🔍 Key Concepts

• Davit-launched life raft normal inflation method per SOLAS/USCG approval standards • Purpose of the inflation lanyard (painter) on a life raft • Role of hand pumps and manual topping-off vs. initial inflation source

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: What starts the primary inflation process on a davit-launched life raft as soon as it is in the water or at the correct point in launching? • Which device is meant only to top off or maintain pressure after the raft is already inflated? • Do davit-launched life rafts rely on helium or a separate compressed air hose kept on the ship, or is the gas system built into the raft container itself?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option describes the use of the painter / inflation lanyard rather than external pumps or hoses • Eliminate any option that suggests the raft depends on ship-supplied gas instead of its own built‑in cylinder • Remember that the hand pump is for maintaining or topping up pressure, not for the initial automatic inflation of a davit-launched life raft