On Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:01:01 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

The Everglades boat looked a bit top-heavy anyway, and rafts look to
be about 60-100 lbs, depending.

It is ironic that very few boats under 35 ft carry life rafts but they
are the ones that most need them. There are soft pack rafts that
weigh less than 50 lbs. All life rafts however have a significant
hidden expense: They must be repacked and recertified every 1 to 3
years depending on the manufacturer and model.