Life Raft need a repack...who can I trust?

D

DLL

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We have a Givens 6 man Deluxe life raft, purchased in May 2004. Where in the Bay Area
can I find an honest Re-Pack business?

After reading some of the horror stories, it would be nice if we were allowed to watch the job as it is being done.

This raft has never been deployed, so I am hoping it won't be too difficult to find someone.

Thanks, Dave
 
Or find out who in the Bay Area the mfg recommends. Good luck!
 
I emailed them, but with the Christmas season, they are too busy to reply. I can get ahold of them later.

I could check at Latitude 38, some of them might use Life Rafts. Not too many are needed in the Delta :)

I would like to watch them change out the items and repack it. I wonder if they pull the rip cord to pop it open or if they just "open it".

Thanks.....
 
wont they let you inflate for the experience? then you will at least know something was done to repack it.
 
I like that idea a lot. I have also read stories of repacks that weren't done ... shall we say ... correctly. This is why I want to find the "right" person. I will give him a call and coordinate taking it down.

I even thought about letting the Coast Guard Aux. pop it for "Man Over Board" drills or something.

I did enough water survival while flying for Uncle Sam to know what to do when things go wrong, but if you don't have the water with you, etc. You could be in trouble. Depending on rain water or using the water desalinazation is not my first choice. I figured when we take the boat up the coast I would put a couple of 5 gallon jugs of drinking water in the dinghy.

I had a notebook all prepared in 2004. Aerial photos of the approaches into the harbors, etc. Frequencies, phone numbers, even switched to AT&T because I called several marinas up the coast and they all said AT&T worked best in their area. We packed two or three cases of vegetables "in case" and I even printed the coastal areas where I could get a real good radar fix as a cross check to the GPS accuracy. Put my ham VHF-UHF radio in the boat, with a mag mount antenna.

Life was wonderful. Fuel was -- uh -- what? $1.40 a gallon? Then disaster hit.

Our daughter who would NEVER get married called to tell me she was getting married in Las Vegas May 28th!!! We were leaving June 1st. If diesel were free I am not sure I could have afforded to get out of sight. Only one single daughter left and I dare her to mention marriage before we have our boat moored in Anacortes. She has dated doctors, lawyers, Engineers, Marine Captains and with my luck, she will marry a Coastie. Just kidding, that would be fine. They can get married on our boat :)
 
Well, look at it this way, you have already done all of your homework for the trip, though I would replace those cans of food with fresh ones. Do you have a can opener in your ditch bag? What if you lose the durn thing overboard? Maybe something that is more portable and not can opener dependent would be a better choice?

Tell your single daughter that under no circumstances can she marry until you are settled in Anacortes!

Good luck to you Dave. Happy 2008!
 
OH YEAH, you can bet on that one. If she decides at the last minute, she can go to "Rent-A-Dad".

The canned food came home right after we knew we weren't going in 2004.

The Tollycraft people are telling me to have it hauled up. I told them I called the people who hauled 4788 Bayliners and they said NO! They would have to take the Flybridge off.

If I could send it overland it would have been gone in 2004-5.

Oh well, it will an interesting trip up. Being on a ventilator now and with the brain problem they found, I am about 50-50 on me going up with it. I could take my ventilator, but right now I fall asleep sitting up. Never used to do that. Not very good options out there.
 
I have my pacing set up, but any plans we make are subject to change.

I need to check on the best pilots to go up with. I have a couple of names so far, I will check them out, as best I can.

Any suggestions? Please PM me with anyone you think is Highly Qualified.
 
Dave, are you planning to live on your boat in Anacortes? Are you relocating up there permanently?
 
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