If you can bear to read the thread over the last week on Scuttlebutt on the subject you might come to the conclusion that whatever you buy is a waste of money as there are no cases of a MOBO needing a raft in UK waters (or on a UK registered leisure vessel) in the last 12 years - and very few yachts. (The situation for commercial fishing vessels is rather different as the MAIB reports will show).

On what little evidence there is the most basic of the new breed of raft at c Ł600 for a 6 man will perform just as well as any others.

To get to this conclusion you have to read the Marine Accident Investigation Branch reports and the same from the Irish equivalent MCIB all available on their websites. Make sobering reading.

Don't want to get into a long winded exchange as this has already taken place twice in the last 3 months or so on Scuttlebutt with now well over 450 posts reflecting all shades of opinion, 130 of which are on about page 9 of the current threads.