life rafts

[macojoe]

They look the same to me, and in there description they even say they are made of the same stuff.
I think the difference is all the safety equipment, and the hard case the off shore comes in for automatic deploy.

Some rafts also are not Coast Guard approved, and if you are commercial you have to have one that is.

You will be fine with the cheaper one!

[cterrebonne]

thanks mj.

[Steplift 72']

Those coastal rafts I've seen varied from the offshore or commercial models by the number of air chambers in the flotation tubes. Some coastal models have only 1 chamber and 1 flotation tube. There may also be a difference in the ballast chambers. The high quality rafts often have volume of water ballast. I've had 2 rafts, one was found floating and the other was given to me because it was out of date. It turned out there was no local site to refurbish the raft and my kids ended up playing with it behind the house in the boat slip because we were unsure if it worked (it did work perfectly when activated....wished we'd kept it onboard). I've been 140 miles offshore without one, but things like your kids or grandkids onboard make you grow up and have some responsibility.

[Stillrunning]

If you have an epirb what would the GPS be for and you can buy a handheld VHF that has a gps built in to give you location when you hit distress.

[Steplift 72']

Cterrebonne probably has the same advantage we do in SW Louisiana, we're never out of sight of an oil production platform, even 100 miles offshore. I've know several folks that would not have made it back(including the folks that bought my Wellcraft 248), but were picked up from the water by oilfield crewboats. If you can get a message off, help is typically fairly nearby.

[cterrebonne]

Originally Posted by Steplift 72'

Cterrebonne probably has the same advantage we do in SW Louisiana, we're never out of sight of an oil production platform, even 100 miles offshore. I've know several folks that would not have made it back(including the folks that bought my Wellcraft 248), but were picked up from the water by oilfield crewboats. If you can get a message off, help is typically fairly nearby.

samething where i fish, always some vessel in the water. thats why i was thinking i didnt need a major raft.

[Steplift 72']

Originally Posted by cterrebonne

samething where i fish, always some vessel in the water. thats why i was thinking i didnt need a major raft.

For summer months, the cork type liferafts are OK. They have mesh bottoms and are designed so you stay in the water and hang on till help arrives. I carried one on top of my Wellcraft 248's top for a few trips but got tired of the hassle and extra weight.

I always carry an overboard bag with whatever I need for current water temp's, figure I can swim to the nearest production platform. I encourage everyone to carry an overboard bag.

My biggest concern now is sharks! I've never seen so many sharks since the NMFS put limits. We might not last a minute in the water, especially within 10 miles of the LA coast.

[Steplift 72']

Originally Posted by cterrebonne

samething where i fish, always some vessel in the water. thats why i was thinking i didnt need a major raft.

Saw a raft on Craigslist, Wilmington for a few hundred dollars.