You bought a boat because boating is a lot of fun and is a great way to relax and escape the worries of everyday life. But, even on a boat, problems can occur, from a mechanical issue to someone falling overboard. If you’re unprepared, little problems can quickly become big problems on a boat.

The arrival of summer also means the arrival of hurricane season. The National Weather Service reminds boaters to always monitor the weather and be prepared for emergencies.

Along the East Coast, hurricane season runs from June through the end of November. Here in the Northeast, we don’t get hurricanes too often, but when we do, the hurricanes and tropical storms can move fast, unpredictably, and cause a tremendous amount of damage. That’s why the United States Coast Guard urges boaters to be prepared to act quickly.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is urging all boaters to use extra caution while boating during the upcoming July 4th holiday.

What things do people consider when picking a life raft? The list typically includes capacity, service interval, equipment, etc. One item that hasn’t been on the list—but should be—is the inflation system. CO₂ has historically been the only inflation system option for marine life rafts…until now.  Now consumers have the option to choose between a raft inflated with Air or CO₂.

What’s the advantage of using Air instead of CO₂? There’s several. First and foremost is that air isn’t affected by temperature.  When you compress CO₂ into a cylinder, the pressure changes based on temperature. This can affect the speed of inflation—at low temperatures, the gas compresses (which lowers the pressure), and your life raft will inflate slowly. In some cases the CO₂ will even solidify into dry ice which slows inflation even more. Air, on the other hand, is not affected by temperature. Your raft will inflate with greater speed than CO₂, regardless of the temperature.