The #1 consideration for recreational life rafts is accessibility.
If you wish to store your life raft on deck, a canister model is recommended.  It is also recommended that the unit be outfitted with a hydrostatic release unit, which allows the unit to self deploy in the event you are unable to manually delpoy the unit.
If you are planning to store your life raft below deck, a valise model is recommended.  A valise outfit will be lighter in wieght and equipped with handles for manual deployment.  However, if below deck make sure you can launch the life raft within 15 seconds or less.  The last resort in the event of an emergency is getting into the water.  Hypothermia does and can occur in various water temperatures, not just extremely cold water.  Hypothermia can happen in the warmer coastal waters of the South East and Florida (For more information on survival times, see our hypothermia chart below).
The goal in any abandon ship scenario is to avoid exposure. A life raft is the only safety device available that can guarantee your survival in any conditions.

To service your life raft, bring your unit to our authorized life raft service facility, ship it, or arrange a pick-up.  Air-Sea Safety can be contacted by phone at 1-843-723-2722, or online using our Request Quote/Information form.  To schedule a life raft training session, please contact us direct, so that we may make those special accommodations.

For additional information about life rafts, please give us a call at 1-843-723-2722, or stop by our facility located in downtown Charleston.  We can help you with any questions you have about life rafts, accessories, maintenance and storage.

Water Temperature (°F)	Exhaustion/Unconsciousness	Expected Survival Time
Below 32.5 32.5 - 40.0 40.0 - 50.0 50.0 - 60.0 60.0 - 70.0 70.0 - 80.0	Less than 15 minutes 15 -30 minutes 30 - 60 minutes 1 - 2 hours 2 - 7 hours 3 - 12 hours	15 -45 minutes 30 - 90 minutes 1 - 3 hours 1 - 6 hours 2 - 40 hours 3 hours to indefinitely