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Hi Bill,
Initial thoughts on your question.
I write the below with offshore passage-making vessels in mind. There are different considerations for coastal cruisers.
I would venture a guess that Beth would no longer find the same percentage of cruising boats without a life-raft. She did (I believe) that survey quite a while back when the cruising community had a much different demographic. (BTW, what other preventative measures would you spend the money on were you to not buy a raft?)
I also suspect, that there is a good chance your raft will not be condemned, although some of the equipment may need to be replaced because of the water intrusion you report. Winslow makes good rafts that stand up.
I would very much hope you get no backlash for your question of whether to have a raft, as I believe questions like this are worth discussion. Either direction, a skipper’s decision should be well thought through and not one that is made “because everyone has one” or “the rules dictate” or “I can’t be bothered”.
There are, at least, a few arguments in favor of not having one:
Initial expense and the cost of servicing and the difficulty of finding re-packers.
The real estate for proper stowage/installation.
There are alternative procedures: such as always having an inflated dinghy on the foredeck with a grab bag handy.
I would also venture to say that the majority of cruisers who carry rafts might as well not do so for the following reasons. They do not have regular “drills” with their raft: drills where skipper and crew go over the launch/inflate procedure, review where a cut-away knife is stored etc. etc. Without these “drills” the likelihood of something going awry: skipper incapacitated, crew clueless, or some such, increases dramatically. So, their rafts might be in good shape, but their ability to be effectively used in an emergency is compromised. And it is not a given that rafts are in good shape. Many installation locations are problematic. UV can penetrate some enclosures and some allow water intrusion.
Finally, there is the argument that safety gear can subtlety induce skipper and crew to be less careful and also may discourage the kind of effort that might actually save a disabled vessel: panic leads to launching the raft and leaving a vessel prematurely. I believe it has been documented that crew has gotten onto a raft from vessels that actually remained afloat and would have provided much better conditions to await rescue and platform to be rescued from.
That said: I would argue, for most of us (offshore passage-makers), that good seamanship dictates carrying a raft. If your boat is no longer viable, it is the best platform to await rescue. I believe these days with EPIRBS that (again for most of us), awaiting rescue is the best way to think of abandoning ship. No longer are we thinking of long periods at sea or of rescue platforms needing to “sail” us into shipping lanes where we might be seen.
I would also say that rafts are important for single-handers, but would contend that the more crew a skipper plans to have on his/her passages, the more obligation there is for there to be a raft. To me the arguments for a raft, well-maintained and well stored, outweigh any arguments against.
That said they are initially difficult. I believe a case can be made that rafts should be stowed below, or in lockers etc. In other words, out of the elements and harms way. I have seen some center cockpit boats with good installations very well protected just aft of the cockpit. Any on deck installation has to be very robust: the farther forward, the more robust. To take just one area to consider: installations should be through-bolted with backing plates (never screwed). The deck, if cored, should have the area reefed and backfilled with an epoxy slurry, then re-drilled. UV protection in the form of easily removed canvas covers seems wise, which should help with water intrusion as well. In the end, if you can get the raft in a cockpit locker, you are likely best off. That is where Winslow with their custom packing is a big help. I would far rather see fenders (or other gear often stowed in lockers) on deck than a raft.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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