Life Raft Servicing is Important

In this post I discussed why you should service your life raft, Today I would like to touch on the subject of servicing again. Servicing the life raft is the life of the raft, we see several life rafts come in that have not been serviced in several years and many times this results in putting a really good life raft out of commission or a really high servicing bill.

Some things to keep in mind about serving is that when you bring a life raft to a service station a technician will open the life raft and inspect it for malfunctions, air tests will be performed and all parts of the life raft and equipment are inspected and replaced if they are deemed out of date or non-functioning. If your life raft cannot be certified as safe and usable it will be decommissioned.

Keep in mind there are items in a life raft they can cause problems, recently we opened a life raft that had corroded batteries in the flash light. The battery acid had eaten through the flash light and gotten all over much of the equipment. Imagine finding this out on the ocean instead of at the shop. This particular life raft was 7 years overdue for servicing.

Life rafts are as important to a boat as the brakes on a car and like the brakes they need to be serviced. For more information on life raft servicing or to visit our store and see an open life raft contact us. We are proud to support Maritime Safety and Education through community outreach; we take pride in not just selling and servicing a product but educating customers on how to use a product.

Coming Soon Achilles Folding Transom RIB

Triad Marine is proud to offer you the first look at the Achilles HB300FX folding transom RIB (rigid inflatable boat).
We will have this boat on display at 55th Annual Houston Boat Show happening January 7-17, 2011.

This folding transom RIB is made of hypalon material, has a fiberglass transom, wooden seat, 2 seat attachment points, oars, foot pump, repair kit and a storage bag with 3 handles for easy lifting. The boat also features towing d-rings, a bow lift eye and a stainless steel motor mount. Achilles is offering you the same great quality as the other HB series RIBs but in a portable package. This boat will be perfect for sail boats, RVs, cars, trucks and SUVs.

At 9'10" in length the boat will offer plenty of room for four people. At this time we do not have the final specifications with a horse power rating, weight and beam but we will keep you updated.

Stop by The Houston Boat Show and see us in Booth 7030 to see this brand new Achilles Model as well as many other great inflatable boats, life rafts and lots of marine safety gear!

PLBs are not Gadgets!

I have written a few posts on PLBs and today I am going to write another and I am also going to layout some information to help you choose a PLB over just a gadget ....If you feel the need for the gadgets have both ...PLBs are so affordable now you would be crazy not to have one...
Boaters, Hunters, Fishermen, Kayakers, ATV enthusiasts, Hikers and anyone who participates in outdoor activities are candidates for needing a PLB!
Here are just a Few Posts from the past
A Tale of a PLB Rescue


10 Reasons to Buy an ACR Aqualink


Hunters Need PLBs Too


I Fish the Bay do I need a PLB


All of these post put you in different shoes when it comes to PLBs we give you information and tools to help you choose we show you a real rescue story and we urge you to be safe in any outdoor environment .


Here is a video from the nice guys at ACR about PLBs versus gadgets



Consider always having a back up plan and remember a PLB is a life saving device and not a gadget. Gadgets are nice and have a purpose, but saving your life is not their purpose.