Crewsaver

What Crewsaver does

Crewsaver is a UK-based designer, manufacturer, and supplier of high-performance survival technology for the maritime and watersports industries, operating as a wholly-owned brand of Survitec Group Limited (registered in England and Wales). The company operates from Survitec House in Gosport, Hampshire, and traces its heritage back to 1920 when the original Survitec predecessor RFD was founded in Surrey. The product portfolio centers on two brand lines: the core Crewsaver range (inflatable and foam lifejackets from 35N to 290N buoyancy ratings under the Ergofit and Crewfit series, SOLAS MED approved immersion and survival suits made from 5mm fire retardant neoprene, 4-12 person liferafts, buoyancy aids, inflatable boats, rescue and safety equipment, marker buoys, and technical clothing) and the Yak sub-brand targeting the paddlesports market with PFDs, cags, drysuits, spray decks, waterproof luggage, and accessories.

The business model is hardware sales across three primary customer segments: leisure and recreational marine (consumers and SMB boaters), commercial maritime (SOLAS and MED regulated operators), and search and rescue / emergency services (Blue Light services including RNLI-affiliated lifeboat crews, KNRM, SNSM, aviation SAR aircrew, flood rescue teams, and law enforcement). Distribution is executed through a global authorized stockist and dealer network searchable by country, city, or postcode, supplemented by direct contact channels for bespoke emergency service requirements. Regulatory certifications include SOLAS, Marine Equipment Directive (MED), and USCG approvals, each representing significant compliance-driven entry barriers in commercial maritime and certain US recreational segments.

Go-to-market relies on a multi-channel marketing mix including the company website with content marketing, brochures, how-to guides, and safety campaigns such as #LifejacketSafe, alongside organic social media presence on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Strategic co-development partnerships with RNLI, KNRM, and SNSM provide real-world operational validation and product refinement feedback. Recurring revenue mechanics exist through mandatory annual servicing of inflatable lifejackets and liferafts, plus aftermarket re-arm kits, spray hoods, surface lights, and PLB/AIS beacon fittings. Crewsaver also offers a custom-branded solutions service for training centres and commercial customers, extending the model into co-branded B2B equipment supply.

Name

Crewsaver

Legal name

Survitec Group Limited

Website

https://crewsaver.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Crewsaver designs, manufactures, and supplies high-performance survival technology — including lifejackets, immersion suits, liferafts, and buoyancy aids — for commercial maritime, search and rescue, and recreational marine markets globally through an authorized stockist network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Safety Equipment

NAICS

Ship and Boat Building (33661)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Life-Saving Appliances & Safety Equipment (Davit Systems, Lifeboats, Firefighting) (IMAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Marine safety equipment
• Inflatable lifejackets
• Survival suits
• Liferafts manufacturing
• Personal flotation devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Gosport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Lifejackets and Personal Flotation Devices: Manufacture and sale of inflatable and foam lifejackets, personal flotation devices (PFDs) for leisure, commercial, and SAR applications
2. Survival Suits and Immersion Suits: Commercial-grade survival suits meeting SOLAS MED standards for marine and industrial applications
3. Liferafts: Sale of liferafts for leisure and commercial marine use, including ISO and valise/container options
4. Accessories and Service Parts: Re-arm kits, spray hoods, surface lights, PLB/AIS beacon fittings, and replacement components

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crewsaver is a world-leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of high-performance survival technology for the maritime and watersports industries. The product portfolio includes inflatable and foam lifejackets, SOLAS MED-approved survival and immersion suits, liferafts, buoyancy aids, personal flotation devices, inflatable boats, and rescue/safety equipment under the Crewsaver brand, plus paddlesports gear under the Yak sub-brand. Products are sold to commercial marine operators, Search & Rescue/Blue Light emergency services, leisure boaters, and watersports enthusiasts through a global authorized stockist network.

Product overview

Crewsaver is a world-leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of high-performance Survival Technology for the maritime and watersports industries. The product portfolio consists of two primary brand lines: Crewsaver (professional/commercial maritime safety) and Yak (paddlesports/recreational). The Crewsaver brand encompasses inflatable and foam lifejackets (Ergofit and Crewfit series ranging from 35N to 290N buoyancy), SOLAS MED-approved survival suits and immersion suits, liferafts (4-12 person capacity in ISO and commercial grades), buoyancy aids, inflatable boats, rescue and safety equipment, marker buoys, and technical clothing. The Yak sub-brand focuses on the paddlesports market with PFDs (including Kallista buoyancy aids), clothing and wetsuits (Apollo Cag, Horizon Drysuit), waterproof luggage (Dry Holdall), spray decks, and rescue/safety accessories. The company also offers commercial Search & Rescue solutions with integrated emergency breathing systems (EBS) options. Product support includes annual servicing requirements for inflatable lifejackets and liferafts, product registration for warranty validation, and extensive how-to guides and documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yak: Adventure equipment brand for paddlesports market including buoyancy aids, clothing, wetsuits, luggage, spray decks, rescue & safety equipment, and accessories. Yak has been supplying the Paddlesports market since the 1980s.

