveys so when the couple realised their Seago 4 man valise liferaft which has thankfully been sitting unused aboard their Sigma 33 for the past 3 years needed servicing they headed off to CE Banyard Ltd in Lostwithiel Cornwall to find out what really is inside a liferaft.

Terry Pope of CE Banyard was ready for the couple and their much travelled sea dog with tons of information and advise. He went through the first part of the procedure for servicing a raft which is to inflate it and thoroughly check it and it's contents. He will then replace anything which needs replacing and repack the raft. Tony has opted to have it put into a canister rather than back in the valise so that it can be stored on deck most of the time to save the hassle of moving it out into the cockpit each time they set off.

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The raft is vaccuum sealed inside a tough plastic bag

The short painter sticking out of the raft is attached to a much longer line. ALWAYS TIE THE PAINTER ON TO YOUR BOAT

Terry did not use the gas canister to inflate the raft as these can be reused and the cold gas which is released could damage the fabric of the raft

Instead he used a compressor to inflate the raft more slowly

So this is what is inside the liferaft pack, paddles, flares, a pump and hose, clamps bailer and sponges, a waterproof torch and some instructions

These clamps are used to repair the raft by inserting on side inside the tube and tightening it against the one outside the tube. Terry feels they are better than patches and glue owing to the difficultly of getting glue to work in the hostile conditions

Seasickness tablets tied on so that they can be taken as soon as you get in and the safety valves which allows air out of the tubes in the day and lets you pump them up again as it contracts in the evening

Terry shows Amina and Kedge how to right the raft by standing on the gas canister, you can also see the 4 weighted pockets which helps stabilise the raft

The Boatshed sea dog seemed to quite like the raft in these bengin conditions

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