Life Raft savings

[Bob]

I just read an interesting letter in my recent Practical Sailor about liferafts. The sender mentions that "marine" liferafts are considerably more expensive than "aviation" liferafts. He lists 2 websites to compare. He also mentions aviation liferafts are listed as "TSO'd" & NON-TSO'd. The difference is the TSO'd have submitted paperwork to FAA for commercial use, but construction is the same. But in some cases he mentioned the cost is 30-35% less for "aviation" models than comparable "marine" models.www.survivalproductsinc.comwww.aircraftspruce.comIts worth a look if you're considering a purchase.Bob F

 

[Chuck Wayne]

aircraft liferafts

Careful!!! aircraft liferafts are made for a very different environment than marine rafts, and are lighter because weight is critical in a plane-and usually a search starts quickly when a plane goes down-and in a more confined area. survival products has refused to let it's rafts be tested, and has been reported to be unresponsive to queries. think about what you want to have to step up into if you lose your boat-if you don't want to spend the $$, look at some of the less expensive coastal rafts on the market-but use the right tool for the job. You might also read steve callahan's 76 days afloat (someone's got my copy, that may not be the exact title) to get an idea of what a raft needs to take