Service
Whether an ISO raft or a SOLAS raft, the servicing is ultimately the same. The SOLAS rafts have a slightly more structured service shedule set out by the MCA where as the ISO rafts are purely set out by the manufacturer. The service consists of three parts. Liferaft service, pack change and re-pack/certification. During the service the following is inspected:
Service
- Seams - Water pockets
- Floor - Arch / canopy
- Lights - Safety lines
- Liferaft pressure - Pressure valves
Pack change (Expired items only)
- Flares (various) - Sea sick pills
- Water - Torch batteries and spares
- Food - Pump
- Paddles - Radar reflector (checked)
- First aid kit - Lights
- Torch & batteries - Glue / repair kits
Re-pack / Certification
- Deflate - Attach cylinder
- Fold - Arm the raft
- Re-pack - Seal / band the raft
- Certificate - Workshop sheet
Cylinder
The cylinder is crucial to the raft for obvious reasons. It is vitally important to make sure there is sufficient gas, to the correct weights and types to ensure correct inflation though all temperatures. During the service the cylinder is weighed, op head re-worked / reset and where necessary the cylinder is tested and refilled. The refill is required every 5 years on SOLAS rafts and typically 10 years on ISO rafts depending on the raft. If the cylinder is really bad we can shot blast and repaint saving you money on a replacement.
Pack contents
The packs on a ISO or SOLAS raft are fairly straight forward.
ISO 9650-1 Liferaft
- <24hr pack (quite common and standard)
- >24hr pack
- SOLAS B Pack (typically for MCA coded vessels)
The difference between the packs can be found on the Liferaft packs page but as you would expect the >24hr pack has more items in to enable survival for a longer period of time. Packs can be upgraded or downgraded depending on the use of the raft.