For Sale: Switlik-USCG-approved-6-person-MK-II-SOLAS-LIFE-RAFT

[gonnatryatri]

hi

anyone out there know how much this raft is worth

its ten years old, never deployed and switlik says the raft is good for 20 years but should be repacked

Edited by moderator . Asking price $2000 obo.

thanks
mike

[Capt. Aubrey]

Hi Mike,

Please let me know when you have an idea of price. Also, where are you located?

Thanks.

[Capt. Aubrey]

Hi Mike,

Forgot to ask if it is packed in a soft valise or hard canister?

Thanks.

[hellosailor]

Mike-
If Switlik will continue to recertify it for 20 years and it is now 10 years old?


You could start by figuring half of the new price, whatever a local or discounted price with shipping is. T


hen subtract the cost of a full repack, since a new raft comes with that. That's the most it is worth.


Subtract for anything else it needs. Subtract again if it has been obsoleted for some reason, like not having ballast bags, or if the 20-year number is overoptimistic.


That will at least get you a talking point with potential buyers.

[gonnatryatri]

hi capt

hard canister, jersey shore

thanks
mike

[gonnatryatri]

thanks hellosailor

that sounds good

switlik gave me the Model CGR-6002-3, but did not have any pricing info

i tried pasting the ad title(Switlik-USCG-approved-6-person-MK-II-SOLAS-LIFE-RAFT) and the model number

but i haven't been able to find any older pricing info

mike

[hellosailor]

Mike, the new replacement version(s) look like they are in the $7200 range, very roughly and without trying to match options. Of course Switlik says the new models are improved with new features as well. At those prices, I sure hope the seams are hand-joined by a holy order in an orthodox nunnery of some sort. Still, it beats Zodiac, who condemn their products at ten years, period.

I guess a lot would depend on what the 10-year repack costs for your raft, and what they find when they open it up to do that.

[gonnatryatri]

thanks again hello

switlik said "Your raft is a 6 man SOLAS approved, Model CGR-6002-3: it includes an appropriate survival kit, a heatsealed floor ( for insulation), cradle & hydrostatic release. The raft left our factory on 10/21/04"

so if a repack is around 1000 it looks like the highest value would be around 2000

a search brings up one currently for 750 though

mike

[hellosailor]

Hey mike, that "up for 750" raft is actually up FOR SALE at $2000. The current bid on it is $750 but that's likely to change over the next 4-5 days, isn't it?(G)


IIRC the Buy-it-now price on eBay goes away once someone hits the reserve price, doesn't it?


Another older online thread suggested "Call Vane Brothers in Norfolk Va..They buy and sell used liferafts. "

[Steadman Uhlich]

Ten years old seems pretty old for some tightly packed folded rubber and coated fabric that may have been stored for years.

20 years seems optimistic. I have seen similar coated fabrics fail (deteriorate) in fewer years and in ideal storage conditions.

If I were in the market for a raft, Switlik would be one of the top contenders. I like the brand and have admired the offshore versions.

If I were in the market for that 10 year old raft, I would expect to pay no more than $2,000 considering the obvious need to repack and repair (if possible). And that would be assuming the raft has been popped open (inflated) and WORKED and has been tested recently (video proof would be nice) BEFORE I buy it.

The opening post above says this raft has never been deployed. Has it ever been serviced? Recently? Is there recent proof of condition?

My Suggestions:
If you are selling the raft, I would deploy and video that deployment with proof of date. Then repack it and sell it.

If you are the buyer, and are considering purchase, I would ask the seller to deploy and video with proof of date. Then if it works, I would purchase, and send to a professional for repacking.

I write all of this knowing that most rafts never get used, but then again, it IS the last place of refuge (lifesaver) for the sinking sailor who may need to depend on it in the worst circumstances. Given that, I would only depend on a raft that is almost certainly going to deploy and hold air and work when I need it, for the foreseeable future voyages.

[gonnatryatri]

hi steady hand

no it has not been serviced since its original manufacture date

you make a good point

although i am not recommending it, if i were to need it for a trip now i would not repack for myself and think there must be some others out there who like that its not deployed yet

obviously depends on the trips its intended for and one's own belief in how much premium they should pay for insurance

thanks
mike

[hellosailor]

I don't think that Switlik has tri-lam fabric for the tubes, I could be wrong but thought they were "rubber" which doesn't come apart the same way. (I've also never seen tri-lam go more than five years in anything actually used, without coming apart at some point.)


One way to sell a life raft without either party shouldering all the risk, would be to send/bring it to a repacker and make a deal with them. Both parties to supply credit cards or be there, with the deal being "I'll pay you $$$$ for the raft, including the repack charges." So if you agree on three grand and the repack costs $700...the seller gets $2300. If the repack finds big problems and runs $2000 after repairs...the seller gets only one grand.


Kinda like buying a house or a boat, and putting aside an escrow account. Without getting all formal and using one, although there are escrow services that would deal with small amounts, They just become a bit more expensive in the bigger scheme of things.

[gonnatryatri]

hey thanks hello

that is a great idea

mike

[sanibel sailor]

I know only a little.
Old un-repacked rafts are hard to sell. I got $400 for one after several listings on eBay. I had pics of it inflated.

I used to live in Norfolk and had a friend of an acquaintance at Vane Bros. Watched them repack my raft. They do not "deploy" them by inflation from the pressure canister as that might potentially damage it, but rather inflate it with regular dried compressed air and check for it holding pressure for 24 hours. I recall the guy saying a number of them had failed seams when inflated. The repack involves checking for leaks, updating flares and other expired items and repackaging it. There is also a recertification for commercial use that is required periodically. I believe this involves pressure testing the CO2 cannister, like is done for propane or scuba tanks. As mine was not rusty, etc, I chose not to have this done. They also have a ton of recently expired but high quality flares. I had them toss another couple in there as well.

Personal involvement with the process (if possible) can vastly improve understanding, lessen costs and permit seeing the raft inflated prior to pitching the thing overboard in dire straits.

[hellosailor]

The pressure testing is "hydrostatic" testing, done under the auspices of the Department of Transportation (DOT) in the US, for anything that may cross state lines in commerce. Requirements are different for different tanks. High pressure tanks like SCUBA tanks, every five years. Low pressure tanks, I believe every ten. A life raft could have either, with different gasses as well, so that will vary with the equipment.


Repack centers have lots of expired flares, hazmat garbage to dispose of. Huh. That's interesting. I'd be glad to fill an ammo can with some slightly outdated SOLAS flares and gamble that some of them will still work. (Only because I've seen how many outdated ordinary flares still work so very well.)