Eastern Arrow life raft

[JohnCranston]

I just bought a 4-5 man raft on ebay $510 $24 shipping...did I screw up?...it's the rum's fault...
Good night.
John.

[Bob H.]

John, check the repack date, most are good for only 2-3 years, haven't heard of arrow , I'm in the process of shopping
For a raft myself, Brew mentioned landfall marine in Ct. For safety gear. Ramp type entry is far better than rope ladder
For easy access, chances are it will be nasty "if" you ever need it. My 2 cents..BH

[Tony Meola]

I did a lot of searching. A lot of good rafts out there. No matter which way I went, it coming up winslow. Problem with winslow is you can't use them if you charter.

These people are really good to go through also.

http://www.seasafety.com/aboutus.html

[Dug]

Bob, call Life Raft and Survival in Bristol, RI. Ask for Brian Flowers. Tell him I sent you.

I had a Switlik and it lasted 23 years.

I replaced it with another switlik. Cannot beat a lifespan like that.

Seriously, call Brian at LRSE. www.lrse.com

Dug

[JohnV8r]

Tony,

Nice choice. Winslow has been consistently rated the best life raft in the independent testing I have seen over the last ten years that I've been paying attention. I remember being shocked at the Powerboat Reports (now just Practical Sailor) independent test results around '04. Some of the biggest names in life rafts did not score well at all. Winslow was the #1 rated raft in that test and every test I've seen them in since.

A friend of mine who is a Commander in the Coast Guard once told me that the number one reason for life raft deployment in powerboats on the West Coast was fire. He also told me one of the reasons boats with engine room fire extinguishing systems stay on fire is from secondary electrical fires caused after a fire has compromised wire insulation. He recommended immediate deployment of a life raft in the event of a fire even if it appears the fire has been subdued due to the possibility of a secondary fire ignition source.

That has always stuck with me because it scared the bejesus out of me to think about being up on the helm calling for help and losing all DC power while a second fire broke out. Knocking on wood as I type.