Life jackets.

emmbaasee

Hi,

First time poster here.

I'm looking for some advice on a good quality life jacket. What brands would give value for money and which to avoid ? Any store's doing special offers or maybe a website or two ? I'm new to all this and clueless.


Thanks

the beer revolu

What do you need a life jacket for?
The type of life jacket you require depends on your activity.
Here's a RNLI guide

emmbaasee

the beer revolu wrote: »

What do you need a life jacket for?
The type of life jacket you require depends on your activity.
Here's a RNLI guide

It's for use on a Rib for some Sea Fishing.
That's a great link. Lot's of information.

the beer revolu

Your best bet would probably be a 150N inflatable life jacket - less bulky than a non inflatable jacket.

HeidiHeidi

the beer revolu wrote: »

Your best bet would probably be a 150N inflatable life jacket - less bulky than a non inflatable jacket.

But if you go the automatic-inflation route, PLEASE, PLEASE ensure you get it serviced regularly, and learn how to take good care of it the whole time. The amount of man-overboards I've seen in Dublin Bay racing (where there's hundreds of boats around, in fairness, and the biggest danger is getting run over - you'll be picked up quickly enough by someone) where the lifejackets didn't blow up is scary.

miss no stars

In a similar vein, does anyone know of anything that would come close to the spinlock deckvest and is available here? Been looking at the hydrostatic hammer type inflation... Wet sailing and salt tablets aren't a combination I care for...

Stheno

Is this what you are looking for?

The top two in the link and there are more on the side.

johnciall

@Miss no stars
When i'm on the foredeck I go with one of these http://www.gul.com/buoyancy-aids/gul-garda-buoyancy-aid_gm0002-chre-s.html no worries about an accidental inflation

To follow on from what HeidiHeidi said, make sure to check your life jacket yourself even if you've been told it's ok, last summer I was using a loaner and discovered it had actually been used & not reset after a month of sailing [which may have involved one or two close calls]

HeidiHeidi

johnciall wrote: »

@Miss no stars
When i'm on the foredeck I go with one of these http://www.gul.com/buoyancy-aids/gul-garda-buoyancy-aid_gm0002-chre-s.html no worries about an accidental inflation

To follow on from what HeidiHeidi said, make sure to check your life jacket yourself even if you've been told it's ok, last summer I was using a loaner and discovered it had actually been used & not reset after a month of sailing [which may have involved one or two close calls]

For this reason I'm mildly obsessive about always having my own with me on other boats. Although I still got caught out (nearly) at the beginning of this season when did my usual check of mine - and discovered despite regular maintenance and tender loving care, the bladder had a hole in it :eek: You literally can never be too careful!

Every PFD (personal flotation device) has its own benefits and risks - a buoyancy aid as mentioned by Miss No Stars above will keep you afloat, but won't turn you onto your back and prop your head above water if you go in after a bang on the head..... the manual-inflation devices (similar to auto-inflation ones but work on a pull-cord) have the same obvious limitation, but if inflated will do the turning/propping thing...... the auto-inflation ones need to be well maintained, and if you're in very splashy conditions can be liable to go off uninivited..... all of the inflating ones are very neat to wear - a great big foam job with a collar avoids most of the above problems, but you can hardly move in it.

You really need to assess how and where you'll be using the PFD, and pick the one that best suits YOUR needs. Any reputable chandlery will help with advice.

miss no stars

Stheno wrote: »

Is this what you are looking for?

The top two in the link and there are more on the side.

Yeah that's very similar to what I'm looking at except I'm looking at the 170N rather than 275N version... But as you can see from the price tag they don't come cheaply :eek: So it's left me wondering whether anything else comes close in terms of my "must have" list of:

1. Lifejacket rather than buoyancy aid
2. Auto inflation
3. Hydrostatic hammer mechanism so no accidental inflates (always funny to watch on other people, but don't want to be that person...)
4. Inbuilt harness
5. Crotch straps
6. Not being 275N buoyancy (which can apparently do more harm to small people than good)
7. Spray hood (nice but not a must have)
8. Light (also nice to have but not an absolute must have)

I know it sounds like a really extensive list but when I look at it 1-6 are all fairly basic requirements for coastal sailing taking in nights and 7 and 8 are must-haves for offshores, I would have said. Yet only one jacket appears to meet those requirements I must be missing something!

johnciall wrote: »

@Miss no stars
When i'm on the foredeck I go with one of these http://www.gul.com/buoyancy-aids/gul-garda-buoyancy-aid_gm0002-chre-s.html no worries about an accidental inflation

Yeah I've been sailing with similar, but my actual lifejacket itself needs replacement as it's dead as a dodo (UV covering worn through at multiple fold points, slow leak when inflated ). My reasoning is that in heavier weather I'd rather have a lifejacket than a buoyancy aid (if I'm going overboard it's for a reason and that reason is as likely to have me unconscious as conscious). It's looking like a spinlock at this point!

Stheno

miss no stars wrote: »

Yeah that's very similar to what I'm looking at except I'm looking at the 170N rather than 275N version... But as you can see from the price tag they don't come cheaply :eek: So it's left me wondering whether anything else comes close in terms of my "must have" list of:

1. Lifejacket rather than buoyancy aid
2. Auto inflation
3. Hydrostatic hammer mechanism so no accidental inflates (always funny to watch on other people, but don't want to be that person...)
4. Inbuilt harness
5. Crotch straps
6. Not being 275N buoyancy (which can apparently do more harm to small people than good)
7. Spray hood (nice but not a must have)
8. Light (also nice to have but not an absolute must have)

I know it sounds like a really extensive list but when I look at it 1-6 are all fairly basic requirements for coastal sailing taking in nights and 7 and 8 are must-haves for offshores, I would have said. Yet only one jacket appears to meet those requirements I must be missing something!

Marine parts in swords have the 170N version, but it's just as expensive!

http://www.marineparts.ie/safety/lifejackets/lifejackets-en/spinlock-deckvest-lite-150n-lifejacket-black.html

They have a bricks and mortar store on the old airport road (N1) in Swords if you wanted to go out and try one out?