7 years ago we purchased a Winslow life raft based on good reports from Practical sailor and other
Internet forums. We have not had any reason to use it thank goodness but I wanted to throw out a couple suggestions if you're planning on
buying a life raft.
Do not let the cost be your decision factor. Look at the location of the
service centers around the world and how much it costs to repack a raft. Winslow has very limited coverage and for us in the Pacific outside of the US the choice is to ship the unit back to them for re packing. Not only is the cost of re packing by Winslow shockingly expensive but then throw in the
shipping on top of it and it becomes stupidly expensive!!!
Sure I understand that to have a Winslow re certified the packer must be trained at their facility. That's a good thing but it also limits the number of agencies that can do the
service.
If we were to do it all over again we would look at the re packing stations around the world, cost of recertification and then throw in the cost of the raft. Put down 10 years for a baseline and then
work the numbers. Oh don't forget the cost of
shipping the raft if you add Winslow to the review.
Just
food for thought if your in the market for a new raft
Safe sailing
Chuck