Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 07-02-2012, 23:59   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Jervis Bay NSW Australia
Boat: Adams 45 Steel Masthead Cutter
Posts: 143
Images: 9
15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Greetings All,

I would welcome thoughts with regards to a 6 Man Beaufort Liferaft on Ebay that could go very cheap.

eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d

Is this simply folly to consider this as a way to save money?
Would it be degraded at all - having never left the canister?
Is it serviceable?

Buy?...or leave well alone?

Monty
Aussie Monty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 01:15   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Oregon
Boat: 57' Laurent Giles Yawl
Posts: 755
Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Oh, I had a Beaufort 6 person raft just like that.

If it's never been serviced, best case, everything that has an expiration date inside the raft will need to be replaced. So the batteries, flares, food packs, CO2 cylinder, will probably add up to something around $1k with the repacking. You can call a service place and see if they'll give you a guesstimate, each raft and brand has a different set of parts.

But that raft looks pretty beat up, so I'd be worried about more entropy and chaos than just things expired. I've had two liferafts totaled by repacking places, and they both looked better than that from the outside.

Also, a common way to sell long expired liferaft is to have a service facility take a look. Since it could be worth nothing. So I'd be wary of ebay since you couldn't arrange that for this raft. Anyways, in other cases, you can have the seller meet you at a repacking place, have them take a peak inside, see if it's a disaster or not and give you an idea of about how much it'd cost to fix. There's a log sheet inside that will tell them when things are due to be replaced, and etc. Some places are more uptight and won't 'break the seals' unless they are doing a full repack -- maybe if that's your local situation you can negotiate that you'll pay X - whatever the quote for the service is.
msponer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 01:25   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Jervis Bay NSW Australia
Boat: Adams 45 Steel Masthead Cutter
Posts: 143
Images: 9
Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Thanks Msponer,

Sage advice...on the surface (if you pardon the pun) it appears to be a great way to save bucks but, could simply be a lot of grief.

Monty
Aussie Monty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 02:10   #4
Moderator Emeritus
 
nigel1's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Manchester, UK
Boat: Beneteau 473
Posts: 5,589
Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Most liferadft manufacturers will condemm a raft at 15 yrs old, maybe best to leave well alone
__________________
Nigel
Beneteau 473
Manchester, UK
nigel1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 02:28   #5
Moderator Emeritus
 
Boracay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Boat: CyberYacht 43
Posts: 5,174
Images: 19
Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Whitworths will sell you a brand new 6 person liferaft for $2069.

If it doesn't work you can bring it back.

Boracay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 06:42   #6
Registered User
 
S/V Alchemy's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nova Scotia until Spring 2021
Boat: Custom 41' Steel Pilothouse Cutter
Posts: 4,976
Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

There are some things I don't mind used. Winches, sails with some life still in them, perhaps recut...old compasses capable of being reswung, certainly old tools.

But a life raft is something I want as new as possible. I want to be present at every unpacking and repacked, too, and I want to know what's enclosed and how it's sealed up because I put it there.

You don't inherit your dad's prophylactics expecting them to serve; old life rafts are in that category.
__________________
Can't sail? Read about our travels at https://alchemyonpassage.blogspot.com/. Can't sleep? Read www.alchemy2009.blogspot.com for fast relief. Can't read? Avoid www.volumesofsalt.blogspot.com, because it's just personal reviews of sea books.
S/V Alchemy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 06:55   #7
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,586
Images: 2
pirate Re: 15 Year Old Liferaft?....Ebay

Well in the UK you can get these for £800 inc VAT... also the 4 man Ocean series for the same price...

Wetline Offshore Classic Liferaft - 4 Man Canister
  • Thermo insulated floor to keep both heat in and out
  • Rain water collection system and dispenser bag x2
  • Automatic, lithium powered, 4.3 candela SOLAS approved light
  • Zip closer entrance and rear closer
  • Large sea anchor drogue with line
  • 3 fully independent butyl rubber tubes + 380mm
  • Signaling access aperture
  • RORC safety pack. Vacuum packed in a waterproof sack. Firmly secured in the raft
  • Automatic lithium interior light
  • Boarding platform and ladder system - The boarding system allows the victim to hoist themselves up on the ladder and then ease themselves into a raft. Should the liferaft inflate upside down, the boarding ladder simply reverts, to allow victims to pull themselves on to the capsized liferaft. Once on the inverted raft it is easier to return it to the upright position.
  • 4 x 30L weighted water pockets for stability
  • SOLAS approved reflective tape
  • Canopy ventilation
  • Righting strop fitted to the underside
  • 12 year warranty on liferaft (not contents) providing the service is carried out at the correct intervals and by an approved service station
  • 3 year service intervals
  • Weight: 30kg
  • Packed dimensions: L 745 x W 510 x D 335mm
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	MD210190.jpg
Views:	228
Size:	15.1 KB
ID:	37123  
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2012, 10:21   #8
Registered User

Join Date: May 2008
Boat: FP Lipari, 11.95 metres
Posts: 97
In a previous life, when I managed a liferaft service centre, we found that once a raft was over 10 years old, the rate of failure increased dramatically. This was on SOLAS rafts off commercial vessels that were required to be inspected annually. For my money, even if it passes an inspection, it will only have a very short service life.
Takamoana is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
liferaft

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
A Self-Service Liferaft Design - Interested ? David_Old_Jersey Health, Safety & Related Gear 80 12-12-2019 21:22
For Sale: ICOM IC-M710, AT-130, 15' AT-130 Cable Tkrobinson Classifieds Archive 4 04-01-2012 16:31
For Sale: Liferaft: 8-Person Plastimo Transocean George P Classifieds Archive 5 16-12-2011 10:59
Want To Buy: Liferaft Rick_jo Classifieds Archive 6 31-10-2011 16:47
For Sale: Yanmar 2GM20F - Used One Year - 1300 Hours Oceansandmts Classifieds Archive 2 11-07-2011 06:06

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:51.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.