Inflating life jackets

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Not sure if this should have gone in the saftey forum I think exposure here is better and its boating equipment so I put it here for now.

I’m interested in inflating life jackets. It seems that most states require them to be worn to count ? Or are there some that qualify if there just on deck? My reading here has produced fuzzy results. I do have an inflatable throwable that meets all classes that I boat in and the write up said this was the only one at that time that did.

Cost is a factor will need 7 of them at times. My boats a center console and keeping 5 to 7 life jackets on deck not in a storage compartment is a serious loss of space. Its actually as big of a safety concern as not having one to begin with. At times we will be 60 to 80 miles from shore I’d like something comfortable enough that I can force my he man women hater crew to wear them anything on board. I like the idea of having one on everyone at all times but I then come back to the real world and they will have to be compact and not get in the way when fishing in kaos which is pretty common in my life.

any brands models to look at or ideas to help keep my costs low quality high and people happy enough wearing one that they will.

 

[Scott Danforth]

My buddy keeps two inflatable PFD's on his boat, for him and his wife. everyone else gets foam.

I myself am looking at a pair for the admiral and I (Amazon). they are more comfortable than the foam vests

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S938HMN

 

[H20Rat]

Part of the reason for them not counting as a life jacket unless worn is that they are smaller, and don't necessarily float well without inflating. Worst case scenario, you boat turns upside down and you get tossed out, you may not be able to see an uninflated one floating in the water. (they require a couple inches of water pressure to auto-inflate, which may or may not happen by itself)

I'd go with one of two options.

1) only have inflatables, and boat doesn't move unless everyone has one on. You quickly forget you are wearing them.
2) orange horse collars, and figure out a place to safely store them. if you have room for 8 people 8 miles off shore, you have room for a stack of 8 life jackets in a corner somewhere.

 

[Alumarine]

I've been using auto inflatables for about 10 years, and wear them always.
I often forget I'm wearing one and find myself on shore with it on.
I never found the foam one's comfortable so I rarely wore them.

I'd recommend the type that have a cloth collar which is more comfortable on the back of the neck than plain nylon.
Also, a small zippered storage pocket is handy for keys etc.

In Canada they only count as a life jacket when worn.

 

[dingbat]

Type V life jackets are required to be worn to count
Inflatables are expense and time consuming to maintain properly. Better off with foam for customers and guests.

BTW... distance from shore has no bearing when it come to jacket selection. Had a guy drown at the dock later Spring. Hypothermia and heart attack.

Your best offshore protection is a float suit.

 

[roscoe]

There are 4 kinds of inflatable pfd's.

Manual, requires you to pull a ripcord to inflate, so... you must be conscious, not panicked, physically and emotionally capable to do so. $100

Auto inflating, which inflate when a dissolvable wafer gets wet. $150 These can activate in heavy rain, or if dropped in the water.

Auto inflating Hydrostatic or HIT, which are activated by water pressure. $225 No false activations.

And then there are off shore rated auto inflating units. $200 - $400

If that doesn't suit your needs, then look into some of the special purpose vests for canoeists and kayakers, and for fly fishermen. They are all cut differently, and fit differently.

All inflatable pfd's must be worn.

I had 2 cheaper manual inflatables from gander and cabalas for 6 years.
Yes, I have loaded up the boat and gotten into the truck before realizing I was still wearing it.

3 years ago I picked up a HIT unit made by Mustang Survival.
No worries about taking a splash and not being conscious to pull the cord.

https://www.amazon.com/Mustang-HIT-...IT+pfd&qid=1581402005&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-7

 

[Captain Caveman]

I have two inflatable PFDs from Cabela's that are about 5 years old. They both auto-inflate plus have a manual handle if you want to inflate it yourself. They are very comfortable. My boat is rated for 5 people so I keep five regular PFDs plus my two inflatables. Five years ago I paid probably $115 each. Every two or three years I need to buy new CO2 cartridges. That's a great time to jump into the lake with the old cartridge to get used to how it inflates, and make sure it's still working.

 

[Sprig]

Instances of fatal accidents where inflatable life jackets failed to properly inflate have been documented. When a life jacket fails to inflate properly, the results can be life threatening. Unknown bladder leaks may exist, fabric degradation or an improperly installed CO2 cylinder is all it takes to render an inflatable life jacket ineffective by preventing its inflation or ability to stay inflated. Also in an accident the bladder can be punctured. For these reasons I personally would not use inflatable pfd’s off shore 60 to 80 miles. I sometimes wear an inflatable but only when fishing lakes or river systems where shore and other boats and rescue are generally close by. Just my personal thoughts on the matter.

 

[Texasmark]

I got tired of the conventional style and found "USCG Approved" inflatables for $100 on the www, may have been Amazon. They are small in size, horse shoe shaped, and have a nice comfortable harness. Wearing them is nothing like the conventional style on several counts. They have a CO2 cartridge with a lanyard for manual discharge or once in the water a water soluble device fires the cartridge, in the event you are incapacitated and can't. I have 2. One is blue and one is pink. Wink.

No reason why you wouldn't have them around your neck anytime your boat is in motion. Just that comfortable and out of the way.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

What? People actually wearing life jackets in boats? I am sure that I will get scolded for my cavalier attitude but I have never worn a life jacket unless I was water skiing.

