Ocean Safety Ocean Ultralite ISO Liferaft
Offshore certification at roughly 30% less weight.
Product Code: OSRAF0405
The Ocean Ultralite life raft from Ocean Safety is ISO 9650-1 approved and up to 30% less heavy compared to a traditional Ocean Iso life raft. Available in both canister and valise this life rafts have been rigorously tested in the UK to comply with the regulation in place. Each raft configuration comes with <24 hour survival pack included as standard, 3 year service intervals which is supported by Ocean Safety's global service network.
Ocean Safety UltraLite Life Raft Specs
- Available in compact lightweight canister and valise options
- Ties to enable observation port
- External guide rail and carbon wrapped aluminium cylinder
- SOLAS approved lighting system (internal and external)
- Zip closure to protect against splash
- Retro-reflective panel/tape for increased visibility
- Rain water collection
- High visibility canopy for improved visibility and easy location
- Strong boarding ladder enforced with aluminium tubing for ease of access
- Knee scoop with grab handles for faster boarding
- The water ballasts pockets exceed ISO requirements and offer maximum stability (6 to 8 man - 4 x 75L = 300L and 10 to 12 man - 6 x 75L = 450L)
UltraLite Life Raft Valise Dimensions
| Liferaft Size | Weight | Dimensions (mm) | Ocean Safety Part No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Man Valise | 29Kg | 760 x 450 x 260 | RAF0405 |
| 8 Man Valise | 32.5Kg | 760 x 450 x 260 | RAF0410 |
| 10 Man Valise | 33.5Kg | 860 x 500 x 360 | RAF0415 |
| 12 Man Valise | 33.5Kg | 860 x 500 x 360 | RAF0415 |
UltraLite Life Raft Carbon Canister Dimensions
| Liferaft Size | Weight | Dimensions (mm) | Ocean Safety Part No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Man Canister | 28Kg | 788 x 518 x 280 | RAF0375 |
| 8 Man Canister | 35Kg | 788 x 518 x 280 | RAF0385 |
| 10 Man Canister | 36Kg | 788 x 518 x 280 | RAF0395 |
| 12 Man Canister | 33.5Kg | 788 x 518 x 360 | RAF0400 |
What you are actually buying
Roughly 30% lighter
A carbon composite container and a carbon-fibre-wrapped aluminium gas cylinder. The weight comes out of the packaging and the bottle, not out of the raft - so nothing is given up to get it.
Same Group A certification
Identical ISO 9650-1 Type 1 Group A approval as the standard Ocean ISO. This is the rare case where the lighter option is not the lesser one.
300 to 450 litres of ballast
Scaled with capacity. Ballast is what stops a raft being flipped by wind before the crew are aboard.
The canister weighs less than the valise
Unusual, and worth noticing: at 6 man the carbon container is a kilo lighter than the soft valise. You can have deck stowage and a hydrostatic release without a weight penalty.
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 | 6 Man | 8 Man | 10 Man | 12 Man |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valise - weight | 29kg | 32.5kg | 33.5kg | 37kg |
| Valise - packed size | 760 × 450 × 260 | 760 × 450 × 260 | 860 × 450 × 270 | 860 × 450 × 270 |
| Valise - price | £5,086.66 | £5,351.41 | £5,815.28 | £6,109.43 |
| Canister - weight | 28kg | 35kg | 36kg | 39.5kg |
| Canister - packed size | 788 × 518 × 280 | 788 × 518 × 280 | 788 × 518 × 280 | 788 × 518 × 360 |
| Canister - price | - | - | - | £7,302.38 |
| Ballast | 300L | 300L | 450L | 450L |
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 UltraliteYOU ARE VIEWING | Ocean ISO | Regatta Ocean | Ocean Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Also approved for | MCA Class XII, World Sailing OSR, Div 240/333 | MCA Class XII, World Sailing OSR, Div 240/333 | - | - |
| Container | Carbon composite | - | - | - |
| Gas cylinder | Carbon-fibre wrapped aluminium | - | - | - |
| 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 |
| Boarding | Boarding ladder with aluminium tubing, plus knee scoop and grab handles | Boarding ladder with aluminium tubing, plus knee scoop and grab handles | Boarding ramp AND ladder | - |
| Emergency pack | Under 24 hour | Under 24 hour or over 24 hour | Under 24 hour | - |
| Service interval | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Price from | £5,086.66 | £1,692.34 | £1,024.91 | £777.71 |
| You are here | View Ocean ISO | View Regatta Ocean | View Ocean Standard |
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
The container is carbon composite and the gas cylinder is carbon-fibre-wrapped aluminium instead of steel. Ocean Safety claim about 30% off the weight of the equivalent Ocean ISO. The raft itself, the certification and the pack are unchanged - you are paying to remove weight from the packaging, not to remove capability.
Because the carbon container weighs less than the soft valise bag and its framing. At 6 man it is about a kilo lighter. That is unusual and genuinely useful: normally choosing a canister costs you several kilos, so here you get deck stowage and the option of a hydrostatic release for nothing.
If the raft has to be carried, or lifted onto a coachroof, or the boat is weight-sensitive - yes, plainly. If it sits in a deck cradle and never moves, you are paying for a benefit you will rarely feel. Both carry the same certification.
Every three years, at an approved station. Call us and we will point you at the nearest one.
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.