50
SVN Solovelanet Global
grab bag and any other necessary equipment is at
hand, ready for use and always in safety.At the same
time we need to make sure that our crew is aware of
the plan and of their tasks, and that everyone knows
how to use the safety equipment.With reference to
point 3, the most experienced crew member might
not be able, so everyone will have to know our plan
and how to put it into practice.
Rigid container or soft valise?
Liferafts available on the market come either with
a rigid container, usually made of plastic or fibre-
glass/carbon, or with a soft bag.In both cases, the
liferaft inside is folded and contained, for additio-
nal protection against the elements, in a vacuum-
sealed plastic casing that breaks under inflation
pressure.
.
Rigid Container
These liferafts are designed to be placed outside: on
the coachroof, aft or on the pushpit.
The rigid canister is usually composed of two hard
half-shells closed together through plastic tapes,
which protect the contents from impacts and sharp
objects.This container is not watertight but the con
-
tents, as mentioned, are packaged in order to pre-
vent contact with water.
PROS
.
Easy access
.
Protected contents
.
Can be used with a Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU)
PROS
.
More likely to be stolen or swept overboard
.
More expensive
.
Vulnerable to damage from elements
.
Valise
These liferafts must be stored in a dedicated locker.
A valise should never be tied on deck or buried be-
neath sails, fenders and ropes at the bottom of a lo-
cker.
We need to make sure that it is always immediately
available.
PROS
.
Less expensive
.
Easier to handle thanks to its grips, and lighter
than rigid containers
.
Less likely to be swept overboard
A really poor
fastening. Al-
though the knife
is there to cut
the ropes, the
operation will be
long, cumberso-
me and above all
useless. There
are faster and
more efficient
ways to secure
a liferaft as you
can see in these
pages. The inex-
plicable thing is
that this system
is proposed by
an extreme sai-
ling school. Here
on the right, a
great solution
for the RM1070
fast cruiser,
for excellent
accessibility and
ease of launch.
Its only flaw:
the continuous
exposure to
water. Below, the
system propo-
sed by Cantiere
del Pardo on one
of their boats. A
dedicated locker
with the floor at
cockpit level, so
that the liferaft
does not have
to be raised. All
you have to do is
push it up to the
stern and then
launch it
NO
YES
YES
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