What you are actually buying
Thermally insulated floor
Not a given at coastal specification. Hypothermia, not drowning, is what kills people in rafts in UK water - an insulated floor is the single most valuable thing on this list.
Two independent chambers
Twin butyl rubber tubes with an over-pressure valve. A puncture in one still leaves a raft that floats and supports the full rated crew.
Ladder and grab lines
Hand-over-hand lines around the tube and a boarding ladder. Getting an exhausted person out of cold water is the hardest part of any abandonment.
Ballast pockets and lights
Pockets fill on inflation so wind cannot flip the raft before you are aboard, with internal and external lights and a rainwater collection system.
Weight and size, by capacity and packing
The most important number here is weight. In an emergency somebody has to move this to the rail - possibly alone, possibly injured, possibly at forty degrees of heel. Choose a raft you can actually handle, not just one that fits the crew list.
| Configuration | 4 man | 6 man | 8 man |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valise - weight | 25-28kg | 32kg | 35kg |
| Valise - packed size | 600 × 300 × 400 | 670 × 310 × 460 | 760 × 340 × 420 |
| Valise - price | £800 | £940 | £1,037 |
| Canister - weight | 32-34kg | 39-40kg | 43-45kg |
| Canister - packed size | 680 × 430 × 280 | 750 × 490 × 290 | 750 × 490 × 310 |
| Canister - price | £840 | £989 | £1,086 |
| Tube diameter | 2 × 210mm | 2 × 230mm | 2 × 260mm |
Prices are live and update automatically. Where a weight is shown as a range, the manufacturer's dealers publish differing figures and we would rather show the spread than pick one and be wrong - call us and we will confirm the exact figure for the configuration you want.
Coastal or offshore?
This decides everything else: the floor, the pack, the canopy, the price. Get it right first and the rest of the choices become easy.
Coastal
Designed for use up to about 2m significant wave height, Beaufort 6, and air temperature above 10°C. It assumes help is coming within a day.
- Thermally insulated floor
- Under-24-hour emergency pack
- High-visibility yellow canopy
- No drinking water in the pack
- No thermal protective aids
Offshore
Built for extended passages, higher winds and bigger seas, and equipped to keep a crew alive without outside help for longer. Inflates reliably down to minus 15°C.
- Insulated floor, orange canopy, SOLAS reflective tape
- Inflatable boarding step, as used on commercial rafts
- Over-24-hour pack: water and thermal protective aids
- Meets ISO, ISAF, RORC and WCC requirements
ISO 9650-2 was withdrawn in May 2022 and merged into ISO 9650-1:2022, where the coastal specification is now called Type 2. Rafts are still widely sold and labelled ISO 9650-2 - it means the same thing, but the standard it names no longer exists as a separate document.
Valise or canister?
Not a packaging preference. It decides where the raft can legally live, whether it can free itself if the boat goes down fast, and how heavy it is to move.
Valise
Lighter and cheaper, and it will fit in a cockpit locker or a dedicated stowage below. But someone has to carry it to the rail by hand, and it cannot float free.
- Several kilos lighter than the same raft in a canister
- Must be kept dry - not a deck item
- Cannot take a hydrostatic release
- Racing rules cap below-deck valises at 40kg
Canister
Lives on deck or in the cockpit in a cradle, exposed to the weather by design. The only option that can be fitted with a hydrostatic release, so the raft frees itself if the boat sinks before anyone reaches it.
- Deck-mounted - nothing to carry
- Takes a hydrostatic release unit
- Weatherproof, no dry locker needed
- Heavier, and takes deck space
What is actually in the pack
The single biggest price difference between two otherwise identical rafts, and the one customers most often discover too late.
Under 24 hour pack - supplied with this raft
- Bailer
- Drogue / sea anchor
- Floating knife
- Hand pump
- Life-saving signal card
- Pair of oars
- Repair kit
- Rescue quoit, 30m line
- Signal mirror
- Waterproof torch and batteries
- Wet notes
- Whistle
- 2 parachute rockets
- 2 sponges
- 3 red hand flares
- 6 anti-seasickness tablets
- No drinking water
- No thermal protective aids
Over 24 hour pack - offshore rafts
- 0.5 litres of water per person
- 2 thermal protective aids
- 6 anti-seasickness tablets per person
Which one is right for you?
