tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post8205168507240966450..comments2024-03-14T07:44:10.423+01:00Comments on Dreamtime Sail: Would you trust your life to a 30 year old life raft?Rob and Karen Oberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-36669000278083047372020-10-28T23:56:21.105+01:002020-10-28T23:56:21.105+01:00Don't throw it away or trust your life to it. ...Don't throw it away or trust your life to it. Old Avon hypalon has got be worth something. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17015129601325682353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-75389865645646961432019-02-03T06:10:19.668+01:002019-02-03T06:10:19.668+01:00Hi, The Avon is certainly a quality piece. It soun...Hi, The Avon is certainly a quality piece. It sounds like you've taken a very thorough and sensible approach to your decision to continue the working life of yours. It was with very mixed feelings we disposed of ours. The bottom line is, we hope none of us ever actually has to use one. Cheers!Rob and Karen Oberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-5049880856500720702019-01-12T10:54:09.323+01:002019-01-12T10:54:09.323+01:00We have a 30yr old Avon 6 man raft.
Like you, we ...We have a 30yr old Avon 6 man raft.<br /><br />Like you, we had the choice of test/service or buy new.<br /><br />To cut a long story short, our raft was in perfect condition inside the cannister .. totally dry, crisp and clean.<br /><br />The raft was inflated, bounced on, seams picked at .. nothing was anything other than exactly as it should be.<br /><br />CO2 cannister weighed and release mech checked.<br /><br />New painter, new batteries in everything, new flares (the parachute flares shown on the manifest were actually missing, as was the first aid kit! never trust ANYONE but yourself to pack your safety gear!!) new water, etc.<br /><br />Going back in it's cannister tomorrow, good for another 3 years.<br /><br />We did look at new rafts, but to be honest, the flimsy construction did not fill us with confidence. Teh Avon has a proper, tough, inflatable floor. You do not get that unless you pay very high pricesRszemetihttp://www.facebook.com/robin.szemetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-61117356257184635132019-01-12T10:53:08.508+01:002019-01-12T10:53:08.508+01:00The Winslow is a quality raft, far better than som...The Winslow is a quality raft, far better than some of the cheap rubbish you see today. There is a review of 5 rafts in Yachting world where they took them out, used them and tested them. The Winslow was easily the best. Servise it yourself, then you will know it has been done properly. Never, ever, trust anyone else to pack your life saving gear! Think of it this way: parachutists ALWAYS pack their own parachute ... Rszemetihttp://www.facebook.com/robin.szemetinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-23901800914258422802017-12-24T23:30:18.152+01:002017-12-24T23:30:18.152+01:00Hi Hartley, we also kept all the good stuff out of...Hi Hartley, we also kept all the good stuff out of our old Avon and like you, we were glad we didn't have to be wondering if the seams would fall apart after so long. Cheers!<br />Rob and Karen Oberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-15027542335098571612017-12-24T16:29:56.888+01:002017-12-24T16:29:56.888+01:00Back in '94, we bought a '78 Gulfstar with...Back in '94, we bought a '78 Gulfstar with a CJ Elliot raft on deck. The last inspection date was '82 IIRC. We bought a new raft, but the facility offered to pop the olde one just for fun. To everyone's amazement, it inflated correctly, though it took more force than normal pulling on the rope to pop it. When we inspected it, however, we noted that the contents were in pretty bad shape - a few things were recovered (puncture seals, paddle) the rest went in the waste. There was a quoit assembly and knife holster glued to the side of the top near the entrance - and I discovered that it was very easy to peel the mountings off - I'm thinking the seams of the raft would have been the same, and not trustworthy under stress. <br /> We still have the paddle - it's wood, and looks like a miniature canoe paddle -- perfect as a "board of education" :) (tho it's never been used in anger)S/V Atsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11281701092354991373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-16559743758299659422017-12-02T01:22:52.565+01:002017-12-02T01:22:52.565+01:00That's a dilemma. We would probably get the yo...That's a dilemma. We would probably get the younger/better condition one of the two serviced and ditch the other. Cheers!<br />Rob and Karen Oberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-56550659535429348122017-12-01T15:11:33.708+01:002017-12-01T15:11:33.708+01:00Same here. I got an AVON liferaft, perfectly seale...Same here. I got an AVON liferaft, perfectly sealed, only the pulley looks a little bit old.<br />The AVON is out of service and so is the original life raft on my cat. I can't carry both.ak56https://www.blogger.com/profile/05088738066468718278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-2132833348000551872017-11-11T05:42:05.811+01:002017-11-11T05:42:05.811+01:00We have equipped our boat for blue water so when i...We have equipped our boat for blue water so when it comes to safety equipment we tend to buy the best on the market despite the cost. We both have top quality lifejackets with Personal Locater Beacons and AIS man overboard beacons attached,EPIRB in the cockpit and another inside the liferaft, high strength jacklines and tether lines, MOB retrieval sling, danbouy etc, etc. However, if our cruising was going to be limited to coastal waters we would be more than comfortable with a coastal rated life raft.The man difference that we can see is what they pack inside. Heaven forbid, but if you did have to abandon ship in coastal waters, as long as you have an EPIRB you should be picked up long before you need to use much in the way of additional rations, fishing gear handheld de-salinator etc. Just our thoughts, your safety is always your decision. Cheers!Rob and Karen Oberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-65615674962409596382017-11-10T15:38:51.858+01:002017-11-10T15:38:51.858+01:00The '94 Oceanis 400 I just bought has a Winslo...The '94 Oceanis 400 I just bought has a Winslow 4 person raft with a service due date of September 2015. Winslow said that the service charge could be anything from US$700 to $1400, maybe more, they'd have to get it to price the charge. New they're more than $4,000. I'm a coastal cruiser. Coastal Mariner makes the Crewsaver Coastal Mariner Recreational Liferaft priced at US $1,125 in a hard canister. So, is the Coastal Mariner product something I shouldn't trust? Does anyone know these manufacturers? Or is it that one is offshore, the other coastal? Is it worth refurbishing the Winslow vs buying a new Coastal Mariner?DrDanJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301364051895051399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-80083024783904533542017-11-09T23:59:22.330+01:002017-11-09T23:59:22.330+01:00Marnie, we felt terrible throwing it in the skip b...Marnie, we felt terrible throwing it in the skip because it looked perfect but we're not sure how the bonding of the rubberised chambers would hold up in rough water after so many years. If you do decide to replace it make sure you pop it and get all the contents out. The paddles, bailer etc are far better quality than those supplied in new rafts. Cheers.Rob and Karen Oberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10301516161788915535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4210461039477374674.post-17600066441910603272017-11-09T21:44:59.096+01:002017-11-09T21:44:59.096+01:00I have the exact unit, last serviced in 1998 and a...I have the exact unit, last serviced in 1998 and am of the same mindset, I hate to throw it away but not sure it can be trusted.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13819560268746815050noreply@blogger.com