Liferaft coastal vs offshore

[SV Demeter]

I'm looking at life rafts and am trying to determine the primary differences between the "coastal" and "offshore" rafts beyond the price. I'm wondering if the rafts are essentially the same but the offshore version comes with more survival gear?

[Eleven]

You should be looking much more at offshore requirements. How far from land, which way are the currents and wind, what's the chance of being picked up or reaching land.
You need a lifeboat with a sail and a tarpaulin cover to protect against the sun, and collect the rain, plus dry food, fishing lines. The full survival kit for at least a month in the boat. A second boat in fact, devoid of comfort maybe, but a survival pod that has half a chance of working.
Inshore, within a hundred miles, Epirb will get you rescued, you will have great difficulty getting in launched, getting aboard it, and that's in good weather and daylight. Lifejackets will be the real lifesaver. Giving one of you a chance to get aboard the raft, and tether the rest until they can get, or be got, aboard.

[Khagan1227]

Some costal units only have a single inflatable ring. Some have a less durable materials used for the raft.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Eleven

The full survival kit for at least a month in the boat. A second boat in fact, devoid of comfort maybe, but a survival pod that has half a chance of working.

A month?? I think even in the Southern Ocean you'll be rescued in 4 - 5 days max if you have a good EPIRB with GPS and a sat phone.

I can't imagine that specification makes any sense.

A life raft is a horrible place to be compared to a yacht which is even half floating, but it sure beats bobbing around in your life jacket if the mother ship goes down. I would go for a quality offshore one unless you really never get more than 100 miles from land.

I have an Avon. I had it serviced last year and observed the process. It is a really heavy duty quality piece of kit, and it worked perfectly although it was five years out of service.

[SV Demeter]

Ok maybe being a little more specific will help.


Coastal: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landf...mander2011.pdf




Offshore: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landf...mander2011.pdf


Looks like additionally the offshore comes with:

an inflateable floor (good for colder water)
canopy light (good for reading at night while waiting to get picked up I guess)
and the equipment pack adds an extra pair of batteries (wonder if they also fit that canopy light?)

[Eleven]

There are boats found alone and adrift all the time. Crew no doubt panicking and taking to the lifeboat. Check with the rescue teams, how many boats do they find empty, never to find the crew. And also see how many cruisers sleep the night below, sail all day. No watch, no-one on deck. Chances are there's nothing out there, whether you are in a yacht or a lifeboat.
See the film for how quickly people lose the will to go on in a liferaft. And how long a life raft lasts. Or just search the threads here for life rafts that aren't fit for use.

[SV Demeter]

Originally Posted by Eleven

There are boats found alone and adrift all the time. Crew no doubt panicking and taking to the lifeboat. Check with the rescue teams, how many boats do they find empty, never to find the crew. And also see how many cruisers sleep the night below, sail all day. No watch, no-one on deck. Chances are there's nothing out there, whether you are in a yacht or a lifeboat.
See the film for how quickly people lose the will to go on in a liferaft. And how long a life raft lasts. Or just search the threads here for life rafts that aren't fit for use.

Um ok, but how is any of that relevant to the question Im asking? I appreciate your anecdotal comments but Im really looking for specific characteristics of specific liferafts.

Perhaps you would care to share with us what sort of "lifeboat" you carry with you on your Jaguar 22?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Eleven

There are boats found alone and adrift all the time. Crew no doubt panicking and taking to the lifeboat. Check with the rescue teams, how many boats do they find empty, never to find the crew. And also see how many cruisers sleep the night below, sail all day. No watch, no-one on deck. Chances are there's nothing out there, whether you are in a yacht or a lifeboat.
See the film for how quickly people lose the will to go on in a liferaft. And how long a life raft lasts. Or just search the threads here for life rafts that aren't fit for use.

Let's suppose hypothetically we agree with all of this.

It still beats being shark- or hypothermia-bait in the water.

And boats do sometimes go right down.

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by SV Demeter

Ok maybe being a little more specific will help.


Coastal: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landf...mander2011.pdf




Offshore: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/landf...mander2011.pdf


Looks like additionally the offshore comes with:

an inflateable floor (good for colder water)
canopy light (good for reading at night while waiting to get picked up I guess)
and the equipment pack adds an extra pair of batteries (wonder if they also fit that canopy light?)

The coastal rafts weigh less than the "blue water" rafts, I'd ask why.

In any case, personally, I want the raft that gives me the BEST possibility for survival.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Eleven

You should be looking much more at offshore requirements. How far from land, which way are the currents and wind, what's the chance of being picked up or reaching land.
You need a lifeboat with a sail and a tarpaulin cover to protect against the sun, and collect the rain, plus dry food, fishing lines. The full survival kit for at least a month in the boat. A second boat in fact, devoid of comfort maybe, but a survival pod that has half a chance of working.
Inshore, within a hundred miles, Epirb will get you rescued, you will have great difficulty getting in launched, getting aboard it, and that's in good weather and daylight. Lifejackets will be the real lifesaver. Giving one of you a chance to get aboard the raft, and tether the rest until they can get, or be got, aboard.

This is out of date information, the Steve o Callaghan days are over. GMDSS aims to pick people up on 3-4 days anywhere on the planet. At best survival of 7-9 days, spend the money on epirbs and PLBs. To survive quite happily 9 days all you need is cans of water

Dave

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Eleven

There are boats found alone and adrift all the time. Crew no doubt panicking and taking to the lifeboat. Check with the rescue teams, how many boats do they find empty, never to find the crew. And also see how many cruisers sleep the night below, sail all day. No watch, no-one on deck. Chances are there's nothing out there, whether you are in a yacht or a lifeboat.
See the film for how quickly people lose the will to go on in a liferaft. And how long a life raft lasts. Or just search the threads here for life rafts that aren't fit for use.

The amount of boats found adrift with no crew are tiny, thoses that are are often single handed. As to crew below and no watch again outside singlehanders, I know nobody who sails that way.

If you loose the will to go on in. Liferaft, then you hardly need a months supply of survivial gear..

This is 2012 not 1950. Things have moved on a wee bit.

Dave

[Greenhand]

Ocean rafts tend to have larger bags for more ballast, and even more anchors. In reality, this only holds true within brands, so that a quality brand may offer a more stable platform than a cheaper brand.

[goboatingnow]

Look up SOLAS categorisation. Or the EU /ISO 9650 specs. Offshore liferafts have

Double bottom for heat insulation, drogues and ballast pockets and greater emergency equipment.

Dave

[Eleven]

OK. If your budget runs to all the electronics then 3 to 4 days is Ok.
If you hop from Marina to marina and don't intend to live on the hook then you don't need a dinghy that will move stores and can be equipped to provide you with an escape pod.
Others have put a lot of effort into their 'escape pod'. I suspect they are totally misguided too.
My J22 doesn't go more than a mile or two off shore, and the waters are so busy there are always six or seven boats insight, minimum. I don't race, I don't like heavy weather, I'm never more than two hours from safe locations. The cat was very different. On the one occasion I did have trouble I was happy to wait it out, aground at low tide on shingle, but were towed off by the RNLI who turned up anyway. Wind dropped from f6 to f3 two hours later just as we would have been afloat again.

[rebel heart]

More than one air chamber, inflatable floor, and heavier water ballasts are the ones that come to mind first. Nothing good about wasting money being overly safe; you don't need an offshore liferaft if you sink 10 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. But you're going to feel like a moron if you have a coastal version (or none at all) and you go down in the roaring 40's with water barely above freezing.

Pick the conditions you'll experience, pick your survival gear accordingly.