When is a liferaft service due?

What happens during a service?

At a service station, technicians unpack the raft so they can inspect and test the equipment normally concealed inside its container or carrying bag. The work follows the manufacturer’s procedures for that particular model.

VIKING’s description of a RescYou service includes inflating and pressure-testing the raft, inspecting its condition, checking the inflation cylinder’s contents and examining the emergency equipment. After the necessary work, the raft is repacked, sealed and labelled, and a service certificate is issued. This is why an exterior inspection aboard cannot replace the scheduled workshop service.

Finding the service date for your raft

Look for the servicing label on the rigid container or soft carrying bag, known as a valise. Read the wording beside each date: a manufacture date, a last-service date and a next-service date describe different events.

The latest service certificate provides the accompanying record. Its manufacturer and serial number should identify the same raft you have aboard. Where the model, capacity and emergency pack are recorded, those details should also agree.

For US Coast Guard-approved equipment covered by its servicing procedure, the container sticker identifies an expiry month and year, while the certificate records the manufacturer, serial number and servicing date. Other documentation formats may differ, so a certificate should not be assumed to show a next-due date simply because it shows when the work was done.

Missing paperwork is particularly common when equipment comes with a second-hand boat. A readable identification label gives the manufacturer or an authorised station something to investigate. If the records conflict or cannot be recovered, the raft’s service status needs resolving before it can be relied upon.

Why some rafts are serviced more often than others

The servicing interval belongs to the particular raft and its approved arrangement. It cannot be established from the manufacturer’s name alone.

Standard SOLAS liferafts normally follow a twelve-month servicing interval. SOLAS is the international convention governing safety of life at sea. Specifically approved extended-service arrangements can differ: VIKING’s S30 range combines servicing every thirty months with annual onboard inspections. That longer interval depends on the applicable approval and inspection conditions. Read the VIKING S30 extended-service guide for the onboard checks and full-service cycle.

Leisure rafts can follow different manufacturer schedules. VIKING recommends three-year servicing for its RescYou range, while Switlik lists a five-year recommendation for its current compressed-air CPR, OPR and SAR-6 models. These examples explain why owners encounter different dates; they are not interchangeable schedules.

The vessel’s requirements also matter. Private use, commercial operation and the applicable flag or survey arrangements can affect what is accepted. When these circumstances change, the equipment’s servicing arrangements deserve another review.

The other dates to keep alongside it

A liferaft installation may have several dates that fall at different times.

One belongs to the hydrostatic release unit, where fitted. This device releases the container from its securing arrangement if the vessel sinks. Its replacement date is separate from the raft’s service date. Hammar, for example, offers H20 R and H20 RX variants with twenty-four- and thirty-month installed lives. The installed unit’s expiry marking must be read separately from its manufacturing code. These disposable units are replaced at the end of their life; servicing the raft does not renew them.

Supplies inside the emergency pack can have their own expiry dates too. They are examined during servicing under the applicable procedures. Separately carried supplies, such as those in a grab bag, also need attention; they are outside the sealed raft’s service record.

The raft’s age introduces another distinction. A service interval describes the period between services, while a manufacturer’s stated service-life limit concerns how long that model may remain in use. Warranty cover is a separate matter. For an older raft, establishing its manufacture date and model-specific limits helps determine whether further servicing is an option.

When attention is needed before the printed date

A future service date does not account for damage that happens afterwards. A cracked container, broken securing straps or seals, suspected water entry or an accidental deployment warrants advice from a station authorised for the equipment.

For vessels covered by US regulation 46 CFR 122.730, container damage and broken straps or seals are explicit servicing triggers. The broader practical point is to report a change in condition when it happens rather than waiting for the scheduled date. Keep the container closed and photograph the exterior so the station can understand the problem.

If the service date is approaching—or has passed

An approaching deadline is easier to manage while there is still a choice of ports and workshop dates. If the raft is already overdue, contact an appropriate station with its identification and records, and establish the vessel’s operating position before departure.

A booking does not extend the servicing interval. Where a regulatory deferment is available, its conditions come from the applicable authority. Extended-service rafts have their own approval limits; a thirty-month arrangement should not be treated as thirty months plus an assumed grace period.

For a yacht moving between the Caribbean, the United States and Europe, the next suitable station may be somewhere other than the original supplier’s port. Manufacturer networks, the US Coast Guard’s servicing directory and the Dutch ILT’s recognised-station information provide useful starting points within their respective scope. The station still needs to confirm support for the exact make and model.

Preparing the enquiry

The Safety Pelican can review the equipment details, check its service scope and discuss timing. A useful enquiry brings together:

Sending these details early allows the service discussion to take account of the voyage, charter or survey you are preparing for.