How expired is this liferaft?

[Markhunter1097]

Couldn’t find anyone in Australia to service my 4 man switlik, so I inflated it, left for a week, no leaks, then changed the bottle for a small scuba pony bottle, reflated again to check there was enough air, which there was. Packed it all up into a bag and keep down below. I test it myself every year and it works perfectly every time. Not compliant, but I know it works.

[sveinung]

Besides the seams and tank, another step of the raft service is to replace all the perishables (water, emergency food, flares, emergency dye, batteries for light etc).
The food and flares you can probably throw out and rather keep in a go bag, same with food and water.

For servicing the tank, hydrostatic tests are becoming less common for scuba tanks, both for air and nitrox.
A visual inspection usually reveals what you're most interested in: rust and corrosion. This is usually from filling on bad compressors with humid air which isn't a problem for a raft that's filled maybe three times in its life.

A visual inspection is as simple as letting the air out, take the valves off using a big wrench, thoroughly inspect the inside walls do the tank for rust or discoloration. Replace the O ring between the tank neck and the valve, assemble, pressurize and do the same in two years time.

Filling scuba tanks with bad air, or leaving them without pressure kills them, just sitting with dry air does not.*

*) What I would do, but a shop would do the same for $30 and fill it at the same time. You'd even get a sticker with the "hydro" date!

[thruska]

Originally Posted by andypag

If self servicing, how do you reseal the valise? I see two straps that presumably are designed to snap when it's released. Can they be released without breaking them?

My raft was inflated from a fibreglass deck case. .
Therefore no valise is present.
I would expect perhaps velcroe . If that is important for you , i suggest calling the manufacturer with questions.

[hellosailor]

sveinung-
If you're in New York, it must be an alternate universe, not the place I know.
"For servicing the tank, hydrostatic tests are becoming less common for scuba tanks, both for air and nitrox."
Ah, no. The hydro inspections are required federally by the DOT and there's no SCUBA shop that will put anything into a tank that does not have a hydro test within the past five years. That hasn't changed since the laws were passed, decades ago. SCUBA tanks are regulated differently from industrial compressed gases, because it is so easy to get corrosive salt water into a SCUBA tank.

"A visual inspection usually reveals what you're most interested in: rust and corrosion. This is usually from filling on bad compressors with humid air which isn't a problem for a raft that's filled maybe three times in its life."
The corrosion may come from shop contamination, but in a life raft the gas is usually nitrogen and/or CO2, not at all the same as the compressor in a SCUBA shop. And unlike a SCUBA tank, normal use (letting a tank go empty) doesn't pull salt water into a life raft gas bottle. All different.

"A visual inspection ...and do the same in two years time."
Again, not for SCUBA. You'll get a VIP within the past year, or no one will fill the tank. With industrial compressed gases, the regulations are far more lenient and you may only need an inspection every 5th year.

"leaving [SCUBA tanks] without pressure kills them"
Nonsense. As long as the pressure is constant, whether that's high or low, there's no work hardening of the metal and the tank doesn't care. That's one thing that everyone in the industry agrees on.

"You'd even get a sticker with the "hydro" date!"
Never happens. Stickers are used within the SCUBA industry for VIP inspection dates but a hydro date is always permanently STAMPED into the neck of the tank. There's never a sticker used for that. And while the DOT regulations require that the first step of any hydro inspection IS a VIP inspection, the SCUBA shops victimize every customer for an extra $20-30 "because it needs a VIP" even when the tank has just been hydro'd, and in fact has just received a VIP.

SCUBA tanks have very different use, very different regulation, very different considerations from industrial compressed gases. Yes, you could use a pony bottle to inflate a life raft. It would be bulkier than a life raft bottle, and less stable, since it is full of air rather than an inert gas.

For testing purposes, a shop vac or other source of dry clean air is recommended, because all of the normal compressed gases come out icy cold, and the cold eventually will damage the life raft in the inflation area.

[LouK]

Really, an expired life raft?
Seems to me that if you're ass is in such hot water that you actually need a liferaft, the last thing you want to worry about is whether ancient seams and jury-rigged inflation is going to hold up. In those situations do you really need that kind of angst?

If the raft comes apart or fails to open are you going to pat yourself on the back and say, 'well, at least I didn't spend alot of money on that"?

