Types of Life Rafts for Recreational Boats

In the United States, life rafts that are used on recreational boats fall in to three broad categories:

Inshore

Inshore covers lakes, bays and sounds where one can expect rescue within a very short period of time. Being in Western Washington, the Puget Sound is my closest example where an inshore product might be the correct choice.

Common features of inshore products:

• Small pack size
• Light weight
• Normally no canopy
• Ballast pockets are not always found
• Single buoyancy tube
• Packed in a soft valise for stowing in a locker
  

Coastal

If you are boating around the perimeter of the United States within helicopter rescue distance from the shore you should consider a "coastal" life raft. Of the three categories of life rafts this is the one with the most variation in products offered and you also have a USCG approved "Coastal" life raft designed for commercial fishing vessels confusing the mix.

Common features of coastal products:

• Some form of redundancy in the buoyancy tubes either by two tubes or one tube with bulkheads
• Ballast pockets (but usually smaller or less in number than an offshore raft)
• Self erecting canopy
• Non-insulated floor
• Webbing boarding ladder
• Minimal equipment pack
• Packed either in a hard container for mounting on deck or a soft valise for stowing in a locker

Offshore

Perhaps the simplest category to figure out. Going to Hawaii, you need an offshore life raft.

Common features of offshore products:

• Twin tubes
• Insulated floor
• Boarding ramps are common rather than webbing boarding ladders
• Large ballast pockets
• Self-erecting canopy
• Extensive equipment pack
• Packed either in a hard container for mounting on deck or a soft valise for stowing in a locker