Life Rafts

[Warriors Wish]

Recently received the new check list and saw what I believe to be a typo on the certification date for life rafts. I assume it is meant to read "The certificate shall be dated no earlier than August 2007." Since my NEW (last year)Avon is dated May 2007 I set about inquiring as to the cost ($400 plus shipping)for a new certification. The standard question I got was why I was recertifying so early. Avons standard is 3 years and nothing inside the case would have expired. Can anyone answer why this race requires the yearly certification? Just curious.

[Alchera]

Avons standard is 3 years and nothing inside the case would have expired. Can anyone answer why this race requires the yearly certification? Just curious.

The requirements:
'When a manufacturer so specifies, a raft may be externally inspected [i.e., not unpacked] and certificated annually by a manufacturer's agent. The certificate shall be dated no earlier than August 3, 2007.'

I believe this is meant to allow new rafts like yours, where the manufacturer has stated repacking is not necessary within a certain number of years, to be visually inspected by an authorized agent. If you can find a local repacker, seems it would be fairly easy just to take it down and have them do the visual inspection, and issue a new certification. But that's only my interpretation, you should check with the RC.

The visual check is necessary to make sure the raft hasn't been dropped, submerged, or otherwise damaged that would make the fact that it is new irrelevant.

- Mark

[John Hayward]

Hi All,

I just received my liferaft back from Winslow. It was in need of servicing, since it's three year life expired last March, so no question there. $1200 when all was said and done. I had them issue a Certificate of Compliance for ORC which they did. Said certificate states that the next inspection due date is 3/2011 (service). Does this mean that this certificate dated 3/2008 would not be valid for the race in 2010 even though the next inspection date is 2011? If Winslow does not have any provision for an annual "visual inspection" will I need to spend another $1200 to send it back to Winslow??? I try to be pretty flexible about complying with the rules, but this would probably cause me "great annoyance and displeasure."

If this rule holds as is and anybody figures out how to get a "certificate" for a life raft that is over a year past certification, but well inside the 3 year service cycle, I would appreciate hearing about it here or off-line.

Thanks,
John H
Dream Chaser

[Alchera]

Hi All,

I just received my liferaft back from Winslow. It was in need of servicing, since it's three year life expired last March, so no question there. $1200 when all was said and done. I had them issue a Certificate of Compliance for ORC which they did. Said certificate states that the next inspection due date is 3/2011 (service). Does this mean that this certificate dated 3/2008 would not be valid for the race in 2010 even though the next inspection date is 2011? If Winslow does not have any provision for an annual "visual inspection" will I need to spend another $1200 to send it back to Winslow???

My reading of the ORC regulations on liferafts is that they require recertification 2 years, not three, after the first service. (I'm assuming you have a ISAF raft in a hard canister.) So I'm surprised that Winslow gave you a three year certificate.

I'm no expert on liferaft certifications, but my interpretation of the ORC regulations are that 1) Liferafts in soft valises must be recertified every year, period. 2) Liferafts in hard canisters built to ORC specs must annually be repacked or can be visually inspected depending on the factory guidelines. 3) Liferafts in hard canisters built to ISAF specs can be recertified 3 years after initial commissioning, two years after that, and then annually from then on.

I think you could probably make a case to the SSS RC to waive the annual certification if you could prove you were in compliance with ORC category 1 regulations. But since I think ORC requires you to recertify at 3/2010, not 2011, I think you're still going to need to recertify for 2010!

2008 ORC Special Regulations for category 1 races:

4.20.5 Liferaft Servicing and Inspection
IMPORTANT NOTICE Recent evidence has shown that packaged
liferafts are vulnerable to serious damage when dropped (eg from a
boat onto a marina pontoon) or when subjected to the weight of a crew
member or heavy object (eg an anchor). Damage can be caused
internally by the weight of the heavy steel CO2 bottle abrading or
splitting neighbouring layers of buoyancy tube material. ISAF has
instituted an investigation into this effect and as an interim measure
requires that every valise-packed liferaft shall have an annual
certificate of servicing. A liferaft should be taken for servicing if there is
any sign of damage or deterioration (including on the underside of the
pack). Persons in charge should insist on great care in handling
liferafts and apply the rules NO STEP and DO NOT DROP UNLESS
LAUNCHING INTO THE SEA.
a) Certificates or copies, of servicing and/or inspection shall be kept
on board the yacht. Every SOLAS liferaft and every valise-packed
liferaft shall have a valid annual certificate of new or serviced status
from the manufacturer or his approved service station.
b) A liferaft built to OSR Appendix A part I ("ORC") packed in a rigid
container or canister shall either be serviced annually or may, when
the manufacturer so specifies, be inspected annually (not
necessarily unpacked) provided the yacht has on board written
confirmation from the manufacturer's approved service station
stating that the inspection was satisfactory.
c) A liferaft built to OSR Appendix A part II ("ISAF") packed in a rigid
container or canister shall either be serviced annually or may, when
the manufacturer so specifies, have its first service no longer than 3
years after commissioning and its second service no longer than 2
years after the first. Subsequent servicves shall be at intervals of
not more than 12 months.
d) Liferaft servicing certificates shall state the specification that the
liferaft was built to. See OSR 4.20.2

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documen...[4340].pdf

- Mark

[John Hayward]

Hi Mark,

Very interesting!

You're obviously more of an expert than I am as far as the regs go, but Winslow did ship back a fancy Certificate of Compliance, Offshore Racing Council, Category 1,2,3,4 with a Next Inspection Due Date 3/2011 (service). Perhaps I need to call Winslow again and run this whole issue by them? One would hope that they are up on all the regs?

John H

[Ergo]

I submitted a post a couple of months ago regarding the economics of buying vs. renting a life raft for the race. I can't find it and don't want to reconstruct it. But, the short version is that buying a raft dosen't make sense unless you're going cruising after the race.

The cost of an annual inspection (about $400) is about the same as renting for a month. It sounds like the three-year inspection schedule costs as much as three annual inspections. The fact that the co2 canister has to be replaced about every five years jacks the cost up even more. I'm mentioning this again because the boat show is next week and some folks may be thinking about buying a life raft for the race. My advice - rent don't buy.

Bill Merrick