life raft repacking
Jeff Fisher
offer about doing it? What kind of raft, what supplies, general
inspection thoughts ect..
Jeff
s/v Ka Hale Kai
Steve
the whole thread about this topic.
If you go down the thread to Oct. 28, 2001 and you will find a response from
a fellow who, at one time, worked his father raft repack facility. He gives
some basic information on what is involved.
I a private email with him, he told me how to restore the bands on the
canister by salvaging the protion of the band that has the holes punched for
a fracture point.
I plan to do my own and have saved all the information I could find on this
topic. Let me know if you have any problem finding the link.
Steve
s/v Good Intentions
Larry W4CSC
ramifications of do-it-yourself with your insurance company?......
If anything ever happened, wonder if they'd blame YOU and wash their
hands of the matter, leaving you hanging out to dry??
Just food for thought.....
Larry
Steve
load it onboar for an off shore passage, I won't be able to afford their
insurance if they do agree to cover me.
I've never known of an insurance requiring a raft inspection for a
recreational vessel anyway, since it isn't required equipment.
If anyone, surveyor, insurance or USCG tries to make me have my raft
inspected every year, I will take the raft off the boat until I'm headed
offshore.
Steve
s/v Good Intentions
Larry W4CSC
pinch, and you are not a certified shop specializing in these things,
you're exposing yourself to all kinds of litigation, even if it's your
own family you hurt. I hate to think of how the democrats will react
if your kids get hurt, to mention nothing of any passengers going with
you. Please be careful and protect yourself.
I imagine a life raft shop has a heavy insurance cost exposing
themselves to all kinds of litigation if one of their inspected rigs
fails at sea and someone drowns. It, probably, accounts for most of
the cost of the inspection and certification.
Larry
toadmonkey
for the fella whose insurance would increase because of a life raft, I don't
understand that. Mind explaining that one?
TM
--
Toadmonkey: "Now now. Brain popping and world crashing may be hazardous to ones perception of reality.
Very dangerous business that can lead to madness or something worse for some, truth."
Larry W4CSC
wrote:
>In a pinch, who cares? If your boat sinks, the raft is better than nothing. As
>for the fella whose insurance would increase because of a life raft, I don't
>understand that. Mind explaining that one?
>TM
You're not looking far enough ahead as to why it's important.....
Steve has "assets". Most yachtsmen do. The lawsuits will start as
soon as the survivors make shore. If anyone's kin gets killed for any
reason, the litigators will soon find out Steve "packed his own",
making HIM the scapegoat for the lawyers to go after. If his
insurance company has a reason to abandon him, such as being a
do-it-yourselfer raft packer whos raft didn't open properly, or who
lost the food packed inside, or whatever reason.....that leaves HIS
ASS hanging out in the breeze for the lawyers to shoot at, once
passenger 6 is safely back on shore and missing her husband who would
have provided $23,860,282.37 during his lifetime that his widow, and
her attorney, are SURE then can get out of old Steve, because it's ALL
HIS FAULT!
See the picture, yet?
Poor Steve will be selling his boat, cars, trucks, home, wife, kids to
pay the UNINSURED judgement against him....driving him into bankrupcy
because he was too cheap to have a liferaft company, certified by
whoever certifies liferaft companies with HEAVY liability insurance
and lawyers to fight the widow above, when the attornies go after the
PACKERS, instead of Steve who is blameless for the raft's condition
after he gets it properly certified......
See the picture, yet? That's why.......
If all Steve has is an old boat worth $6000 and a 1983 Chevy
van.....THEN he has nothing to worry about. Lawyers know they can't
get blood out of a stone.....(c;
Larry
Peter
"Larry W4CSC" <spami...@knology.net> wrote in message
> because he was too cheap to have a liferaft company, certified by
> whoever certifies liferaft companies with HEAVY liability insurance
> and lawyers
Interestingly I was talking to the proprietor of a liferaft sales/packing
company here in Australia just 2 weeks ago and he said they were now unable
to get insurance at all, including Lloyd's.
Larry W4CSC
Man, I'd be out of that business so fast it would make the sign out
front spin on my way out of the building! I cannot imagine the
exposure packing lifesaving equipment without liability insurance to
cover you from the litigation......
Larry
Steve
have been pulling. That Givens franchised facility comes to mind. I've heard
a few other horror stories about other 'autorized' facilities.
Could have something to do with the way I feel about the life raft industry.
Steve
s/v Good Intentions
Andrew Denman
which service facility? I purchased a new Avon raft in 1999 from Sydney
Inflatables and had it serviced this year(Avon 1st service due 3 years after
initial packing ie Feb 2002) only to find the following;
During the inspection of the
rafts contents, it was noticed that the orange smoke flares were out of date
by some 4 and a half months. This prompted me to look closer and we found
the following discrepancies in addition to the orange smoke flares;
Red hand held flares expired October 2001
Red rocket flares expired December 2001
Sunscreen expired October 2000
Sea sickness tablets expired February 1999!( Before the raft was even
packed)
cyalume sticks expired August 2001
In addition to this the following items were missing from the raft;
1st aid kit
leak stoppers
valve bungs
repair kit
repair kit adhesive.
Another problem emerged with the CO2 cylinder. The cylinder was
manufactured and first filled in May 1995 some 4 years before the raft was
initially packed. It was due for testing in May 2000 and was found to be
below weight and leaking. The manager at Marine Safe advised that the raft
would not have inflated properly.
Sydney Inflatables signed the release certificate and log card as an
authorised Avon life raft service agent which Group Zodiac told me they
weren't.
I have been trying to get an explanation from Group Zodiac Australia on this
(they are the parent company) and after initially doubting my claim, now
wont even answer my queries with regard to warranty etc. They have only
told me that they have stripped Sydney Inflatables of any Zodiac product
dealership and can't help me any further.
BTW, I sent a letter to the editor of cruising helsman magazine to alert any
other people who may have had their raft packed by this bloke in the
interests of safety and they wouldn't even publish it as Sydney Inflatables
advertise with them and other Yaffa magazines!
I guess that if you can be present when you unpack and repack the raft at a
licensed service agent is probably better than packing it yourself.
regards,
Andrew
Steve
there would be fewer people in this debate willing to pay to have their raft
packed by total strangers. "Authorized Facility" don't mean a thing if you
can't hold them or the manufacturer responsible.
I have heard and read about the Givens "Authorized Facility" here in the
states that loaded the raft down with worthless junk and then Givens claimed
they didn't have any connection with this shop. Just authorized them to use
the name. There are other stories, but nothing that I could put a name on.
Your right, that it would be best to be onhand when the unpack and repack is
done and it would be during this process that I would personally check the
dates on anything the went in or came out (verify what the last guy put in
it) of the raft. I think I would also learn how it is done. From what
information that was referenced earlier, I don't see it as anything more
complex than building my own boat (and I've done that a few times).
Thanks again,
Steve
s/v Good Intentions
Peter
"Andrew Denman" <meg...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
news:50zF8.2063$C4.1...@ozemail.com.au...
> Peter,
>
> which service facility?
Marinesafe in Brisbane. The proprietor seemed like a geniune fellow.
The manager at Marine Safe advised that the raft
> would not have inflated properly.
Andrew Denman
Peter Campbell Burns at marinesafe is a good operator. He repacked mine and
I was extremely happy with the service.
Andrew