Some brands of RIBs offer certified unsinkable boats. Their design with a foam-lined deck allows them to be exempted from carrying a life raft beyond 6 miles from a shelter, provided that the maximum number of people on board is respected while considering the weight of the engine.
What the regulations say
The text governing safety equipment on board pleasure craft is Division 240, which you can consult at the following address HERE .
There are two articles we are interested in here.
- The first, article 240-2.05, which requires every ship sailing more than 6 miles from a shelter to carry a life raft capable of accommodating the entire crew. Article 240-2.05 "One or more inflatable liferafts allowing to embark all the persons on board, adapted to the navigation practised and in conformity with the provisions of article 240-2.18.".
- The mate, who exempts certain certified unsinkable vessels from carrying the liferaft in 6 and 60 miles. Article 240-2.14, paragraph II states that "II. Existing ships benefiting from the recognition of insubmersibility and for which the series has been the subject of a decision of insubmersibility by the Administration shall not be required to take on board the inflatable life raft prescribed by articles 240-2.05 and 240-2.06, as long as they navigate within the limits, in terms of distance from a shelter, of the category of navigation for which insubmersibility has been recognized. A new vessel identical to a vessel recognized as unsinkable continues to benefit from this recognition as long as it is manufactured by the same manufacturer
Unsinkable and sinkable
Since 2005, in France, it is no longer possible to obtain an unsinkability certificate for a new hull. The current hulls, certified unsinkable, were therefore validated before 2005 and have not undergone any structural evolution since then.
A ship is recognised as unsinkable if it has the certificate attesting to this. In order to do so, it had to pass a series of tests before obtaining this precious sesame.
Some brands offer unbreakable vessels. The difference with an unsinkable vessel is purely legislative. Sunken vessels do not have the necessary certification (and therefore are not unsinkable) to dispense with a liferaft for offshore navigation even though they are technically designed in the same way as unsinkable vessels. In practice, the user can still benefit from a vessel that will not sink but will have to comply with the regulations in force to navigate beyond 6 miles, i.e. to carry a life raft.
Making the right choice
Some boats are well certified unsinkable but be careful when buying. Some brands have been able to upgrade their hulls, which may mean that they no longer fit into the nails. The only way to know this is to receive a certificate of unsinkability on delivery. The mention will also be written on your road map.
Zeppelin offers a wide range of boats (16, 18, 20, 21 and 22 feet as well as the 7.50m and 8.50m) certified unsinkable. Finally, you should know that this insubmersibility is linked to the boat, which means that in the event of resale, the future owner will also benefit from it. The condition is to make no modifications to the boat and to respect the data indicated on the builder's plate.
In Practice
If your plan is to routinely sail offshore or do offshore raids, then carrying a raft may be wise. Different models are available either in storyteller or bagged. This one will of course have to be in adequacy with the number of people on board.
On the other hand, if you're sailing occasionally on the high seas, having an unsinkable boat will be interesting. It will represent less costs of purchase and maintenance (count a minimum of 1000euros for the purchase of a 4-place raft in a bag and a minimum of 500euros for the services to be carried out every 3 years).
Everyone is free to choose for an unsinkable boat or not. In any case, carrying a life raft, even on an unsinkable boat, remains your responsibility.
We often hear the example of the offshore fire. Be aware that in the event of a fire 5 miles from a shelter where carrying a raft is not mandatory and the same fire 8 miles away on an unsinkable boat without a raft, the result will be the same. Therefore, if we follow this logic, the carrying of the raft should be mandatory regardless of the area of navigation.
What about us fishermen?
Sailing on an unsinkable boat has a significant advantage. Not having to carry a raft with you frees up space on board, especially on small and medium-sized boats. A raft is somewhat cumbersome and should be in an accessible location. There is no need to put it in a trunk that will have to be opened if necessary...
