LIFERAFT INSPECTION
Short of time to get their liferaft professionally serviced, Andy and Julie Pag decide to carry out an inspection themselves
Our Avon eight-person liferaft was last inspected in 2020, and as it came from a charter boat its certification was only valid for one year, rather than a more usual three years. With that in mind, we confidently didn’t put it in for inspection for three years.
Aside from the cost of a professional inspection and certification, sending it off takes time and the delivery can make the whole process add up to more than the cost of buying a used in-date replacement.
Relying on my experience of repacking emergency parachutes, I looked inside to see if I felt confident taking it offshore without a formal certification.
Opening up
I cut through the ribbon bands and peeled off the seam tape that made the hard case watertight. I could see the tape was damaged in places and expected some water ingress.
A bag in a box
The liferaft itself is contained in a large see-through polyethylene bag. It’s completely sealed apart from a hole for the pull cord to pass through. I could see mould and dampness in the box and mould on the liferaft inside the bag. I carefully cut a straight line in the bag so that taping it up later would be easy.
Unfolding
I took photos after opening each fold so I’d have a record to reverse the process. I’d chosen a covered area where I could leave the liferaft for 24 hours without rain or sunlight getting to it. I’d carefully swept the floor before starting so I wouldn’t be introducing any dirt to the repacked raft that could abrade it over time.
Check the cylinder
Throughout, I was careful not to tug on the pull cord, although it was surprisingly long. The CO2 canister is the heaviest part of the raft. I’d originally intended to remove the canister and weigh it. They should have a loaded weight stamped on them and this way you can check they haven’t leaked. However, I noticed this model has a pressure check inspection window on the regulator which was green so I reassured myself with that and didn’t disconnect any of the plumbing.
Blowing it up
Inside the entranceway are two valves, one for each of the rings that make up the hull of the raft. I attached my paddleboard pump which didn’t quite match the fitting so Julie, my wife, kindly held it in place with enough force to make an airtight
