For Sale: 6 man Avon life raft

[Jimbo2010]

I have a 6 man Avon it appears to be 100% from all that can be seen.

Not sure of age but the last owner said it was repacked but doesn't remember when

I really have no idea of it's value so PM me please with any best offer.

I can ship from NY.

[hellosailor]

Jim, age is EVERYTHING with a life raft.

If there is no manufactured date, no last repack date, no way to tell IF the raft is even capable of being certified and used now, it is worth about ten bucks as a kid's wading pool.

Sad but true, so you might want to poke around for some dates on it.

[Jimbo2010]

I don't agree, why can't it opened up tested and repacked?

[hellosailor]

You don't agree with what?

It is your responsibility, as the seller, to open it up, inspect it, repack it, and tell potential buyers what you have. You can't expect someone else to spend a hundred bucks on shipping, only to have a mystery they need to take to a repack shop and spend six hundred (whatever) bucks having it inspected.

No inspection counts unless it is from a repack certification. If you take it to a repack station, invest your time and your money, then you can say "Raft for sale, newly certified, asking $1000" and it might be worth it.

But for someone else to invest the time and money going over it? Or for two or three or six buyers to come, open it up, spread it out on what clean floor, roll it back up and leave you offers? That's plain crazy.

If you can't find a date on it, then it is so old, so worn, that again, it is best left for a kiddie pool. Sadly, life rafts are like fresh fruit or meat. They have a finite life and when it is up, it is up. If you can't even find a date on it, and aren't willing to put some effort into it, why would anyone else make a trip and invest their time?

Maybe someone will gamble fifty bucks, or a hundred, if they can pick it up without spending that on shipping. Shipping also has to be hazmat because of the gas cylinder, so that's expensive too.

[Jimbo2010]

ok, I'll call a repack station, I see your point.....well taken.

[Badsanta]

Yeh, I bought one before I knew anything. No one would even look at it because of its age. Spent way to much for that education.

[delmarrey]

If it was repacked professionally it'll have markings on the outside with make, model, size, date of Mfg and a repack date if applicable.

[Boatguy30]

I had one that looked like that. was a 1983 held air for a few hours in 2003 when I replaced it.

[hellosailor]

"If it was repacked professionally it'll have markings on the outside with "

Actually, no. It would have had markings or a tag. But like mattress tags, these things only last so long. (Although I had a grandmother, from the Old Country, who was convinved the Mattress Police would come around to arrest everyone if you pulled one off.)

Which indicates something about the age or storage conditions of the raft.

For that matter, I've seen 4 year old tires with more UV damage than 15 year old tires. Tags & markings? Run that warranty by me agian, wouldya? <G>