Zodiac Liferafts: Practical Information

The importance of servicing

Servicing a liferaft leaves no place for amateur or improvised solutions. Servicing must be carried out at an authorised Zodiac service station by qualified personnel who are regularly trained and follow strict factory procedures. Thanks to the vacuum-packaging protection, liferafts kept in valises should undergo minor annual inspections in their first 2 years of ownership, while canister rafts can go up to the first 3 years without a required inspection*. After your liferaft has completed 12 years of service, it will have reached its life expectancy. Check with your service station for procedures to follow at that point. These inspections are vital to keep your liferaft and the essential safety equipment it contains in good shape. When you put your boat up for the winter, use this opportunity to take your liferaft in for its annual inspection. It’s a good idea to ask the service station to show you the raft as it is taken from the valise or canister for the inspection procedure so that you can get to know your raft.

At each service, the service station will:

• open the container
• unfold and inflate the life raft
• test the inflation system (firing head, tubes and valves)
• weigh the CO2 bottle
• check the emergency equipment
• re-pack the life raft and its equipment in a shrink-wrapped waterproof pocket

As the liferaft gets older, other tests are added:

• hydrostatic test of the gas bottle
• replacement of equipment which is out of date or will be before the next service
  

*If in accordance with your national regulations.

Zodiac International Service Stations

Buying a Zodiac liferaft gives you access to the largest international network of authorised life raft service stations. Zodiac has services stations in over 30 countries in the world. For further information or for the list of Service Stations, simply ask your distributor or contact Zodiac International.

Where to store your life raft

If there were a fire you would want an extinguisher easily at hand to put it out. A liferaft is no different. If you have to abandon ship, you will not necessarily have time to search for the container in a locker under a bed or find a key to a padlock to release it. The situation is stressful enough as it is and you need calm and clear thinking to increase your chances of survival. Make sure that where you store your liferaft it will not be subject to unnecessary wear and tear from people walking on it or knocking it. If the boat’s designer hasn’t designed a specific place for it, the best place is in a cradle on the deck, for instance, at the foot of the mast or on a powerboat.

Valise or canister?

All Zodiac liferafts are available in either a valise or a canister. Where possible, a canister is recommended to offer the best protection against wear and tear and the elements. A canister can be left on deck or mounted in the stern of a yacht. A liferaft in a valise should be protected from the elements and care should be taken to keep it clear from sharp objects. It will need to store it in a location that permits it to be brought on deck quickly and easily.