What do life rafts include?Īll life rafts come equipped with a small amount of survival gear, usually including flashlights, bailers, paddles, drogues, seasickness remedies, a limited amount of water, etc. We strongly suggest that offshore cruisers and coastal boaters, who may find themselves outside the range of immediate rescue, consider the purchase of a life raft. Life rafts are not required for non-commercial vessels, although offshore sail and power boat races may require them. Canisters can be mounted on deck where they will get wet, while valise rafts must be protected from water and stored in a dry location. Life rafts come packed in either a flexible fabric valise or a rigid fiberglass or plastic canister. How Life Rafts Come Packed: Canister versus Valise This is why we suggest that coastal and offshore boaters strongly consider purchase of a life raft. In choppy water or under heavy seas, hard dinghies are very unstable and provide no protection against the elements. Can a hard dinghy be used as a “life boat”? There are four basic types of life rafts: Rescue platforms, coastal life rafts, offshore life rafts and USCG and SOLAS life rafts designed for extreme conditions.
Boaters that operate on larger bodies of water, especially when the water is cold, need greater amounts of protection. For inland boaters, this may require life jackets or an inflatable dinghy. Since boats can and occasionally do sink, boaters need ways to stay afloat until they can be rescued. The life rafts that West Marine sells have capacities from 2–12 persons. Life rafts are inflatable devices that are designed to provide flotation and environmental protection for a small number of persons for a short period of time.
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