Life Rafts by CLR Marine

Life Rafts

Life rafts are one of the most important pieces of equipment on any boat, yacht or ship because they could literally mean the difference between life and death. Many people who are aboard a boat for pleasure spend very little time thinking about the provisions that are available should something go awry with the boat itself, causing a need to dis-embark suddenly. This is the way it should be as boats are to be enjoyed to their fullest when out on the open waters.
If you look back in history, it is easy to point to one of the most unlikely accidents of modern times; the fate of the Titanic. It was the ship that would never sink, built like a tank and put into the water for safe passage from one place to another unless a nasty iceberg gets in the way. Unfortunately, there were too few life rafts or life boats onboard and it created a big problem.
In order to survive that disaster, it was almost mandatory for people to be out of the water and resting safely in the boats. In fact, the people who were not in the life rafts did not stand a chance of survival because of the cold waters. Hypothermia is one of the deadliest aspects of being trapped in the cold ocean waters for any amount of time.

Life Rafts Provide Protection

Staying out of the cold water and in life rafts is a necessity for people who are going to survive a lost ship or yacht. The cold water can cause hypothermia which means the core temperature of body's temperature falls well below normal levels, causing heart failure when the core temperature falls to around 30-32 degrees Celsius (86-90 degrees Fahrenheit). The human body loses heat 30 times faster in cold water then when exposed to cold air.
If you are in water that is only 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), survival time is less than five hours. Obviously if passengers are in life rafts, their survival time increases dramatically, from hours to days. It only makes sense to provide enough life rafts for the maximum number of people who can be on board the boat or yacht at any time.
If you are traveling in waters that are significantly warmer, it is still better to be in life rafts than exposed to the elements. Many life rafts have coverings that can provide protection from the damaging effects of the sun so that people can survive for longer periods of time. You should also consider putting some type of survival kit with each raft that will provide some of the basic necessities for surviving out on the ocean for extended periods of time.

Be sure to visit us at www.clrmarine.com to purchase your life raft we care 4 and 6 man life rafts made by the Switlik Company.