Life raft

Claim 1

A LIFE RAFT HAVING AN INFLATABLE ENDLESS TUBE FORMING A HULL BODY, A DIAPHRAGMATIC DECK EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE TUBE, A SHELTER STRUCTURE CARRIED BY THE HULL BODY AND INCLUDING A NUMBER OF UPWARDLY EXTENDING INFLATABLE CONVERGING STANCHIONS, AT LEAST ONE OF THE STANCHIONS BEING IN COMMUNICATION AT ITS LOWER END WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE ENDLESS TUBE, AND AN ENDLESS TUBE TOP UNIT SUPPORTED ON THE UPPER ENDS OF THE STANCHIONS, SAID STANCHIONS ALL BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE ENDLESS TUBE TOP UNIT, MEANS FOR INFLATING THE HULL BODY, THE STANCHIONS AND THE ENDLESS TOP UNIT, A PANEL UNIT EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY INWARDLY OF SAID ENDLESS TOP UNIT WHEN THE LATTER IS INFLATED, SAID PANEL LYING IN A PLANE WITH RESPECT TO THE ENDLESS TUBE TOP UNIT CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LATTER, SAID PANEL UNIT COMPRISING AN ANNULAR BAND SECURED TO THE ENDLESS TUBE TOP UNIT AND A TRANSPARENT SHEET ENCIRCLED BY AND SECURED AROUND ITS PERIPHERY TO SAID ANNULAR BAND, SAID PANEL UNIT LYING ENTIRELY BELOW THE TOPMOST PART OF SAID ENDLESS TUBE TOP UNIT AND FORMING THEREWITH A RAIN WATER CATCH BASIN, A VALVED TUBE ATTACHED AT ONE END TO AND OPENING THROUGH THE SAID ANNULAR BAND FOR USE IN WITHDRAWING RAIN WATER FROM THE CATCH BASIN BY OCCUPANTS OF THE RAFT.