Do Catamarans Need Liferafts ?

[GMac]

Originally Posted by nodee

GMac:

I believe you are referring to the Blog by Beth Leonard and Evans Starzinger Seamanship.
Two circumnavigations and no liferaft. Their take is interesting.

G'day Kirk, I wasn't there I actually read it but that certianly is the same 'incident'. Bit spooky don't you think.

[bene343]

never jump down into a life raft

step up into it (your boat underwater)

[JamuJoe]

Interesting opinions on life rafts here, including those of Beth Leonard, whose Voyager's Handbook I have read cover to cover. I don't buy the philosophy about not carrying a life raft 'because it would tempt you to use it rather than stay with the boat'. People may make poor decisions in a panic, but that is more a matter of skills, training and experience. I do have a life raft on JAMU (my Leopard 42) and plan to never use it unless my boat goes under. Although it has been inspected on schedule, the inability to actually use it for abandon ship drills leaves me without full confidence. I do keep my RIB, with outboard, well-secured in the davits yet ready to launch for man overboard or other emergencies. (I might alter that arrangement in very severe storm conditions). I would never secure an inflated life raft to the damaged boat with more than one line, and always keep a sharp knife handy for cutting loose. My ditch bag in the cabin would be ready to go with either the RIB or raft. A survival (immersion) suit is good idea, and pending that addition to our safety kit, we keep our scuba wet suits readily available.

I recently spent some time in Honduras with a sailor who lost his boat on a reef near Fiji. He and two shipmates spent three days in his life raft, connected by a long line to the sailboat, while awaiting rescue and watching his yacht break up. He was able to go back to the boat for additional supplies, but felt more secure staying in the raft. His EPRIB separated from the raft and was picked up miles away by the Australian Navy. His eventual rescue was facilitated by having a handheld VHF (with diminishing battery life) in the raft. That made me think about adding a solar charger for the VHF to my ditch bag.

Our safety kits may depend upon budget and philosophy. Whatever gear you decide to have, just make sure that you and the crew know how and when to use it.

[Sterling]

did the Titanic need life rafts?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Sterling

did the Titanic need life rafts?

No.

But the passengers did. but only the once.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Sterling

did the Titanic need life rafts?

Was the Titanic a catamaran?

[Pelagic]

The Givens Liferaft has proven itself many times as a savior in extreme conditions amongst the commercial fishing fleet world wide.

The important thing to consider when choosing a liferaft is the rating.

For example: If on an 8 person raft it is rated 5 to 8 persons, that means it needs 5 people as ballast.

Watch the aircraft tests with empty rafts.

On a Givens it would be 0 to 8 person rating which is why Givens is the only raft I would ever consider buying.

YouTube - Givens Liferaft - Over 450 Lives Saved!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

... The important thing to consider when choosing a liferaft is the rating.
For example: If on an 8 person raft it is rated 5 to 8 persons, that means it needs 5 people as ballast ...

I thought that the first number (5) specified the capacity rating, and the second number (8) specified the "overload" rating, and that all "approved" life rafts required ballast.
I've been wrong before.

See Terry Johnson’s Boatkeeper* article on life rafts:
➥ http://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/bo...life-rafts.pdf

* All Boatkeeper articles are online at:
➥ Boatkeeper | bookstore | Alaska Sea Grant

[wstu]

Here is another option

Portland Pudgy multifunction dinghy -- the fun boat that could save your life!

The one thing I have always wondered, if you are at the helm and tied in when she goes over, what will the distance be, between the water and the deck floor which is now over your head? Hopefully there will be some distance there, otherwise you will drown before you can get back into the boat to survive.

Also, if you can survive the overturning itself, then there is no reason to leave the boat since it would make the best life raft. Having a major fire on board appears to be the only reason why you would even consider leaving the boat and the chances of that happening at the same time as bad weather I would think, is pretty slim. So, I really don't see any reason to have the tie off connections on the bottom of the boat for the life raft. Why leave the boat in the first place, unless you have a major fire?

[tongaboys]

My choice of Life Raft, a 60' Horstman, (use it to live on and cruise the oceans as well) ...

[Intentional Drifter]

Wow. Now that is some serious boat porn!

ID

[maxingout]

We carried a Given's six person life raft on Exit Only because it had hemispheric water ballast and had such a good reputation for staying upright in a storm.

We also sailed in a catamaran which also had a good reputation for staying upright in a storm.

So far, we are still upright.

I like it when a plan comes together and actually works.

[osirissail]

There is a universal acceptance that "life rafts" save lives. Quite the contrary! There is truth in the statement by serious sailors that you only get into a life raft when you have to "step up" to get into it. Meaning only after the boat has sunk from underneath you do you get into the raft. Why leave a floating vessel that contains food, water, and communications to get into a bobbing "cork" in the middle of the ocean. There are no end of reports of folks who (even having stepped up into the liferaft) have floated for months or more before being rescued from their life raft.
Take the time and money to prepare for disasters - fire or collisions at sea - and then, ever having to actually use the life raft becomes remote.
Still there are insurance companies and some countries that will not allow you to cross oceans without a life raft on board. But that still does not mean you should not prepare your vessel so it can survive any disaster. Neglecting or failing to prepare your vessel just because you have a life raft is not smart.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by maxingout

... So far, we are still upright.
I like it when a plan comes together and actually works.

Sounds about right, to me!

[MKB53]

Interesting comment - I have been through all the thought process about the "unsinkable" nature of the cat and nice floaty Rib hanging off the back over the last few months.

This last weekend I decided to buy a liferaft after discussion with my crew for my upcoming (long) coastal cruise.

I think the most pertinant comment in this thread was "It is only personal choice if you are sailing alone". Alone I don't think I would take one but ....

There have been several books about the 1998 Sydney Hobart race which are interesting reading. I am told that this event lead to changes in liferaft design being mandated by the Aus authorities. Including ballast, better boarding ladders etc. Lives were lost after liferafts inverted and floors ripped. In that case is was the yacht was long gone to Davey Jones so they had no option to stay with it.

OK - now what brand should you avoid? You can argue like hell about which is the best but people generally agree which ones suck!