LIFE RAFT SAFETY POINTERS:

The inflation lanyard or “painter line” on some liferafts is as long as 50 feet! That means, you will have to pull about 49 feet of line out before the liferaft inflates.

If your (inflated) liferaft lanyard snags on a sinking vessel, be aware that most lanyard has a break-away strength of 500 lbs. at the connection point on the liferaft, so it will come back to the surface. Stay clear, but be ready to grab the liferaft when it surfaces because it will no longer have a tether line. (The inflation lanyard is also the tether line).

If your liferaft or Winslow Liferaft floats free, it can travel away at about twice the speed that you can swim. It's important that you maintain a constant grip on the inflation/painter line.

Some liferafts or Winslow Liferafts do not come with survival equipment. Know what is packed in yours. Need to add special needs items to your equipment container? Let us know.

You can request personal items such as prescription medications, prescription glasses, water makers, EPIRBs, and thermal protection be packed in your liferaft equipment container.

You can survive approximately 2-3 days in a life raft without fresh drinking water.

A liferaft without an insulated floor will place you on a surface equal to the temperature of the water you are trying to survive in. Because the water is moving under the liferaft, it will conduct heat away from your body almost as fast as being in the water. Water temperature under 75 degrees can cause fatal hypothermia, even in a liferaft. I would advise anyone North of the Gulf of Mexico to have an insulated floor in their liferaft.

When inflating a liferaft from a vessel, make sure the liferaft is deployed on the down wind side of the vessel. Otherwise it will rub against the vessel and possibly become punctured.

If you are rescued by a helicopter, you will have to enter the water to get into a rescue basket. The rotor wash from the helicopter will cause the liferaft to blow around wildly. If you are unable to enter the water, stay put until the rescue swimmer comes to get you. Unfortunately the helicopter will not be able to recover your liferaft but will attempt to have it recovered by marine vessels in the area.

Next thing you may consider is, who are you buying a liferaft from. As I look around the internet, I see many companies who claim to be the survival raft experts. But the chances are, if you call them, you will be talking to someone who has never laid eyes on a liferaft.! You place the order, and they direct ship it from the factory.

BUY YOUR LIFE RAFT FROM OSI
WHEN YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT, OSI IS YOUR SAFETY EXPERT

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