Ocean Safety Standard Liferaft
Entry-level coastal raft. No ISO approval — read below.
Product Code: OSRAF0430
- Ideal coastal cruising liferaft
- Automatic lighting system internal and external
- High vis canopy for easy location
- Zip closure with ties to enable observation port
- Internal rainwater collection from canopy
- Insulated floor
- 4 x 30 Litre water pockets for maximum stability
- Ladder for easy boarding
- Tapered corners to increase liferaft longevity
- External guide rail
- Pack includes: Pair of oars, red hand flares, bailer and 2 sponges, waterproof torch and whistle, lifesaving signal cards, floating knife, drogue, repair clamps, rescue quiot and 30m line, bellows hand pump
- Available in valise or canister
- Weight: 23.5/29kg (4/6 man valise), 28/38kg (4/6man Canister)
- Dimensions: 600x240x380/700x240x400mm (4/6 man valise), 650x430x280/740/480/290mm (4/6man cannister)
- Size: 4 or 6 person
n.b. overseas shipping may incur additional charges
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Valise - weight | 23.5kg | 29kg |
| Valise - packed size | 600 × 240 × 380 | 700 × 240 × 400 |
| Valise - price | £648.09 | £782.95 |
| Canister - weight | 28kg | 38kg |
| Canister - packed size | 650 × 430 × 280 | 740 × 480 × 290 |
| Canister - price | £700.31 | £827.67 |
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
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 | Ocean Ultralite | Ocean ISO | Regatta Ocean | Ocean StandardYOU ARE VIEWING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certification | ISO 9650-1 Type 1 Group A, RINA approved | ISO 9650-1 Type 1 Group A, RINA approved | ISO 9650-1 Type 1 | None - not ISO 9650 approved |
| Intended waters | Offshore | Offshore | Offshore | Coastal and short offshore, non-coded craft |
| Floor | Insulated, PU nylon laminate | Insulated, PU nylon laminate | Insulated | Insulated |
| Canopy | High-visibility yellow and orange | High-visibility yellow and orange | - | High-visibility orange, zip entrance |
| Lighting | - | SOLAS internal and external, retro-reflective tape | Exterior locator light, interior LED | Automatic light |
| Ballast | - | 4 or 5 x 75L pockets, above ISO minimum | 4 large water-ballast pockets | Large water-ballast pockets |
| Water collection | - | - | - | Rainwater collection and dispenser |
| Service interval | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Price from | £4,238.88 | £1,410.28 | £854.09 | £648.09 |
| View Ocean Ultralite | View Ocean ISO | View Regatta Ocean | You are here |
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
No. Ocean Safety do not claim ISO 9650 approval for the Ocean Standard, and it does not appear in any approval listing. That is the honest position and it is why this raft costs what it does. It is a rubber-construction coastal raft with an insulated floor, an automatic light, ballast pockets and rainwater collection - a real liferaft, but without the third-party certification the ISO rafts carry.
If you race, if your boat is coded, or if your insurer or event specifies ISO 9650, this raft will not satisfy them - check before you buy. It is also not the raft for offshore passages. For sheltered and coastal use on a private boat, with a proper grab bag, it is a considered choice rather than a compromise.
Independent certification of the construction, the inflation performance in cold weather, the ballast and the pack contents - plus, on Group A rafts, a guaranteed insulated floor and cold-weather inflation down to minus 15 degrees. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on where and when you sail. Call us and we will talk it through honestly.
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.
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.
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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.