I have been pondering a liferaft for awhile. Actually I have been pondering just about every SHTP upgrade for several months now but the beauty of a liferaft is you just get one and you're done. Other than than writing a check and watching your money disappear, it is the easiest ponder on the list.
But I refuse to accept easyness. The accountant in me wants to calculate the pluses and minuses of renting vs buying. I found a 4 pers Viking Rescyou Pro liferaft with the required approvals and pyrotechnics for $3000 delivered. If I compare than to a rental from Sals which is $300 a week with discounts for longer term, say $1000 for the trip to Hawaii and back. I figure if I buy in May I can squeeze out two SHTPs and one Longpac before recert thus saving $2300 before I have to pay to recertify. I spend $1000 to recertify and sell the raft for $2000 (f I wanted to) and wind up $300 to the good and I don't have to keep schlepping the raft back to Sals every time I rent. Not only that I have a liferaft aboard the rest of the time I am sailing. And... since I bought it, I gotta financial incentive to keep doing these damn races.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
BTW I get a laugh out of the marketing. "our raft has a copious 4 square feet of space for every survivor" Four square feet is the size of the floor of my home refrigerator. Two heads would be snug, four heads and a day or two after boarding the raft, someone is going bye bye. Good thing we are singlehanders!