450: L450 life raft mounting

[PaulinOz]

New Life raft arrived so into the dingy around the back of the boat and slip it onto the Stainless Shelf at the back provided by Lagoon. So it fits OK there back up on deck to have a look and its almost impossible to see the raft under the rear transom, I can't imagine how to
a: secure it there.
b: launch it in anger out under the dingy.
Am I over thinking this or just can't see the wood for the trees any pictures of life raft attachment appreciated.

I started off this fit out slowly, the Admiral reminded me yesterday that its 9 weeks till we move aboard full time. So just to add a bit of pressure I have disassembled the Master Bed to enable it take a Normal (read comfortable) mattress after just spending 14 days on the L421 I can barely walk, which I put down to the rather firm original mattress. So on top of wiring up the inverter,solar panels,charge controllers and commissioning the water maker I now need to re-build the bed. Boat maintenance in exotic places does it get any better.

[TOT]

How is your progress coming along Paul?



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[PaulinOz]

Finally mounted Life raft in cradle to port side in rear cockpit area, I just could not see how to mount it under the transom in a way that it would be easy for myself or the boss to launch it in anger. So its in the dry, out of the way, but very accessible if required.
4 weeks till we move on board full time. Solar all up and running, likewise water maker and inverter. Very happy with the 5 x 327 Sunpower panels so far best I have seen out of them is 79 amps into battery and that is with a mast and boom shadow tracking across them. The 42 inch TV is mounted along with the microwave. Just tidying up a few last minute jobs bolting down the I-Mac in owners cabin, need to put another monitor on the chart table for my lap top. It will probably never be finished but I am getting very close.





Paul Rogers
Moor R&R Lagoon 450

[monte]

Paul sorry to say but I don't like the life raft placement. The unlikely scenario that you would need to use it would include flipping which would make the life raft un deployable in that position. That is why the rear beam is my preference. ours is secured with line that can be cut or untied. Not a scenario I would like to deal with, but one we are prepared for. The painter is secured to the bracket. There is a knife nearby in the cockpit and I should have one attached to the raft for easy access.
Cheers
Monte

[PaulinOz]

When placed under the transom on my 450 the life raft was not visible from above, it is under and forward of the transom. It is also a snug fit so in order to launch it, I would need to undo/cut the restraints etc then move the 40 kg plus aft so it could fall into water this would need to be done laying flat on the rear deck and reaching under to pull it out.
I would like to be convinced otherwise as under the transom is a lot more convenient and out of the way as long there is an easy way to deploy it.

[monte]

One way to eject it from the transom is run a strap or two from the outside edge of the mount, below and around the life raft and back out on top, fastened to the deck pad eye. When you pull the lines it should eject the raft similar to an appliance that has a strap under a group of AA batteries to help remove them. The raft slides fairly easily on the stainless bracket.

[katsumi]

Good idea Monte I think I will attach some lines like that to ours.
How have you secured the raft in the cradle? I have a hydrostatic release but I can't get it secure enough with one strap.
I would say where Paul has his mounted would be ok as long as the clears are open at sea, and maybe a hydrostatic release, but most need about 3 metres under water before the activate. I would also say you would be is some very big seas to flip one of these boats over. Not saying it is not possible though...

[monte]

Hi kat, I just have the two lines securing the raft. They also run through the raft rope handles. It is very secure. I don't think a hydrostatic release is very beneficial to catamarans. For a trawler or mono where a catastrophic failure could sink the vessel before the raft can be prepared and it's likely to sink straight down or close to it, they are a good idea and I think a requirement for aus commercial registration. But in your case it would not activate until 3 m underwater and would only release from the transom if the bows were significantly down. I can't imagine that scenario on a cat. The main scenarios I can imagine would be
Virtually instant capsize, the boat would likely float upturned for at least one hr, giving time to prepare the raft and hopefully take the grab bag. Attaching lines under the hull to attach harnesses to would be beneficial.
Holed hull, would probably allow over 1 hr to prepare to abandon ship.
Fire on board, if it can't be contained the life raft should be deployable as quickly as possible. I think we could deploy ours in under a minute and be inboard with grab bag soon after.
Of course attaching the painter to the bracket is of the utmost importance, many life rafts have blown away as soon as they have been deployed. You should be ready to enter the raft as soon as it is deployed

[roetter]

I aggree with Monte. There is no need on a cat to deploy a life raft quickly, except maybe in a fire situation. A Lagoon will float indefinitely or as minimum for several hours, even if both hulls are compromised. The most likely scenario is a capsize and that is very unlikely to begin with.

The position next to the cockpit lounge is problematic in a capsize, especially if you have the cokpit rain covers down. Good luck diving down there in 3m waves with all the lines tangled around your arms and legs. Not what I would want to do.

[TOT]

With due respect Paul hinted he was unsure in July and now here we are telling him he made a bad choice, where was everyone back in July....

[monte]

Sorry, I assumed a 450 owner would chime in as I wasn't sure if its the same setup as our 380 and 400

[roetter]

I have no problem with the raft under the deck near the dinghy. It should be simple to attach deployment lines that go from the aft railing over the raft, down behind it and them attach to the raft cross bar nearest to the dinghy. Once you cut the securing lines, a tug on the deployment lines will catapult it backwards and into the water. The pull cord will keep it attached to the boat.

I have a 450.


Rolf

[PaulinOz]

I must be thick or something the two times I had the raft under the boat on the platform I could not find a way to do the two things required in a manner that I thought was acceptable.

1: Attach the life raft so as it would not move around even if a following wave came over it. Remember the only way to see the raft is still even there is to view from behind or the boarding steps.

2: Be able to detach and launch it when conditions are one can only imagine not that pleasant, in the easiest possible manner.

If you think about these two ideas they are mutually exclusive one is to hold it in place and not let the raft move around or fall overboard, the other is to allow the raft to go overboard as easy as possible when required.

I understand your concerns with what I have done and will happily change it once I can see a way to do it. Would like to see some photo's of the setup on a L450 have scoured the interweb but when a picture shows the area of interest it is not of a resolution to be able to zoom in and see the detail. I also own an L421 and that is different in that the life raft pocket is totally enclosed on 5 sides so the attachment only needs to hold it in and the life raft can be seen from the transom looking down and easily launched.

2 weeks to moving on board full time, then we will see if this 30 year plus dream is a reality or a nightmare. Plan to spend 8 weeks in and around Brisbane / Sunshine Coast / Gold Coast. Then head south to Sydney for New Years eve on the Harbor (Yes Bucket list). Then 2015 will be a leisurely cruise of the East coast of Australia and see where that takes us. The plan is there is no plan.

Moor R&R Lagoon 450
Another well hidden shady deal | Moor R&R

[TOT]

Hi Paul
This shot is from a friends 450 as mine is still sitting inside the saloon, hope it helps.

[iliohale]

Any 450 owners that have updated photos of how you installed your life raft in the aft bracket would be sincerely appreciated. I about to order my raft and trying to figure out the best way to secure it but then be able to easily deploy it.

Thanks,