I received my new EPIRB that I purchased at the Miami show and I am looking over the NOAA Registration form and it asks about survival craft (Life Boat or Life Raft) on board. I know that in the event of an emergency at sea, a proper life raft with all the required safety items in place is a better option but here is the question. Can a Dinghy (10' Rib hanging from davits) ever be considered a "Survival Craft"? What is the consensus here on the board? Thanks and Smooth Seas... Sandy Kramer

Nope. Better than nothing, but not much. If nothing else, you would probably die from exposure if you were out there a long time. The EPIRB (or preferably, GPIRB) would hopefully prevent that though. Read up on liferafts and testing them at: http://www.equipped.org/raft-test-00-6.htm Keith _____ The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sanford Kramer" <SKramer@SanfordKramer.com> Can a Dinghy (10' > Rib hanging from davits) ever be considered a "Survival Craft"? What is > the consensus here on the board?