Products and services

• Ergofit 190N Lifejacket Inflatable lifejacket with 190N buoyancy rating designed for professional maritime use with ergonomic fit technology.
• Crewfit+ 180N Pro Lifejacket Professional-grade inflatable lifejacket with 180N buoyancy, featuring automatic inflation and integrated safety harness options.
• Crewfit 180N Pro Lifejacket Inflatable lifejacket with 180N buoyancy rating, available in multiple color options including Black/Red and White/Red configurations.
• Crewfit 165N Sport Lifejacket Sport-oriented inflatable lifejacket with 165N buoyancy, designed for recreational and competitive watersports activities.
• Crewfit 150N Junior Lifejacket Junior-sized inflatable lifejacket with 150N buoyancy, designed specifically for young boaters and watersports enthusiasts.
• Survival Suits (Commercial) SOLAS MED approved immersion suits made from 5mm fire retardant neoprene providing thermal protection against unintended water immersion for commercial maritime operations.
• Survival Suits (Search & Rescue) Professional survival suits designed for SAR operations, featuring advanced materials and construction for comfort, style, and performance.
• Liferafts Emergency liferafts in various capacities (4-12 person) available in valise and container configurations, SOLAS and ISO approved for leisure and commercial marine use.
• Inflatable Boats Inflatable watercraft for recreational and professional maritime applications.
• Buoyancy Aids (Leisure) Non-inflatable buoyancy aids designed for recreational watersports including kayaking, paddleboarding, and dinghy sailing.
• Personal Flotation Devices (Search & Rescue) PFDs designed for emergency service applications including flood rescue teams, aviation SAR aircrew, and law enforcement officers, including options with integrated Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS).
• Yak PFDs Personal flotation devices under the Yak brand for whitewater, recreational, and touring paddlesports markets.
• Yak Clothing & Wetsuits Paddlesports-specific clothing including cags, drysuits, wetsuits, and performance outerwear.
• Yak Spray Decks Spray skirts and decks for kayaks and canoes designed to prevent water entry into the cockpit.
• Yak Rescue & Safety Equipment Rescue and safety equipment specifically designed for paddlesports instructors and professionals.
• Apollo Cag Yak's premium cag (spray top) designed for whitewater and touring paddlesports.
• Kallista 50N Buoyancy Aid 50N buoyancy aid from Yak designed for recreational paddlesports including paddleboard use.
• Lifejacket and Safety Accessories Safety accessories including lifejacket lights, spray hoods, PLB/AIS beacons, re-arm kits, and replacement components.
• Marker Buoys Surface marker buoys for diving, water rescue, and training applications.
• Crewfit 165N Sport Cancer Research Lifejacket Limited edition pink variant of the Crewfit 165N Sport lifejacket supporting Cancer Research UK, with 100% of proceeds donated to CRUK.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based search and rescue organization. Crewsaver collaborates with RNLI to refine product design and construction based on real-world SAR operational insights.
• KNRM (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetherlands sea rescue organization. Crewsaver works with KNRM to develop and test lifejacket solutions for maritime rescue operations.
• SNSM (Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench sea rescue society. Crewsaver collaborates with SNSM to refine product design based on French maritime rescue expertise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spinlock: Spinlock is a UK-based specialist in marine safety equipment including lifejackets, deck hardware, and personal safety products. Like Crewsaver, it serves both leisure sailing and commercial marine customers and is a direct UK competitor in the lifejacket and harness market.
• Plastimo: Plastimo is a European marine equipment brand (part of the Michelin group) offering lifejackets, liferafts, buoyancy aids, and safety equipment. It overlaps with Crewsaver's leisure and commercial marine ranges and competes for the same European stockist channels.
• Lalizas: Lalizas is a Greek marine safety and equipment manufacturer offering lifejackets, liferafts, immersion suits, and a wide range of boating accessories. It competes with Crewsaver across both leisure and commercial marine segments, particularly in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean market.
• Baltic Lifejackets: Baltic Lifejackets is a Scandinavian manufacturer of inflatable lifejackets and personal flotation devices for leisure and commercial marine markets. It competes directly with Crewsaver across European leisure sailing and commercial marine segments with similar product positioning.
• Mustang Survival: Mustang Survival is a North American manufacturer of inflatable lifejackets, immersion suits, and personal flotation devices for marine, aviation, and law enforcement markets. It is the most direct competitor to Crewsaver, with overlapping product lines (inflatable PFDs, SOLAS/MED-approved survival suits) and competing for the same commercial marine and SAR customers.
• Stearns (Coleman): Stearns is a US-based manufacturer of personal flotation devices (PFDs) and flotation wear under the Coleman/Newell Brands portfolio. It competes with Crewsaver's leisure buoyancy aids and recreational lifejacket lines, particularly in the North American consumer market.
• Hansen Protection: Hansen Protection is a Norwegian manufacturer of survival suits, immersion suits, and personal protective equipment for the maritime, offshore, and fishing industries. Notably, Hansen Protection is also a brand within Survitec Group — making it a sister-brand peer to Crewsaver with overlapping SOLAS product portfolios.

Broad incumbents

• Helly Hansen: Helly Hansen is a large Norwegian marine and workwear brand offering sailing clothing, offshore apparel, and select safety equipment. It does not specialize in lifejackets to the same extent as Crewsaver but competes across the broader marine safety and apparel category with much greater scale and brand recognition.
• Viking Life-Saving Equipment: Viking Life-Saving Equipment is a global manufacturer of marine safety equipment including liferafts, lifejackets, immersion suits, and evacuation systems. It is a broad incumbent operating across maritime and offshore segments with a larger overall portfolio than Crewsaver but overlaps directly in liferafts and SOLAS survival suits.
• Survitec Group: Survitec Group is the parent company of Crewsaver and operates a portfolio of survival technology brands across commercial marine, defence, aviation, and oil & gas. It is the broader incumbent platform above Crewsaver and provides the corporate context for the brand's strategic positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CrewsaverUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/crewsaver
• Instagraminstagram.com/crewsaver
• Xx.com/crewsaver

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crewsaver