Dynamic Lifeboat - What Are the Options?

[Allmodcams]

I know this is an often controversial debate amongst cruisers. But I really like the idea of an “dynamic lifeboat”. Obviously this is most suited to a coastal environment. Except maybe for Steve Calahans Clam (out of production). There is also the Portland Pudgy and home made versions of such a craft. But what are the other options if any? This is such a niche that maybe the only conclusion is in the world of EPIRBS and Ribs there really isn’t?

[ItDepends]

As you say yourself, "in the world of EPIRBs", nobody drifts for months at sea waiting for rescue.

Stop reading 40 year old sailing books and get with the 21st century program.

I had a Portland Pudgy, and it is a great little dinghy. But if you think you are going to sail it 250 miles in the open ocean in the 100 hours it will take an eprib triggered rescue to get to you, you are totally kidding yourself.

[belizesailor]

I used to own a Tinker. Cool little boats that can can and in theory be a life raft too. They are no longer in production, but there is an owner's group in the UK.

https://www.tinkerowners.org.uk/index.html

We named our Tinker "FUGLY" because Tinkers are not known for their lovely lines and ours was getting a bit old and worn too.

A decedent of the Tinker is the DinghyGo. An inflatable sailing dinghy, but not designed as a liferaft also (as the Tinker was).

https://www.dinghygo.com/

[belizesailor]

Re getting in sync with the 21st century. You should also take your sailing plans into consideration. There are still places in the world where there are no resources to respond to your EPIRB signal.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Re getting in sync with the 21st century. You should also take your sailing plans into consideration. There are still places in the world where there are no resources to respond to your EPIRB signal.

So don’t sail there. GMDSS which has worldwide signatories is designed to get a ship to you within three days.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

So don’t sail there. GMDSS which has worldwide signatories is designed to get a ship to you within three days.

Oh, that's not helpful...3 days!
Ha
Boatyarddog

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Oh, that's not helpful...3 days!

Ha

Boatyarddog

Yes so modern life rafts are designed around that assumption

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Re getting in sync with the 21st century. You should also take your sailing plans into consideration. There are still places in the world where there are no resources to respond to your EPIRB signal.

Where, exactly, would those places be? Aside from the very high latitudes in winter, where this discussion is irrelevant.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Where, exactly, would those places be? Aside from the very high latitudes in winter, where this discussion is irrelevant.

Anywhere ,anytime, the weather is not cooperating.
Your NOT going to get the help you need.
End of discussion.
Boatyarddog

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

Anywhere ,anytime, the weather is not cooperating.
Your NOT going to get the help you need.
End of discussion.
Boatyarddog

I've personally flown out in some of the worst possible weather to rescue folks, and I have several close friends who have literally flown into hurricanes for rescues. Based on 20 years of first hand experience with this, I'm curios to hear about your personal experience where:
a. The weather was so bad you couldn't be rescued but,
b. The weather wasn't so bad that you could remain upright and inside a Pudgy or equivalent and row or sail it to your own rescue (the topic of this thread, btw)?

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Where, exactly, would those places be? Aside from the very high latitudes in winter, where this discussion is irrelevant.

Originally Posted by redneckrob

I've personally flown out in some of the worst possible weather to rescue folks, and I have several close friends who have literally flown into hurricanes for rescues. Based on 20 years of first hand experience with this, I'm curios to hear about your personal experience where:
a. The weather was so bad you couldn't be rescued but,
b. The weather wasn't so bad that you could remain upright and inside a Pudgy or equivalent and row or sail it to your own rescue (the topic of this thread, btw)?

I don't sail the Oceans, I have no interest in that.
I'm an inland sailor.

You know the conditions I'm talking about.
The ones where it's not safe for air rescues.
Better you tell me your limitations, right!

Or you saying you don't have any?
Boatyarddog

[SteveSadler]

Most inflatables could be used as a liferaft if a ditchbag with all the equipment and supplies were included. The issue would be to get it in the water and safely get in it in stormy conditions. It's hard enough at an anchorage with any chop. Jerking at the painter would make it difficult. More likely I'd leave it on a long painter and swim to it after the boat sinks, probably to find it upside down, requiring some well practiced skills to right it and get in without fins on in wet foulies. A knife to cut the 3/4" dockline I'd use for a painter would likely be needed too.
Or I could just pull the inflater cord on the transom, dive into, or swim into the self righting raft that already has everything I need in it.

[hpeer]

Well this should stir some comments.

There have been long threads about the usefulness of life rafts and at least one very experienced sailor has made a good case against them.

I have been leaning in a different direction, towards survival suits or dry suites. It is a phased pproach.

I sometimes sail in cold waters, some very cold. I don't do cold well. I have cold weather work suits, overalls, rated as a PDF. And I have a Gumby and a dry suit.

As things deteriorate you need to keep going to manage the boat. This will likely expose you to cold water and wind. The cold weather immersion suits do a good job of eating you warm while providing buoyancy, they will extend your survival a time in the wter some hours. But the main thing is to keep managing the boat in adverse conditions.

This April I saw my Wife experience near hypothermia on the Delaware Bay, dry and in the cockpit. I have experienced mild hypothermia in the Caribbean; I was exhausted, had 2 rum punch, and got caught in the dink in a cold downpour. It was debilitating and took some hours to recover. The point is even without going overboard you need to take are of yourself to take care of the boat. These worksuits are really well adapted for that role.

In a too high percentage of cases the life raft has failed in some manner. Sometimes they do not inflate, or they are holed in deployment, or the painter breaks and they zip away. While I have no hard numbers those I trust imply they are only about 50% successfully deployed.
Then you have to get I to the damn thing which by all accounts is very difficult ultimately in controlled circumstances. If someone has better numbers I would like to hear them.

In short, even carrying a in date inspected life raft there is a fair possibility it will not work as you imagine.

My alternative is to use a Gumby or dry suit, neither are perfect The dry suit requires someone to help me put it on, the Gumby makes you pretty immobile. But you will survive even in cold water a fair amount of time. And you have a much higher chance of actually having it perform its intended purpose. I suppose a Gumby over a immersion work suit would be pretty good if you can float face up.

Here in the Carib I have a Gumby for my wife and wet suits + PFD for myself.

Hopefully we never use any of this stuff.