Life Rafts

[hilbre]

I did a quick search on the forum and nothing came up.
There are all sorts of options for types of life rafts out there however ,given the small amount of deck space, does anyone have suggestions of what storage works best.Canister or valise and how are they stored.
I did see a C36 with a cradle on the foredeck however the Genoa must be high cut to clear the pod.
Any suggestions?
John Meyer
Hilbre - 2135

[LCBrandt]

A life raft is something I have thought about (if I ever do that Hawaii round trip...Ha!), and I have the Mk II's swim platform in mind for it.

[deising]

Our local CG Auxiliary flotilla just had a liferaft demo by Winslow Liferaft Co, and they showed how they can custom pack the rafts for just about any space.

They showed many photos of special packing for lazarettes. There is also a stern rail mount that keeps the raft just outside the cockpit in plain sight ready for use.

Hope that helps.

[Malcolm]

Sorry for the late reply. I have been away for sometime so just saw this as I catch up on posts.

We have a Zodiac Racing Super - MP6 Person liferaft (with canopy) in a valise that fits the port cockpit locker perfectly.

As well as the liferaft, there is room in the locker for a Zodiac 285 rollup dinghy (we store it there until we are in our cruising grounds), a couple of good sized plastic bins, spare lines, sailing boots, boat hooks etc.

The disadvantage is that you do have to lift it out in an emergency - it is positioned so that it come right out without having to move anything, however it weighs about 70lbs. The big advantage is that there is no neat place to put the raft on the deck, as has been mentioned.

[hilbre]

Just wanted to thank everyone who replied, the input was most helpful. I have not yet decided how to handle the life raft but will post a further reply once I have made a decision. Size will be the determining factor and I have yet to make the purchase. At the moment I am thinking of either having some stern metalwork done to store the raft at the stern or placing it in the lazarette.
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135
Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro, CA