[B.Attitude]

I will be buying a life raft during the winter and had a few questions about them.
1.Where do you have them inspected?

2.How often are they required to be inspected?

3.What is the cost for this service.
Thanks ,paulie

 

[MakoMike]

paulie,
All good questions to ask the salesman The time between inspection varies with the raft. There are a number of places up and down the coast that do this. The places that sell rafts usually also service them. Price of inspection varies with the place, but its not cheap.

 

[MakoMatt]

paulie,

1. Inspected, and repacked I think you mean. Would depend I think on which brand you have, the manufacturer does it.

2. I do not believe they are required to be inspected for non-commericial use, but recommendations I think would vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. As an example, I think Switlik recommends every 2 years.

3. I think the cost has a direct relationship with the size of the raft, i.e., 4 man vs. 8 man., different cost. To give you some idea, I think Squeri mentioned he paid $750

 

[captnlp]

right time!

This is the perfect time to buy a raft. I purchased one this past season and I was very happy with the price. I worked out a package deal with VIKING for inspection scedule and price that works. If you are looking for a new or used raft I know of a good person to go to.
When I say used I am refering to a raft that may be rented out to a cruise ship or commercial fleet that is not used however it is not brand new...I bought one that was rented once and saved a good deal of money .
In order for most rafts to stay within warranty they need to be inspected as part of the manufactures schedule.

I purchased a 4 man offshore raft and my experience with this him and his company was excellent. His name is ED HOFF and his cell # is 917-567-4990.

 

[620427]

raft suggestions

if you fish with a 4 man crew,
DO NOT GET A 4 MAN RAFT

there will not be enough room for the 4 fisherman in it.
especially if you are wearing foul weather gear or heavy clothes.

the space provided for a person is less than 2' x 2' in a raft.
draw a box 2x2 on the ground and see if you can fit it in.
now imagine that box is moving up and down with the movement of the sea.

so if you fish a 4 man crew and have one guy over 250 pounds with you, you will only realistically fit 3 people in the raft, then you will have to decided who is going to try and hang on to the outside of the raft.
basically you will be asking for a volunteer to sacrifice their life so the other 3 can survive.

another scenario, you have to use the raft and you have a injured man in yourr 4 man crew. once again you will only get 3 people in the raft.

other considerations,
many of you are looking to save money on your raft purchase, i can undertand that.
realize that there are 2 styles of rafts,
open top and canopy rafts.

open top are fine for calm water situations, but if you are out in rough seas they are pretty useless.
besides getting swamped by large waves, they also expose you to the elements, which for short periods of time can be ok, but if you have to wait for a rescue it will be a big problem.

canopy rafts offer protection from the elements as well as the waves, as the wash over and around the canopy, not filling your raft with sea water ever 10 seconds.

just something to consider.

if you fish a 4 man crew, get a 6 or 8 man raft, otherwise god forbid if you have to use it one day, you will be drawing straws to see who gets to sacrifice their life to save the others.

you will not fit 4 full size grown men into a 4 man life raft in real sea conditions.

 

[MakoMatt]

Meglaodon, draw straws?? No way, the fat guys out, plain and simple.

Seriously though, you bring up some good points, but keep in mind that the raft is a lifesaving device to only be used, God forbid, in an emergency. It's not a comfortable cruise type thing. It's designed to help save your life and if they can fit 20+ guys in a VW Bug, I think you could squeeze 4 men into a 4 man raft. Yes, bigger is better, but there are also other things to consider, i.e., weight, there is a BIG difference between the 4 man and a 6 man and for me and my boat, I don't need that additional weight on the hardtop, which is the only place I could put it, unless of course you get the valise type which I wouldn't recommend. Often times when an event happens that you need these things, it happens very fast and having your raft stowed down below might come back to bite you real good.

Just my $.02

 

[B.Attitude]

I would think in a real emergency that you can get 6 guys in a 4 man raft if you have to.Any way they would fit.

 

[Blue Ayes]

B. Atitude I second Captnlp

"I purchased a 4 man offshore raft and my experience with this him and his company was excellent. His name is ED HOFF and his cell # is 917-567-4990."
I purchased the Viking 4 man Offshore with Canopy and double floor. The researc I did on the subject indicated that the double floor is a big factor in cutting down hypothermia. I fish 3 fat guys so we equal a four man. ha hha Anyway Hoff's the best no tax or shipping.

One last thing, I would wait till the spring to purchase as the recertification packing goes yearly. I purchased in June and can go this season and next season no problem. Good luck

 

[B.Attitude]

Captnlp and blueayes,
thanks for that connection for the raft.I took down Ed's # and will be calling him during the winter.
Thanks everybody for your help.
paulie

 

[620083]

Paulie,

I bought a 10 person life raft by zodiac canister style and had it repact this yearby a company in rhode island. Just to repact it was $250 but I replaced some other things and the total price was $500. It is very much worth the investment. I purchases it new for $4,350.00. Good Luck.