As first responders are all aware, we know of plenty of situations where people got sloppy or 'outsmarted' themselves; it often does not end well.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by LouK

Really, an expired life raft?
Seems to me that if you're ass is in such hot water that you actually need a liferaft, the last thing you want to worry about is whether ancient seams and jury-rigged inflation is going to hold up. In those situations do you really need that kind of angst?

If the raft comes apart or fails to open are you going to pat yourself on the back and say, 'well, at least I didn't spend alot of money on that"?

As first responders are all aware, we know of plenty of situations where people got sloppy or 'outsmarted' themselves; it often does not end well.

Lighten up , he said expired not ancient....

[andypag]

Saw this as an alternative use for expired life rafts...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1850977428470407/permalink/2281070658794413/

Car roof tent.

[andypag]

From what I've seen the don't refill the tank or inspect it inside at the liferaft servicing, they just weigh it. Or replace it if expired.

Presumably the cannister has a date stamp on it. Anyone know what the lifespan is? 10years?

[Peeew]

When I bought a used WINSLOW raft the factory offered help. Seller shipped it to WINSLOW, I paid for initial quick inspection, then once assured it was serviceable the seller and I completed the sale with me knowing full repack cost.

[ikebartlett]

Call the shops that recertify rafts, you should be able to get a recertified raft at a discount price, people send them in and never pick them up. You might have to be put on a wait list. I made the mistake of buying a used one off eBay, then shopped a recert, in the end it was less expensive to buy a new one, while telling my story to the fellow on the slip next to me ( while he was installing his raft) he shared his 4 week wait list story . I donated the eBay raft to a sailing school, the kids had a blast deploying it and practicing getting onto from their boats and from being in the water

[Hope Light]

Having cruised from the Great Lakes to Nova Scotia, offshore to Bermuda and the BVI and having owned and operated a Dunlop Beaufort liferaft service depot I have seen some scary things. I have seen sailboat cruisers who are outfitting to head south, spend a fortune on many new sails etc. and go without a liferaft or with a crappy one.
Trying to save money on safety is not s good plan for you and your family.

One customer who bought a top of the line Dunlop Beaufort raft before he left the Great Lakes, had it serviced in some Caribbean country. When they reached Australia they had it serviced again, and watched the servicing only to discover that the contents of the cannister had been switched for a piece of junk in the Caribbean. So make sure you insist on seeing what is inside the cannister or bag.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by andypag

Yes please

Here goes 1st attempt... sorry it took so long...

IMG_2149.JPG

Argh this never works
I don’t understand why we can’t just copy and paste , ridiculous

Andy pag just pm me your phone number and I can simply text all the pics you want in minutes or less....

Thumbs up dude....

[thruska]

Originally Posted by andypag

From what I've seen the don't refill the tank or inspect it inside at the liferaft servicing, they just weigh it. Or replace it if expired.

Presumably the cannister has a date stamp on it. Anyone know what the lifespan is? 10years?

Co2 is five years after hydro. It’s around 1000psi filled , which varies in temperatures.
Other high pressure cylinders with oxy, and other inert gases fill pressures can be 2000psi. Those test for 10 years.
Understand that the test date is for the filler person! If you have a full cylinder and it’s not leaked( look at pressure gauge) don’t fix if it ain’t broke
Unless you have too much $.

[Bill_Giles]

Manufacturers are generally very wary of stretching the limits with their products. So the kit may last much longer than advertised. But at the end of the day we are talking about an insurance and about life saving equipment. Although there are probably many, many thousands of life rafts in use, how many are deployed in anger? Well the answer is not very many. Our boat does not venture much past 50 miles off shore, but we have a fully serviced life raft. We could probably do without it. But we cruise very cold waters with very changeable weather and we can afford it. At the end of the day you pays you money and makes your choice. But my view is: if you carry a life raft make sure that it will work, otherwise make other plans.

[Icarus]

These days everything comes down to money...of course the company who sell the rafts don't want you to hang on to your old raft, they want you to sell a new one..
Now the have this nonsense of 24hr rafts..
If you venture further offshore prepare a survival kit, place it in a watertight drum, attache a line to it
so you can retrieve it. At least you know whats in the kit...
If you are going to get a raft get a new one..
Anyway better still stay afloat