Best Liferaft Accessories UK
Best Liferaft Accessories UK — What to Store Alongside Your Liferaft
A liferaft gets you off a sinking vessel. What keeps you alive in the liferaft until rescue arrives is everything else. Here is what should be stored alongside your liferaft and why.
What Should Be Accessible Alongside a Liferaft?
The grab bag — containing all your survival essentials — should be stored as close to the liferaft as possible. When you abandon ship you take both together. The liferaft is your shelter. The grab bag is your survival kit.
Beyond the grab bag, the items that matter most once you are in a liferaft are:
EPIRB — ideally a Category 1 that activates automatically on water contact. If you cannot get to the EPIRB before abandoning, a PLB on your person serves the same purpose.
SART or AIS SART — guides rescuers to your exact position once search and rescue is underway.
Handheld VHF radio in a waterproof case — for communication once in the liferaft.
Paddle — liferafts include basic paddles. Additional paddles can help manoeuvre away from a sinking vessel or debris.
The Most Overlooked Liferaft Consideration
Most people focus on what goes in the grab bag or what the liferaft contains. The most overlooked consideration is the hydrostatic release unit on the liferaft cradle — the device that automatically releases the liferaft from the vessel when submerged to a depth of 1.5 to 4 metres.
The HRU has its own expiry date separate from the liferaft service interval. Many owners service the liferaft but forget to check the HRU expiry date. If the HRU has expired, the automatic release mechanism will not function in the event the vessel sinks. Check both.
Our Recommended Liferaft Accessories
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Ocean Signal MOB2 AIS
Best Location Device for Liferaft
Activates the moment the lifejacket inflates. Transmits your GPS position to nearby AIS-equipped vessels within 15 seconds. The most important technology addition to any liferaft situation in UK coastal waters.
McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS EPIRB
Best EPIRB for Liferaft — an AIS-equipped EPIRB that alerts both the satellite network and nearby AIS vessels simultaneously gives the fastest possible response. Mount it in a position accessible from the deck and pack it to the liferaft deployment area.
Hansson Ikaros Offshore Flare Pack
The Hansson Offshore Flare Pack is packaged in a waterproof poly bottle which floats and is portable and easy to stow.
This pack contains: 1 x Polybottle. 4 x Red parachute rockets 4 x Red handheld flares. 2 x Orange buoyant smoke.
Hammar H20 Hydrostatic Release Unit for SOLAS Liferafts
Hydrostatic release designed for Commercial Solas/USCG liferafts.
This Hydrostatic Release Unit is designed to release loads from remote positions up to a distance of 100 meters. The Hammar H20 consists of a double looped white rope line, a release mechanism and a red weak link with a green lower thimble. The weak link system has a breaking strength of 1,2 +- 0,4kN.
FAQs
Does a liferaft come equipped with survival supplies?
SOLAS-specification liferafts come with a basic survival pack including water, rations, signalling equipment, first aid, and other essentials. Always check the contents of your specific liferaft against the SOLAS pack list to understand exactly what is inside.
How often should a liferaft be serviced?
Annually at a manufacturer-approved service centre. The service checks the inflation cylinder, the survival pack contents, the fabric integrity, and all other components. Do not skip liferaft servicing.
Always check your liferaft service date, HRU expiry date, and ensure all crew know the location of the liferaft and how to deploy it before every passage. marinesafetyguide.com participates in affiliate programmes including Amazon Associates and may earn a small commission on purchases made through links on this site.
