What Is a Liferaft and Do You Really Need One?
What Is a Liferaft and Do You Really Need One?
A friend of mine crossed the Atlantic solo in a 27-foot yacht. Halfway across, his boat went down. Someone had given him an out-of-date liferaft — and he needed it. He got in, activated his EPIRB, and got found by a Japanese Cargo ship. He is alive because of those two things, 3 days sat in a one must be horrible but it worked. That story is the only argument I ever need to make about liferafts. He also told me how his sudden love for a lifejacket increased
What Is a Liferaft?
A liferaft is an inflatable emergency shelter designed to keep people alive in the water after abandoning a vessel. It inflates automatically when deployed — either by water activation or by pulling a painter line — and provides protection from exposure, hypothermia, and the sea itself while you wait for rescue. They are not pretty, its definitely function over form!
They are compact when packed, heavy when you pick one up, and absolutely critical when you need one.
How Does a Liferaft Deploy?
The painter line is a rope attached between the liferaft canister and a solid point on the vessel — usually a cleat or dedicated mounting bracket. When you go overboard or abandon ship, you throw the liferaft over the side and the weight of it falling pulls the painter line taut, which triggers the CO2 inflation mechanism similar to that of a self inflating life jacket but obviously much larger. The raft inflates within seconds.
One thing most people do not practise: tying the painter line to the vessel before deployment. In a real emergency this step gets forgotten. Make sure everyone on board — not just the skipper — knows how to deploy the liferaft, where the painter attaches, and what to do if the raft inflates upside down. Because it can, and you need to know how to right it.
I have been in a liferaft during training. Flipping one over and clambering in from the water is genuinely hard work even in a controlled environment. They are compact, uncomfortable, and claustrophobic. Huddling together for warmth is not optional — it is survival. Know that before you ever need to rely on one.
What Size Do You Need?
Liferafts are rated by the number of people they can carry. My straightforward advice: do not buy one rated exactly for your normal crew number.
If your yacht’s capacity is six, buy a six-person raft. Not a four-person raft because you usually only sail with three people. Friends join. Unexpected guests happen. And in an emergency, a six-person raft with four people in it is significantly more survivable than a four-person raft with six people trying to get in.
The capacity is clearly labelled on every liferaft canister. Match it to your maximum possible crew, not your typical crew.
Storing Your Liferaft Properly
Liferafts should be stored on deck in a cradle or bracket — not below decks. If your vessel sinks quickly and the liferaft is locked in a locker below, it goes down with the boat. Stored on deck in a hydrostatic release cradle, it floats free and inflates automatically when it reaches a depth of 1-4 metres even if nobody is conscious to deploy it.
The hydrostatic release unit must be serviced and replaced on its own schedule — check the expiry date separately from the liferaft service date. They are different.
And service the liferaft itself every year without exception. An unserviced liferaft may not inflate when you need it. A liferaft that does not inflate is just a heavy orange bag.
The briefing nobody does:
Every person on board should know where the liferaft is, how to deploy it, and how to board it before you leave the dock. Not the skipper — everyone. It takes five minutes and it might save a life. Make it part of your pre-departure briefing every time.
Where to Buy
I am not able to provide any links to recommendations, sadly. Always check they meet the relevant ISO 9650 standard for your area of operation. For serious offshore passages, buy through an authorised dealer who can advise on specification and handle annual servicing. Do not compromise on this purchase.
Always verify liferaft requirements for your vessel type and area of operation against current MCA guidance at gov.uk/mca. Liferaft servicing must be carried out by an authorised service station.
