Liferaft mounting 280 da

[jon and michie]

Hi - Does anyone have any pictures of their life raft mounting on a 280da.
Looking at getting a new 4 man life raft in a canister and looking for places to mount the canister somewhere near the swim platform.
Many thanks in advance
Jon

 

[UgisO]

Hi - Does anyone have any pictures of their life raft mounting on a 280da.
Looking at getting a new 4 man life raft in a canister and looking for places to mount the canister somewhere near the swim platform.
Many thanks in advance
Jon

What vendor and model did you choose?

 

[Henry Boyd]

I personally don’t think there is any location on a 280 for a life raft canister and rack. We tried storing our zodiac dinghy on the bow, but the forward visibility degraded significantly. We ended up either towing it, or pulling it up onto the swim platform and tying it down.

why do you want to add one (besides the obvious)? Now that we’ve moved up to a true ocean going boat, the differences with our 280 make it clear; the 280 is ok for the ocean on a sunny day with 1’ seas. In any other conditions it’s a chore. Recognizing that an inflatable on swim platform davits may be a better choice than a self deploying life raft as it will allow you to push it into the water when you need to use the swim platform.

 

[jon and michie]

What vendor and model did you choose?

I havent nchosen a specific vendor yet - I am looking at either a seago or an ocean safety.
Bear in mind I am based in the UK

 

[jon and michie]

I personally don’t think there is any location on a 280 for a life raft canister and rack. We tried storing our zodiac dinghy on the bow, but the forward visibility degraded significantly. We ended up either towing it, or pulling it up onto the swim platform and tying it down.

why do you want to add one (besides the obvious)? Now that we’ve moved up to a true ocean going boat, the differences with our 280 make it clear; the 280 is ok for the ocean on a sunny day with 1’ seas. In any other conditions it’s a chore. Recognizing that an inflatable on swim platform davits may be a better choice than a self deploying life raft as it will allow you to push it into the water when you need to use the swim platform.

Hi Henry - I want to start exploring more parts of the Uk and we have the North Sea near us.
Jon

 

[Stee6043]

Hi Henry - I want to start exploring more parts of the Uk and we have the North Sea near us.
Jon

Do you already have a dinghy? When it comes to exploring new places a dinghy can be a life changer. Perhaps consider the advice above - invest in a dinghy/tender that can be platform mounted and skip the life raft?

 

[hughespat57]

People need to understand the fundamental difference between a life raft and a dinghy/tender.
While a Dinghy might make an adequate life raft in protected or near coastal waters it is not inherently stable in rougher seas. Almost all life rafts have a ballast compartment under the raft that slowly fills with sea water when deployed. The weight and volume of this pocket adds significant stability. Many also include a canopy to protect the occupants from wind and spray which can be a significant hypothermia risk in colder waters. In addition to these features the bracket is usually include hydro-static release. This insures the raft floats free in the event of rapid unexpected sinking or capsizing/sinking.

The location chosen needs to provide a good chance the the raft can be manually or automatically deployed quickly and without likelihood of snagging on the vessel.

On a 280da I would look at the bow forward of the forward escape hatch. Low so as to minimize obstructing view. But this is not optimum as the for deck is not very conducive to good footing getting off the vessel. As the OP requested "near the stern" he is anticipating that as the better location to disembark under adverse weather.

I would suggest a vertical mount, on the port side, outboard of any canvas. Here it is mostly out of the way during normal platform use.
https://www.promarinestore.co.uk/pr...adle-stainless-steel---vertical-mount---elite