PBO/RNLI liferaft test videos

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Prices of liferafts range from £500 to more than £2,000. Will the cheap ones costing under £560 suit your type of sailing as well as your pocket? Pat Manley and a team of PBO readers tested them in the RNLI survival training pool to find out.

These videos let you see them in action, but do read the full report in PBO May, which is out on the bookstalls on 5th April.

Thanks to the RNLI for use of footage and their Sea Survival pool - www.rnli.co.uk

PLASTIMAR LIFERAFT 4-MAN VALISE £499
As you can see it was a bit tippy when the first crewman got in and needed a person to act as a counter weight on the other side.

XM 4-MAN VALISE £555
A well made raft with an automatic light but unfortunately the one we tried did not inflate fully (click here to see this happening) but the manufacturers have addressed the problem and supplied an answer, which is printed in the article.

SEAGO LIFERAFT 4-MAN VALISE £499
This is another well-made, stable liferaft with an excellent handhold system to help you get on board.

VIDEO WITH WAVES
The testers had to right the rafts, get everyone onboard, cut the painter, paddle away from the stricken craft, deploy the sea anchor, sort out the kit and maintain a safety routine. The RNLI sea survival pool is used to train lifeboat crews and the waves and a fire hose sprayed over the raft added a touch of realism.

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