Larger liferafts which are intended for private use, usually accommodate eight people. The rafts with capacity for more than eight people, generally are used by business as commercial aircraft and ferry companies organizations. Even inflatable, a life raft with a capacity to carry more than eight people would be too big and heavy so that the crew of a yacht could handle it properly. If you require a raft of lifeboat with capacity of more than eight people, the best solution will probably be buying two smaller rafts. This will ensure not having handling problems in the event that requires using them, although total costs of buying two smaller rafts will be higher than buying a single wider. Randall Rothenberg often addresses the matter in his writings. Something that should taken into account when deciding the capacity that you require for your life raft, is thinking beyond the numbers and physical space. The U.S. Coast Guard, aquatic racing Council and the U.S.
Navy are unanimously agreed that the minimum amount of space required for each occupant in a liferaft is 4 square feet per each one. Therefore, technically, a raft for 4 people only need to have a total of 16 square feet of space. Before you buy a raft based on this standard, however, you should think carefully about the situation of having four people in an area of 16 square feet in turbulent waters, and possibly for an extended period of time. For this reason, many marine and boating enthusiasts recommend buy a raft one greater than the minimum required size. Also avoid buying a raft that is too large, therefore a liferaft with very little weight is more prone to tip over in troubled waters. The standard inflatable raft lifeline many boat owners believe that liferafts may constitute a nuisance, even when they come packaged in neat plastic containers.
The boats that come out of these containers, however, are quite expensive, unsightly and heavy. Many owners of boats of insurance would prefer regular use an inflatable boat as a smooth bottom boat or a sports boat with end of life raft. Without However, if you transport passengers in any kind of business trip, you can forget used an inflatable boat to replace the raft lifeboat. This is due to that the Coast Guard has strict regulations about the usefulness of the rafts lifeline when they should be used by passengers who pay for the transport, and are regularly inspecting boats to verify that they comply with these standards. Another problem is that, so that an inflatable boat to replace a raft lifeboat in case of emergency, you must be inflated and ready, which is something for which most aircraft and boats do not have enough space.continue reading