Hydrostatic release or not?

[hellosailor]

"Fast ferries etc are almost exclusively liferafts. "
FAST ferries, Dave. A liferaft takes up a whole lot less space and weighs a whole lot less than a lifeboat. Might even be cheaper.
So like aircraft, when wieght and carrying capacity and payload are all factors, the fast ferries carry whatever makes them fastest and most profitable.
That's all they are saying about rafts versus boats.

[RUSTYNAIL]

The hydro release is usually the best way to hook up your life raft. It would probably take a 360 in a sailboat to accidentally activate it. ...Some of the new 406 PLBs take about the same space in a life raft equipment bag as a bag of water. Have your life raft servicing company pack one of them in there, and with a little luck, you can enjoy a nice strong drink on land. Any waters 59 degrees or less are tough to survive in very long w/o survival suits.

[aberglas]

The big issue is whether a big wave will release the life raft prematurely. They can easily produce 4m of pressure. My impression is that the hydro static releases are designed for larger boats.


Life rafts were called death rafts after the Fastnet race, 11 boats found floating without crews, some crews never seen again. Stay with the boat!


Also, if the boat hits a reef, run to the tender, not the life raft. You can row the tender away from the reef!



What's left? Fire and collisions.

[Markusm]

Only reason not to use a hydrostatic release is if you don’t have deck space for a permanently mounted cradle (or you can’t afford $200 every other year). Commercial boats (fishing, passenger, etc) are all required to have them in the states, unless they have lifeboats. There are very few sailboats in the world with space for a lifeboat. A hard dinghy is not a lifeboat.

[SailingHarmonie]

There is NO downside to a hydrostatic release, except maybe the cost. If you have a hydrostatic release, you NEVER give up the option to manually deploy. I just do not understand why people are presenting it as one or the other.

A hydrostatic release does not deploy from splash, rain, or wave wash. Ever.

You can certainly have valid concerns about if a hydrostatic release will actually result in a usable release of the life raft. But, consider the alternative. If your boat sinks to the release depth, and you have NOT manually released the liferaft, there are two alternatives.

• Without a hydrostatic release, the raft is going to the bottom with the mothership. Guaranteed.
• With a hydrostatic release, the raft will be cut loose, and MIGHT get to the surface if it does not tangle with the rig.

So you have the choice: Zero chance of a floating raft, or a reasonable possibility of a raft floating for you to use. Why would any rational person chose the first option?

[aberglas]

So no claims here of hydrostatics being released due to being knocked down or over.


But such events are (hopefully) very rare.


Use cases for the life raft are also very rare. If the boat hits a reef, go for the tender as the life raft could be washed against the reef. Fire or massive collisions. Both rare so we have little experience. In a storm, life rafts are death rafts, leave them alone.



I am installing both a new raft and a hydrostatic release, but I consider their value to be extremely minimal. Safety is in not having to use them, e.g. good bulk heads.