Life Rafts and Survival Suits

[Metric Rider]

I am curious if any tug owners that boat in coastal waters on the west or east coasts carry either a life raft, and / or survival suits. The danger from hypothermia in the area where I boat on the Bay of Fundy (near the Maine border) is as much a concern, if not more than drowning. In the bay you can get serious hypothermia in 20 minutes or less if you are in the water. To this point in time, I have figured our inflatable dingy is a life raft of sorts. However those of you who are boating in cold northern waters, I would like to know what you are carrying on board re safety equipment in case of sinking and what your thoughts might be on this subject.

 

[snydzy]

Most victims of cold water immersion die from drowning, not hypothermia. This is caused by the body's reaction to cold water. You're best defense is a wear a self righting personal flotation devise that can keep your airway above water until rescue.

 

[jclasing]

Yes,
I carry a Viking RescYou Liferaft 6 Person Valise (soft case) when I go offshore to the Bahamas. It's a little expensive, but doesn't take up much room and gives me peace of mind when I can't see land! I typically boat with my wife and two younger children so safety is a priority. I also have an EPIRB which I feel everyone should have. Between these two items I feel we'd be ok until the CG could find us!

Jay
Cutwater 28

 

[JeffE]

We carry two Mustang Ocean Commander immersion suits (PNW). They're less bulky than neoprene suits, and you have more freedom of movement.

In previous boats, we also had a 6 person Switlik life raft. But they are bulky, heavy and need frequent (expensive) service, and those boats were intended to cross oceans. The immersion suits seem like a nice compromise.

Jeff

 

[Crewdog]

The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Rescue Systems and Survival Manual on page 2-19 lists a nice table for determining proper cold weather equipment, and on page 2-20 lists a time of useful consciousness table depending on water temps.

Good idea for each life vest or immersion suit to have a PLB, Strobe light, whistle and signal mirror.

For a good read, the book "The Deadliest Sea" that details the rescue of 42 fishermen from the Alaska Ranger talks about the importance to a rescue chopper of those flashy strobes and plbs.

FWIW, I do remember seeing a tug with a small life raft canister mounted on the bow at the Desolation Sound Cruise in 2013, but can't remember the boat name.

 

[jcarrdive]

We have looked at self-deploying rafts with hard covers at the Seattle Boat show. When we go to Alaska, in a few years, we will install one in the upper deck of our R31 CB. I will move the solar panel back about 12 inches and it will fit behind the back seat on the hardtop. We would go first to the Dinghy, if possible, but in case of a capsizing, you probably won't get that chance. So a life raft that self deploys is vital for offshore or remote cruising (e.g Alaska).
We are divers, so instead of survival suits we will carry scuba drysuits. If we did not have drysuits, we would get survival suits for certain. I have pulled people out of the water in Survival suits (in Alaska) and people who were not in them. The results are easy to see. Survival suit- survived. Without- did not make it.
I have taken coldwater survival courses (USCG). I am not sure they offer those anymore but if you ever get a chance, it is a good course (1 week long) if you plan on going north.
jeff and Ela

 

[Kenaithab]

Check out the Winslow Liferaft Co rafts in Florida. We saw the Ultra-Light-Offshore 6 man at the Seattle Boatshow and have ordered one. They make a lot of rafts for the US military (my brother-in-law just got out of the Air Force and recognized the raft). They are significantly lighter than some of the others on the market. They rafts are made after you order it. If you order a valaise, you get a selection of different package sizes so you can pick the shape that best fits your storage compartment. Or you can order one in a hard shell with automatic deployment.
Anther nice feature is that all inspections/refurbishing are done at the factory in Florida. You don't have to worry about a third party doing questionable work. Winslow has made some agreement with Roadway trucking to get the rafts to Florida from all over the country, even Alaska which is great for us. This is nice because the rafts are classified as Hazmat and shipping would otherwise be difficult. If I remember correctly, Winslow takes care of all the shipping details, actually it is a requirement, and I think they even pay for the shipping.

 

[spierp]

The Portland Pudgy is an interesting life boat option if one doesn't already have a dinghy.

Portland Pudgy Life Boat vs. inflatable