A B757 FLT CREW DETECTS AFTER THE FACT THAT MAINT FORGOT TO PUT THE LIFE RAFT BACK ON THE ACFT FOR AN OVERWATER FLT.

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WE WERE SCHEDULED FOR A 1 LEG; OVERWATER FLT FROM MIAMI; FL; TO PANAMA CITY; PANAMA. WE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT APPROX 45 MINS PRIOR TO DEP TIME AND THE CAPT AND I BEGAN OUR NORMAL PREFLT ACTIVITIES. OUR COMPANY'S ACFT FLY A MIXTURE OF DOMESTIC; OVERLAND FLTS AND INTL; OVERWATER FLTS. IF THE ACFT IS SCHEDULED TO FLY A DOMESTIC PAIRING; IT IS COMMON FOR MAINT TO REMOVE THE LIFE RAFTS OFF THE ACFT TO MAKE MORE ROOM IN THE CRAMPED COCKPIT AREA. NORMALLY; ONCE AN AIRPLANE IS THEN POSITIONED TO MIAMI FOR AN INTL FLT; THE LIFE RAFTS ARE REINSTALLED ON THE ACFT. AS FO; PART OF MY COCKPIT PREFLT CHK IS TO ENSURE ALL THE REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIP IS ON BOARD THE ACFT. THIS IS DONE WITH FLOWS AND VISUAL INSPECTIONS OF THE REQUIRED EQUIP. FOR SOME REASON THAT MORNING; THE LIFE RAFTS WERE NOT REINSTALLED ON THE ACFT FOR OUR OVERWATER FLT AND I MISSED THAT OMISSION DURING MY COCKPIT PREFLT CHK. WE SUBSEQUENTLY FLEW THE OVERWATER FLT TO PANAMA CITY WITHOUT THE REQUIRED LIFE RAFTS. LOOKING BACK ON MY PREFLT FLOW; I CANNOT RECALL EXACTLY WHAT DISTR CAUSED ME TO NOT SEE THE MISSING RAFTS. UNFORTUNATELY; THE PREDEP COCKPIT IS A VERY NOISY; HECTIC ENVIRONMENT WITH LOADERS; FUELERS; CATERERS; AND RAMP SUPVRS COMING AND GOING AT ALL TIMES. TO PREVENT THIS PROB FROM HAPPENING AGAIN; I WILL USE EXTRA VIGILANCE DURING THE PREFLT CHKS AND MAKE AN EFFORT TO DISREGARD ANY NON-ESSENTIAL DISTRS IN THE COCKPIT ENVIRONMENT. OPERATIONALLY; I THINK IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE COMPANY TO DEVELOP AN INTL; OVERWATER CHKLIST TO ADDRESS EQUIP AND PROCEDURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE INTL THEATERS.