Liferaft reliability concerns!

[floatingtom]

I had a problem
in Portobello Panama last year, my life raft which came with the boat
had not been inspected since the dark ages (mmm maybe I should have looked at it the first time I trusted it to cross the atlantic)
further investigation revealed it was made by Dunlop in the UK in 1966
(a great year for british soccer but not for liferafts!)

So I dragged this great big hulk of a barrel cannister thing to shore and removes the gas bottle an proceeded to pump it up by foot pump 45 minutes later with no avail (now with an audience of 6 kids) ,

I thought F@#K it I will screw the gas bottle back on, which I did,
so I pulled the cord and bang it inflated for 3 seconds then CO2 blew all the plastic coating off the cloath and a huge cloud of gass spewed through the cloth.
So I immediately cranked the dingy and dragged it away fromthe kids on the beach.
IT sank in under a minute dragged down by the heavy gas bottle.
(stupid f@~&%$G gringo I think was the response)

Anyway I went back to boat at anchor with empty cannister my lady callin was it ok! to which I return yes fine dear.

So it got mounted with its bracket and filled with 15lb cqr a 25lb cqr and lots of chain an rope.
so we havent had a liferaft for over 14000 miles these last 3 years i guess
but as a man in a bar in Jamaica told me

dont worry mon!

anyways we are back in the old world now anchored off Ibiza!
thinking of going back to west indies in jan /feb time
run out of rum an jerk


all the best
fair winds
tom

[mimoza]

Hey Tom, I'm glad you're still alive, but I have to admit I had a pretty good laugh. Thanks for sharing.

[turbin]

Puh! Thats another issue to take care of!
Its never ending? Do I love the boat...or hate her!
I will fix the old raft!