Liferaft advice please!

[Exiles]

Hi All,

Thanks for all your amazing answers to my “How can I stop my boat from sinking?” post. I have a follow up questions now about safety equipment since I am going to buy a liferaft this month.

On my previous transatlantic crossings I used various types of liferafts, but due to the higher latitude environment I am looking for a liferaft that is more robust can take heavy weather, protect from exposure and comes with or can be packaged with survival suits.

I look forward to your suggestions!!!!

Please check out our remote voyage we would like your feed back at

Northwest passage on a shoestring

Thanks

[sailingdog]

You don't package the survival suits with the liferaft. You have the survival suits on the boat so you can get into them just before you deploy the liferaft. If you aren't in one when you hit the water, you'll never be able to get into the liferaft...hypothermia or shock will kill you long before you make it.

As one of the posters in your thread on making the boat unsinkable said, if you're going to do this--man up and don't carry an EPIRB. Just because you want to do this, doesn't give you the right to put the SAR people at risk if you screw up. If you're expecting to get rescued on a Northwest Passage attempt.... forget all about it. IMHO, that's not fair to the SAR people or the taxpayers.

Dom Mee, Abby Sunderland, Ken Barnes, and a lot of other adventure seekers have carried an EPIRB and gotten into trouble and had to get rescued at great risk to their rescuers and cost to the taxpayers, yet didn't have to pay a penny for their foolishness.

[Exiles]

Love the EPIRB argument so badly thoughout! On my first few transatlantics I met people with similar stances.

First of all if I hit the water up there I am going to be dead an hour or so if even. So dont bother searching!

Secondly if I dont set off my EPIRB my parents or some friend or villager from where we last were id going to call SAR even if it is against my wishes and spend even more time and money and risk looking for us because they done know where we are. at least with an EPIRB everything can be laid to rest quickly.

Well thoughtout mate!!!

[Minnewaska]

This is feeling troll-like. I think the point being made is that your questions themselves suggest you are not prepared or experienced enough to make this trip. Your family can't be worried unless you go in the first place.