Magnum
regular
Reged: 14/01/2004
Posts: 1802
Loc: Switzerland
|
|
It's a bit strange asking if a liferaft is any good. Hopefully most of you won't know.
However, I want to buy a 6 man valise and am looking at the Avon range.
Why a valise? The only place for a canister raft is up on the roof but I don't fancy that. Also there's this nice accessible storage area designed for liferafts in the cockpit (forward cupboard with door to right of table).
Dimensions of the cupboard are 81cm(w)x26cm(h)x49.5cm(d). On longer passages the valise could be left out in the open cockpit and secured to the table leg so as to offer emergency release should the worst happen quickly.
The Modula range is light but very expensive. I'm not too concerned about the price providing I'm getting something for the outlay but can't see where the value is compared to the Ocean range. Here's a comparison of cost (just Google'd) for the 6-man valise.
Modula £1849
Coastline £1075
Ocean £1302
I'd appreciate the panel's view on each of these.
|
Jon1M
regular
Reged: 16/05/2005
Posts: 113
Loc: Southampton
|
|
We have had a couple of customers with the modular system and whilst small and light the service costs are horendous, a valise needs an annual service, a canister is usually three year intervals, a service is arround £200 per year for a 'normal' £450 for a modular, Canister is only arround £250 every third year, makes a big differece. See if you can not find a home for a cannister (tender garage?)put it in the cockpit when on trips and save a small fortune!
--------------------
Having fun out on the water!www.mendezmarine.co.uk
|
Hurricane
regular
Reged: 11/11/2005
Posts: 1525
Loc: Torquay
|
|
Magnum
Maybe Jimmy_the_Builder will post here.
I was impressed with the brand new raft he bought for his P42.
I cant remember how many people it took but it was VERY cheap and I'm sure it would have fitted in that locker.
I think he paid about £500 for it and it didnt need servicing for 3 years.
I've just spent over that for a service on our Zodiac canister liferaft.
IMHO just buy the cheap one, throw it away after 3 years and but a new one.
Jimmy?????
|
Tranona
regular
Reged: 10/11/2007
Posts: 1078
|
|
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 £600 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.
|
MapisM
regular
Reged: 11/03/2002
Posts: 2687
Loc: Italy
|
|
I don't disagree, but I guess he might have some requirements driven by the boat registration, in order to avoid potential legal/insurance troubles.
Afaik, this applies frinstance to boats registered in Italy, France and Spain.
Dunno about Cayman Islands though.
|
jimmy_the_builder
regular
Reged: 07/09/2005
Posts: 937
Loc: Brighton/Gosport
|
|
Evening all
I bought one of these on the basis that it was cheap and has a three year service interval. At this price you can just chuck it away after three years and buy another one.
Cheers
Jimmy
--------------------
Trick or Treat?
|
DougH
regular
Reged: 03/01/2007
Posts: 114
Loc: Essex
|
|
Mark,
As mentioned to you previously I have ordered a new Sunseeker Manhattan 60 and also needed to purchase new liferafts like you.
I have gone for a 8 person Canister and a 4 person Valise working on the basis that I can deploy the 4 man raft if there is only 2 of us on board and the canister for 4 persons and above.
Also like you price is not the major consideration but I do tend to ask why a product is so cheap (possibly lacking in quality?) as well as why is it so much more in price than others (overpriced?)
In the end I went for Avon Ocean liferafts because of good design and quality in manufacture as well as good servicing agents thoughout the Med.
Not saying the cheaper makes/models are rubbish just that they did not appear to be to the same quality as Avon.
Sad thing is that they are made in France by Zodiac who own then rather than in the UK.
|
Hurricane
regular
Reged: 11/11/2005
Posts: 1525
Loc: Torquay
|
|
Quote:
Sad thing is that they are made in France by Zodiac who own then rather than in the UK.
Nothing wrong with the quality of the Zodiac rafts - just the French???
We have a Zodiac raft that we bought second hand three years ago.
Just had it serviced.
We went to one of the Ocean Safety Open Days.
They open your life raft for you and inflate it so that you can climb in and see that it was actually a life raft that you bought and not just a "blow up doll"!!!.
Great experience - then they took it away for servicing.
However the service needed lots of new stuff (flares etc) so the cost rose to about £500 for the service - Jimmy's cheap one seems the way to go.
|
MapisM
regular
Reged: 11/03/2002
Posts: 2687
Loc: Italy
|
|
Quote:
I have gone for a 8 person Canister and a 4 person Valise working on the basis that I can deploy the 4 man raft if there is only 2 of us on board and the canister for 4 persons and above.
I'd rather try to install both in such way that deploying either is feasible even by one person alone, if your concerns are due to the weight of the canister.
And I'd rather deploy the bigger one even with only 2 persons on board.
It wouldn't be much of a saving, to leave it sinking together with the boat, anyway...
|
DougH
regular
Reged: 03/01/2007
Posts: 114
Loc: Essex
|
|
Nothing wrong with the quality of the Zodiac rafts - just the French???
Hurricane ,
I never said that there is anything wrong with Zodiac products, after all that is who is manufacturing the Avon product. I was just lamenting at the loss of British manufacturers.
Mapism,
I took advice from several liferaft manufacturers and they all said that 2 people in a 8 man liferaft would be dangerous as in a heavy sea without the correct ballast (people) there would be a big risk of the liferaft overturning.
I am not an expert so took their advice but would say that if we had to deploy the liferaft in earnest the last worry I would have is what I have left on the stricken vessel.
My family and friends come first, S*D the boat thats insured.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
