The Ocean Ultralite SOLAS compact from Ocean Safety liferafts uses carbon composite technology to reduce the weight by 23%.
They have been developed for yachts taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) and are the result of a ‘close technical partnership’ between race organisers and Ocean Safety.
“Weight saving in ocean racing is the holy grail,” said Ocean Safety general manager Alistair Hackett. “We seized an opportunity to work with the VOR team to find a solution that would reduce the weight of the 12 person liferafts to enhance performance, while conforming to international SOLAS standards.”
Development
Key areas of development have been the inflation system, pack contents and canister construction.
“Despite the weight reduction, the liferaft containers are still incredibly robust to withstand the harsh environments that they will endure on the open ocean,” added Mr Hackett. “As a team, we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved.”
The Ocean Safety liferafts are derived from Ocean Safety’s original space-saving Ocean Ultralite liferaft.