Marine safety service for the Gulf of Maine, since 1854.
Life raft sales & service, survival suit inspection, and the marine safety equipment working captains actually use. Two Maine shops and ten thousand rafts in the last decade. Walk in or call.
Life raft service. Survival suits. Marine safety equipment.
Three things drive most of what we do. The rest of the catalog (EPIRBs, inflatables, signaling, charts, ship agency) is built around them. Drop-offs welcome at either Maine shop or at our partner drop-off stations, no appointment needed.
Life Rafts — Sales, Service & Rentals
Life raft repacking and inspection plus new and rental rafts. Viking, Switlik, RFD, Crewsaver, Elliot, Givens, Plastimo. 10,000+ rafts in the last decade.
Life rafts →Survival & Immersion Suits
Sales, inspection, repair, and rentals. Kent, Mustang, Imperial, Stearns, Viking. Sized to crew. Mail-in welcome from anywhere.
Survival suits →Marine Safety Equipment
Life jackets, EPIRBs, signaling, MOB recovery, abandon-ship bags, charts, and the working-boat retail catalog. Walk-in at both shops.
Marine safety →EPIRB · PLB · AIS Service
Battery replacement, NOAA registration update, hydrostatic release re-arming. ACR, Ocean Signal, McMurdo. Certified service and drop-offs welcome.
EPIRB service →Inflatable Boats — Sales & Repair
Authorized dealer for AB Inflatables and Achilles, plus Torqeedo electric outboards and parts. Tube repair, transom service, full re-tubes.
Inflatables →Ship Agency — Every Maine Port
Vessel agents on the Portland waterfront since the schooner days. Arrival filings, customs and CBP coordination, crew changes, and port logistics from South Portland to Eastport.
Ship agency →Different fleets. Different regulations. The same calendar problem.
Every fleet has its own paperwork and its own off-season. We schedule around yours, not around ours.
Commercial Fishing
Yachts & Recreational
Ferries & Passenger Vessels
Government & Municipal
Based in Maine since 1854.
Captain William Leavitt founded Chase, Leavitt & Co. as a ship agency in 1854, back in the days of schooners and full-rigged clippers. We’ve been on the Maine coast ever since. The gear has changed (canvas sails became life rafts, sextants became EPIRBs)—the work hasn’t.
Up and down the coast.
Most pickups can be arranged with 48-hour notice during the season. Call either shop to get on the schedule.
- Eastport, ME
- Bar Harbor, ME
- Searsport, ME
- Rockland, ME
- Boothbay Harbor, ME
- + more on request
Stuff worth keeping in the wheelhouse.
How often do life rafts need to be serviced?
Commercial rafts every year, hydros every 24 months, and recreational rafts depend on the raft.
Read article →Commercial fishing safety equipment checklist (46 CFR 28)
Vessel-by-vessel breakdown of required gear, and the inspection traps that catch boats every year.
Read article →EPIRB vs. PLB vs. AIS: which one belongs on your vessel?
The differences in coverage, registration, battery life, and the regs that decide for you.
Read article →Walk in. Call. Or fill out the quote form. Pick what’s easiest.
Most customers just walk in: 84 Cove St., Portland (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm) or 218 Bucksport Rd., Ellsworth (Mon–Fri 8am–4pm). No appointment needed.