Buying a liferaft from China for your own boat
Before ordering, match the liferaft and survival pack to your boat, crew and voyage. Verify certification for the exact configuration, plan accessible stowage and deployment, and obtain written acceptance from a UK servicing station for that model. For factory document and goods checks, speak to Cambridge China Bridge.
Match the raft to the boat and voyage
UK government guidance says the equipment you need to carry depends on boat size and distance from the coast. Give a marine surveyor your vessel details, flag, private or commercial use, intended route and operating area. Ask them to identify the applicable carriage and approval requirements before selecting a raft. Our boat import guide covers the craft’s own conformity checks.
Describe everyone aboard, expected weather and water temperature, likely rescue delay and boarding difficulties. Ask the adviser to assess capacity, canopy, floor insulation, boarding arrangements and survival-pack contents against those conditions. Record what is packed inside the raft and what must accompany it in an accessible grab bag. Check wearable equipment separately using our lifejacket guide.
Verify certification for the exact configuration
Request the manufacturer’s identity, full model designation, claimed standard and edition, type or group, capacity, temperature limitations and equipment-pack specification. Obtain the applicable certificates, supporting test reports, conformity declaration where relevant, and English instructions. Have your adviser confirm that the evidence route suits your boat and voyage. A seller’s description of 'offshore' is insufficient purchasing evidence.
Match the documents to the proposed raft, container or valise, inflation system and pack. Ask the certificate issuer to confirm authenticity and scope through independently obtained contact details, including any private-label model relationship. Resolve model suffixes, exclusions and component changes before paying. Our test report guide explains the document checks; photographs alone cannot establish the performance of a sealed raft.
Plan stowage and deployment on the actual boat
Obtain packed dimensions, weight, permitted storage orientation and environmental limits for the exact version. Check the proposed locker or cradle, mounting structure, drainage, access and launching path with a competent installer. Ask whether the intended crew can reach and move the packed raft in difficult conditions. A raft that fits the locker still needs an unobstructed route overboard.
Have the installer specify the securing arrangement, manual release and painter attachment from the manufacturer’s instructions. If a float-free arrangement is proposed, confirm compatibility between the container, cradle, hydrostatic release and weak link. Arrange a supervised familiarisation using training equipment rather than opening or inflating the purchased raft yourself. Include boarding, grab-bag access and who performs each task.
Obtain written UK servicing acceptance
The government’s approved-station finder covers SOLAS-standard inflatable appliances; a listing does not establish acceptance of every recreational model. SOLAS means the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. UK maritime guidance says its servicing requirements for SOLAS-certificated inflatable equipment apply regardless of vessel type. For a SOLAS model, start with the approved-station finder and ask the station to confirm its scope for the proposed product.
Before ordering, send a UK station the manufacturer, exact model and configuration, certificates, label photographs, inflation-system details and manual. Obtain written acceptance naming the model and confirming manufacturer authorisation, access to service instructions and specified parts, cylinder servicing, repacking and service records. Ask it to confirm the applicable service schedule, initial due date, transport arrangements and likely charges. If acceptance remains conditional or unavailable, hold the purchase.
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Make the agreed evidence a purchase checkpoint
Put the accepted model, capacity, pack, container, mounting accessories, documentation and substitution controls in the order. Before release, reconcile serial identifiers, manufacture and service information, seals, external condition and packing photographs. Ask the carrier to confirm acceptance of the actual contents, including the inflation cylinder and any distress flares. Use our balance-payment checklist for the wider release process.
Keep the adviser’s suitability review, issuer checks, station acceptance and installation instructions with the boat’s equipment record. Arrange an arrival check and installation review before relying on the raft at sea. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can obtain factory records and compare the supplied goods with the agreed brief; the marine adviser, installer and servicing station should resolve their respective technical questions.
Frequently asked questions
Is an ISO claim enough for a Chinese liferaft?
No. Obtain the full standard and edition, applicable certification and reports for the exact model and pack. Have a marine adviser assess suitability for your boat and voyage, then verify the issuer’s scope.
Will any UK station service a Chinese liferaft?
Do not assume so. Obtain written acceptance naming the exact manufacturer, model and configuration, with confirmation of authorisation, instructions, parts, cylinder servicing and repacking.
Should I choose a canister or valise liferaft?
Choose against the manufacturer’s storage instructions and your boat’s installation and launch plan. Check packed weight, access, weather exposure and whether the crew can deploy it from the proposed position.
What if no UK station accepts the liferaft?
Hold the purchase. Ask the manufacturer to identify a suitable UK station and obtain that station’s written confirmation. If this cannot be resolved, select a model with confirmed servicing access.