Hi Liam, While enjoying the boat on coastal navigation, not a big deal to store the life raft in the locker but the day you head out on an OFFSHORE Passage, you MUST keep your raft in a place easy to reach and launch. I do not know the 385 well enough to make recommendations. I have been in a heavy sea (storm conditions) between Azores and Canary islands I can confirm it would have been IMPOSSIBLE to reach a locker from transom.
The membership association for owners of Dufour Yachts