Automatic lifejackets V Solid lifejackets?

Tom44

It always worrys me, will it work ?

Bit like air bags in a car !

Yes mine does get an annual inspection, but (paranoiaably) it has yet to prove itself ?



Or am I just paranoid

Steve

Horses for courses.

I have a buoyancy aid that I wear under my wet gear for general sailing / racing in daytime when there always other people around.

I have a spinlock deckvest (Full auto inflatable with light and spray hood) that I wear on offshore delivery trips or at night or anytime I'll be alone on watch.

Can't say whether yours will work or not, only the guy who inspect / services it can claim that but glad to hear you actually bother to get that done

I manually inflate mine at least once a year to check for leaks.

You can never be too paranoid about stuff like this, people have died because of the 'as shure it'll be grand' mentality.

megafan

Tom44... Can't be too paranoid.... While i use an inflatable jacket still not 100% sure some damage may have happend in car boot... & for guests have a supply of solid/foam jackets as feel more confident knowing they will work if needed!

pedroeibar1

They work. I had one auto-inflate in the car boot this season, gear thrown in and cracked the tab so off it went.
I told this tale waay back about one experience:o

Daibheid

Tom44 wrote: »

It always worrys me, will it work ?

Bit like air bags in a car !

Yes mine does get an annual inspection, but (paranoiaably) it has yet to prove itself ?



Or am I just paranoid

I personally prefer permanent buoyancy for several reasons.
Nothing to go wrong.
Puncture proof
No maintenance or operating costs
Cold hands not an issue
Provides warmth and good physical body protection.
Reusable after a dunking on a trip.

I have a manual gas inflate jacket for use sailing for several reasons:
The reduced bulk is handy inside the boat and in/out hatches
It's a life jacket and not a buoyancy aid which most solid jackets are not
It has a built-in harness for safety lines.

There was one sad case in Ireland where someone drowned when a gas inflate failed. I think it was due to a defect in the non-return valve on the oral inflate tube.
If you manually inflate occasionally it will test a lot of the functionality and at least reassure you that the gas system fails you can orally inflate the jacket.

spaceHopper

Every so often check that the gas cylinder hasn't worked loose, its a common reason for them not working.

HeidiHeidi

spaceHopper wrote: »

Every so often check that the gas cylinder hasn't worked loose, its a common reason for them not working.

Or become corroded - I recently checked mine, which is carefully maintained, and the cylinder was in an awful state :eek:

Also, you can weigh the cylinder on a digital scales to see if any gas has leaked - most are either 33g or 38g, it's stamped on the cannister.

Also, a few years ago I accidentally discovered that the firing mechanism have a use-by/best-before date! No idea how stringent that would be, but I wouldn't be taking any chances......

I've seen many man-overboards in Dublin Bay while racing for the last 15 years, and I think there were more lifejackets that didn't fire/inflate than those that did.