bajagirl,
You might find some helpful info here:
Switlik Search & Rescue Life Raft
The most desirable raft is one mounted on deck in a fiberglas canister and it is held down by metal bands that have a hydrostatic release. The hydrostatic release is designed to operate at 15' submergence. It has a plunger button on it's face which can be slapped in, usually with a kick from your foot, that will release the raft from it's cradle to be thrown overboard manually. (I know this isn't in your storyline) There is a lanyard that is secured to a padeye on deck that, as the vessel sinks, is pulled out of the raft and, when tensioned, inflates the raft. The lanyard, where it secures to the padeye, has a breakaway link that is sufficient to pull out the lanyard to inflate the raft but will part before the raft is dragged under by the sinking vessel. These rafts also come alternatively stowed in a valise for below decks stowage. To launch either manually you secure the lanyard on deck and then push the raft over the side. Once overboard you pull on the lanyard until all slack is out of it and then give a good yank to inflate.
The raft has ballast pockets on the bottom that capture seawater within them and help to keep it upright. The raft can inflate in any position but will usually inflate upright. Once the ballast pockets have filled it will usually stay upright. There is a lifeline of polypropylene
line that circles the raft for swimmers to grab ahold of. Polypropylene is used as it floats in salt water. Also on the outside of the raft, on the bottom, are foot straps that you can place your feet in and grab the lifeline to turn the raft upright if it is inverted. At the entrance to the raft is a nylon webbed boarding
ladder that hangs down into the water so you can climb up and in the raft. You would not be able to do so without it.
What may be preloaded into the raft will vary with the vessel and the nature of her voyage. For an idea of what the USCG requires you can read here:
Life Raft
There generally is a water-making kit as well as signalling gear. Offshore rafts would likely have provisions consisting of mylar bagged water, condensed milk, and hard tack biscuits. There will be a hand operated
pump very similar to the portable hand bilge
pumps you'll see in the sailnet store. There will be a knife on a lanyard secured near the entrance to the raft and it will be a safety knife in that it is really a sharpened closed hook for cutting
line, not at all like a conventional knife so that no damage can happen to the raft inadvertently.
The raft will be international orange with reflective patches sewn on it top and bottom. Some rafts come equipped with a strobe light atop.
The canopy and the raft itself are kept inflated by buoyancy tubes around the sides and running up the canopy. You can jump onto the canopy of the raft and do it no harm although you may have to enter the water to then enter the door of the raft.
The most common mistake in
liferaft deployment, resulting in disaster, is to not secure the lanyard when deploying the raft. On a boat that is sinking, with a valise type raft, you would secure the lanyard, deploy the raft, and then cut the lanyard at the raft once on board. In a panic, people deploy the raft relying on holding the lanyard by hand. Once they yank on the lanyard and the raft inflates it immediately acquires quite a bit of windage and can pull the lanyard out of the person's hand. Given the amount of wind present when a boat or ship usually goes down the strain can be quite powerful. The crew is then reduced to trying to swim after the raft which is nigh on to impossible while wearing a life jacket. And the raft makes far more leeway than a swimmer does.
For me, I like the story where the lanyard is well secured to the boat and our grateful passengers are watching the last of their yacht slip beneath the waves before they realise that the sinking yacht is pulling the raft down with it! That's why the knife by the door is secured with a lanyard right by the door next to the inflation lanyard and also why the unfamiliar looking device is clearly labelled, "knife"! It's also quite impossible to get all of the water out of one of those rafts and, since there is no solid "floor" to one, it's passenger's bottoms make a low spot in the floor and remain perpetually wet. And everytime you unzip the door you get more water in, too. There are no windows in a raft so you can only see out by opening the door. Once on board, the raft is self-righting if the passengers hook their arms through the webbing that runs around the perimeter of the inside of the raft.
the only other thing I can think to add is that attempts to inflate the raft on board the deck of a boat will result in inflation and probably the propulsion overboard of the persons doing so. The inflation is quite rapid and you're not going to get out of the way in time if it's inflating right next to you.
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