Preparing your liferaft for service

Start with the raft you have aboard

An overall photograph gives the station a useful first view, but the identification label provides the detail. Take a closer photograph with the lettering in focus so the manufacturer, model, serial number and carrying capacity can be read. Include the emergency-pack description where it appears.

The serial number is especially useful when several containers look alike. Keeping each raft’s photographs together under a reference such as “port forward” helps the station follow the information without confusing one unit with another. Record that reference in your enquiry rather than covering or altering the equipment’s markings.

These details also help establish where the raft can be serviced. Authorisation can be specific to the manufacturer and model, as the US Coast Guard’s servicing directory explains. Before arranging delivery, have the station confirm that it handles your particular equipment.

Bring the service history together

The latest service certificate connects the raft aboard with its previous workshop visit. Compare its serial number with the photographed label, then send the complete document, including any accompanying pages.

Previous repairs, accidental inflation or suspected water entry are useful parts of that history too. Explain what you know and when it happened. If the raft came with a second-hand boat and the records are incomplete, say which documents are missing; the identification details give the station a starting point for investigating.

If you are unsure which date on the label matters, the service due dates guide explains the difference between manufacture, previous service and next-service dates.

Photograph the installation before removal

A photograph of the raft in its normal position shows more than the container alone. Include the cradle or mounting bracket, securing arrangement and hydrostatic release unit, where fitted. The hydrostatic release is the device intended to release the container from its securing arrangement if the vessel sinks.

This is also the time to photograph visible damage: a crack, broken seal, worn carrying bag or damaged fitting. Leave the container closed so the station can assess it through the appropriate servicing procedure.

For larger vessels, explain whether the raft is thrown overboard or lowered using a davit, and identify its stowage position. These details belong with the equipment record and help the people handling its removal and return understand the installation.

Plan around the date you need it back

The useful deadline is the date the raft must be back aboard, ready for the vessel’s plans. Give the station your earliest possible handover date alongside the next departure, charter or survey.

There is no single turnaround time that applies to every station and raft. Transport, workshop scheduling and any additional work all need to fit within the available window. Discuss the expected return date directly rather than relying on a general estimate found online.

If the boat will operate while its raft is ashore, address its safety-equipment needs before removal. Where a temporary replacement is needed, provide the number of people aboard, operating area, vessel use and dates. The replacement must suit the vessel and voyage; capacity alone does not settle the choice.

Arrange the handover before moving the raft

Once the station has confirmed the equipment and timing, agree whether you will deliver it or whether collection needs arranging. Share the berth or collection address, an access contact and any difficulty getting the raft from its stowage position to the dock.

Handling instructions belong to the particular model. For example, VIKING recommends horizontal transport for its containers, on a smooth surface with no other equipment placed on top. Its valise-packed rafts must be carried by their handles. Follow the instructions for your own raft when planning the move.

The painter—the line used to trigger inflation—is not a carrying handle. Keep removal under the direction of someone familiar with the installation, particularly where a hydrostatic release or davit arrangement is involved.

For courier or inter-island transport, obtain shipping instructions before making the booking. Service providers such as Pacific Coast Liferaft direct owners to contact them for those arrangements.

Have everything ready for the enquiry

A useful request to The Safety Pelican brings together:

Before collecting the raft, establish which documents will accompany it and who will reinstall it aboard. Match the returned equipment and paperwork, then follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Keeping the new records with the vessel’s equipment file makes the next service easier to prepare.