BoatBanter.com - Liferaft repacking questions and prices

Carl wrote:
I have a '90 Avon 6 person ocean double tube double floor raft that's
been sitting in my garage since we got back - 8 years. I'm getting
quotes all over the board to repack it - ranges from $400-450 to
$850-950 - all Avon certified and listed service stations on their
website.

What gives? One says the gas cylinder needs to be hydro'd and rebuilt
every 5 years and another says weigh it and visually examine at each
repack - that they hardly ever hydro a cylinder unless it's very
rusty.

Are there 2 levels of certification - commercial/fishing vs pleasure?

Of course. The lives of "commercial/fishing" are more valuable than
those of "pleasure".

EG Sorry, twas too good to pass up ...... however, although I don't
have a definitive answer, you might want to check to be sure at what
level or if their is a level of certification, because, truth be known
there can be more stringent requirements for commercial, for the same
product, purely because of the conditions they work/live under which
would appear as the "hydro" requirement you mention above .... i.e. you
will have to do some more research in that area.
In talking with people, make sure you specify that this is a "pleasure"
application and ask for any differences.
Sorry for being so vague but many times in many different areas I've run
into conflicting regs. which can cause wasted effort or the wrong approach.

otn