 

[Sprig]

What? People actually wearing life jackets in boats? I am sure that I will get scolded for my cavalier attitude but I have never worn a life jacket unless I was water skiing.

I definitely wouldn’t scold you. It is your prerogative to wear or not wear a PDF while on the water. When I was younger (and thought I was invincible) I to didn’t wear a pfd while boating. As I got older and hopefully wiser wearing a pfd became like wearing my seat belt in the car.
No one goes out on the water thinking today is the day I drown, no one is expecting it. It usually happens accidentally, unexpectedly and suddenly in seconds. I live in California where we have lots of water access, over a thousand mile of coast line, many bays and rivers, 1500 miles of delta and hundreds of lakes and reservoirs. Every year I read of dozens or hundreds of people drowning in California. 99.9 percent of them have one thing in common - they were not wearing a pfd. A week ago a guy in Nurse slough around SF bay fell overboard while fishing, they still haven’t found his body. Another several weeks ago fell overboard while fishing in a small lake. Found him dead 2 days later. A couple months ago 2 boats collided. One drowned, not wearing a pfd. A couple months ago a father and 3 children were cruising along in the delta. Children had pfd on , father did not. A toddler fell overboard, the father jumped overboard to rescue his child. Daddy drowned. A kayaker in the delta with his small child when the child fell in. Dad leaped into the water , managed to get his his son back in the kayak, but daddy without a pfd drowned. All the victims had 2 things in common, none had any inkling they were going to die by drowning on their fateful day and none were wearing a pfd. I have many many more examples.
A lot of things I still want to do in life, I wear my pfd.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

I’m still leaning towards inflatable jackets from the thought that its more likely for my crew to have one on then a normal jacket. And regardless of the documented cases of them not deploying or something failing on one the real fact of life is most of my guys will not wear one religiously on the boat and I may be able to push that a little more with an inflatable.

Storing 6 normal jackets on deck not in a locker is complex probably a bigger safety hazard then they will ever prevent.

 

[dwco5051]

Storing 6 normal jackets on deck not in a locker is complex probably a bigger safety hazard then they will ever prevent.

The best place to store a PFD is on your body,

 

[Texasmark]

What? People actually wearing life jackets in boats? I am sure that I will get scolded for my cavalier attitude but I have never worn a life jacket unless I was water skiing.

When you pick up some age and realize that you really "aren't" impervious to everything you will don one gladly and will use the little attached loop in attaching your engine kill lanyard.

 

[Captain Caveman]

When you pick up some age and realize that you really "aren't" impervious to everything you will don one gladly and will use the little attached loop in attaching your engine kill lanyard.

We all have different boating situations to remember. When I'm going fast across a big lake, life jacket is on. When I'm boating just before or after winter, with cold water temps and lots of warm clothes on, I wear a life jacket. When I'm fishing in my 5ft deep bay, I don't wear one. When using my 12ft boat with a 3hp motor in small lake bays, I don't wear one.

A rogue wave, a submerged rock, or collision with another boat can throw you from the boat and knock you unconscious. While I'm still in my 40s and a good swimmer, I realize that there are some situations that I can't control. Those are good times for life jackets.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

When you pick up some age and realize that you really "aren't" impervious to everything you will don one gladly and will use the little attached loop in attaching your engine kill lanyard.

I am soon to be 54 have pretty much lived my life on the water without incident, and my vintage motors do not have engine killing lanyards. I worked wild land fire pretty much injury free for 20 years, situational awareness is key in all operations to avoid accidents and mishaps.

 

[StarTed]

I got to use my PFD once while canoeing down the Skagit river near Marblemount, WA. A bend in the river near some rock outcropping caused a whirl pool to form. When I noticed it I had about half a second to realize that my canoe was reacting in a turn over. I was under water for about another half a second when I popped up right next to the canoe. It took about another half a mile to make it to shore. That same curve had claimed a lady's life a couple years earlier.

Another situation I was fishing in the Missouri river just above Fort Peck reservoir with my brother in his 12' Starcraft with a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton motor. Enforcement people stopped and checked our licenses and looked over the boat. We probably looked like a couple of "Red Necks" One officer noticed that there were no PFDs in the boat so he asked if we had any PFDs. I told him we were wearing them so then he noticed they were on our bodies. That kind of told me how many people actually wear their PFDs.

 

[appleo]

Regulations vary by state

In Ny inflatables only count april thru october In Pa inflatables must be worn to count. all months

I wear my inflatable at all times. no reason not to.

 

[dingbat]

Regulations vary by state

In Ny inflatables only count april thru october In Pa inflatables must be worn to count. all months

Never heard of such a thing. Cant find a reference to this law either.

Have a link?

 

[dwco5051]

Never heard of such a thing. Cant find a reference to this law either.

Have a link?

As a type V PFD it must be worn to meet the requirements for 1 PFD for each occupant. My originally issued Mustang stated on the USCG label it was not to be used below 32 deg. Now the owners manual has a warning that in cold weather you make not get enough out of the CO2 cylinder to fully inflate and may need to finish manually inflating for full buoyancy. I have no idea how long that change has been in effect.

Can't tell you about the NY Reg. But for PA beginning in 2012, the following regulation was established:

• • a person shall wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD or life jacket) during the cold weather months from November 1st through April 30th while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or any canoe or kayak.