On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 04:32:39 GMT, "Greg"
wrote:

To barge in, here is a topic just brought to my attention, although this
probably belongs in rec.boats.cruising...

I just finished the book Adrift, by Steven Callahan (76 days Lost at Sea),
and have to ask why anyone would buy an inflatable raft for emergencies.
Sure, safe at home, I can think of several, but after reading his account
and seeing how much better off he would have been with an "unsinkable" foam
and fiberglass dinghy, they seem to be a very poor choice.

Granted, his "real" sailboat was a homebuilt 21 footer and it went down in a
mighty empty piece of ocean (south-west of canaries), but after reading his
story, rubber rafts seem VERY undesirable - although a notch up from going
down with the ship, to be sure.

Any one else read the book or have thoughts on the matter?

I haven't read the book, but what would make an inflatable life raft
undesirable?

Compact, easy to store, designed to float to the surface, provide
shelter from the elements and are reasonably tough.

What's not to like?

Later,

Tom