Every model in this range side by side, so you can see exactly what the extra money buys.
| Model | Sea CruiserYOU ARE VIEWING | Sea Master Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | ISO 9650 Type 2 (coastal) | ISO 9650-1 Type 1 (offshore) |
| Capacities | 4, 6 or 8 person | 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 person |
| Packing | Valise or canister | Valise or canister |
| Buoyancy chambers | 2, independent butyl rubber | 2, independent butyl rubber |
| Floor | Thermally insulated | Thermally insulated |
| Canopy | High-visibility yellow ripstop nylon | High-visibility orange, SOLAS reflective tape |
| Lighting | Internal and external | SOLAS auto external flashing plus internal |
| Boarding | Ladder with hand-over-hand grab lines | Inflatable boarding step |
| Emergency pack | Under 24 hour (ISO Pack 2) | Over 24 hour (ISO Pack 1) |
| Service interval | 3 years | 3 years |
| Price from | £800 | £987 |
| You are here | View Sea Master Plus |
Where it goes and how it launches
Mount it where it can reach the water in 15 seconds
Deck, cockpit or a dedicated locker - but the test is the same: could an exhausted person get it over the side in fifteen seconds, in the dark, at an angle? If not, move it.
Secure it in a cradle, not with a bungee
A canister needs a proper cradle and lashing strap so it stays put in a knockdown but releases instantly by hand. Vertical cradles suit transom and pushpit mounting where deck space is tight.
Consider a hydrostatic release
An HRU cuts the lashing automatically at roughly 1.5 to 4m of submersion, so the raft floats free and inflates on its painter if the boat goes down before anyone reaches it. Canister only. Replace the unit every two years.
Tie the painter to the boat - properly
The raft inflates by being pulled. If the painter is not made fast to a strong point, you will watch your liferaft drift away fully inflated. It happens more often than anyone admits.
Whichever you choose, every arrangement should let the raft reach the lifelines within about 15 seconds. If yours cannot, the stowage is wrong - regardless of what the raft cost.
Frequently asked
Seago rafts are serviced every three years up to twelve years old, then annually to eighteen. Seago are the official service agent for their own rafts and publish current prices on their website; independent stations charge a lower base survey fee but add the cost of replacing time-expired flares, water and first aid separately. Either way, budget for it - over the life of the raft, servicing will cost more than the raft did. Call us and we will point you at the nearest approved station.
Yes. ISO 9650-2:2005 was withdrawn in May 2022 and merged into ISO 9650-1:2022, where the coastal specification is now called Type 2. A raft certified to the old standard is not invalidated by that change, and the specification is materially the same. You will see both labels in use across the trade for years yet.
For a summer crossing in settled weather, in a busy shipping area with good coverage, most people would say yes. But be honest about the worst night you might have, not the typical one - the coastal pack has no water and no thermal protection, and the standard assumes air above 10 degrees. If you cross regularly, or in the shoulder season, the offshore raft is the better buy.
Canister, if you have anywhere sensible to put it. A valise has to live in a dry locker, and a mooring boat spends most of its life unattended - a canister in a cradle with a hydrostatic release is the arrangement that still works when nobody is aboard to carry anything.
Yes, and especially with a coastal raft, because the pack has no drinking water. A grab bag holds what the raft cannot: water, your EPIRB or PLB, handheld VHF, medication, passports, phone in a waterproof case, spare warm layers. Pack it so one person can grab it in the dark without thinking.
Liferafts ship on a pallet courier rather than a standard parcel service. Delivery is calculated at checkout for UK mainland addresses; Highlands, islands and non-mainland addresses are quoted individually. Overseas shipping may incur additional charges - call us before ordering, or collect from the shop.
Not sure which raft you need? Ask us.
Tell us where you sail, how many are usually aboard, and where you would put it. We will tell you honestly which specification you need - and whether the cheaper raft would do.
Delivery & Returns
Liferafts are subject to length and weight shipping restrictions and travel on a pallet courier rather than a standard parcel service. Delivery is calculated at checkout for UK mainland addresses.
Highlands, islands, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wight and non-mainland addresses are quoted individually - please call our online team on +44 (0) 1473 694725 before ordering so we can confirm the cost and lead time. Overseas shipping may incur additional charges.
You are also very welcome to collect from the shop, which many customers prefer so we can check the raft over and talk through where it should be mounted.
Our policy is simple - you have up to 90 days to return your purchase if it is not suitable or you have changed your mind. Our hassle-free 90-day returns policy applies to most items and is offered in addition to your statutory rights.
Please note: a liferaft must be returned unused and with its factory seals intact. Once a raft has been deployed or its container opened it cannot be returned as unwanted, though this does not affect your rights if the item is faulty.
Because liferafts are large and heavy, please call our online team on +44 (0) 1473 694725 to arrange collection rather than arranging your own courier.
If you need to add or remove items from your order, change the details of your delivery address or cancel the order completely, please contact our Online Team for advice on +44 (0) 1473 694725 between 0900 and 1730 Monday to Friday or email us. Please quote your order number and order date. If your order has already been dispatched or delivered, then you will need to follow our Returns procedure in the event of any unwanted products.









