Life jacket help

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by TurninTurtle

Caution buying the self-inflating type... I found out that they can inflate leaving a neck hole your fist won't fit through.
Nothing quite like being in the water and NEEDING to take the life jacket off because its choking you.
If getting a self-inflating, go someplace that will let you manually inflate and check fit while inflated VERY FIRM.
Also, many sailing lesson plans include dumping the boat over and then getting it back upright... that's going to activate any auto-inflating vest and cost you about $25 to $40 for the recharge kit.

I'd say go for a waterski style vest.

When I service my inflatable every couple of years, I make a point of setting it off - well, I'm replacing the cartridge anyway. Nothing like what you describe has happened, and in fact what you are stating appears to be impossible.

[TurninTurtle]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

When I service my inflatable every couple of years, I make a point of setting it off - well, I'm replacing the cartridge anyway. Nothing like what you describe has happened, and in fact what you are stating appears to be impossible.

You obviously have a different self-inflating life jacket.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by TurninTurtle

You obviously have a different self-inflating life jacket.

Is this something you've heard about, on the interweb? Or actually seen for yourself? If the latter, wouldn't it be helpful to post exactly which model you have seen it happen on, rather than casting aspersions on all inflatable life jackets?

Mine is a Mustang Survival self-inflating version.

Here's a picture of one like mine, inflated :

http://commutercruiser.com/inflatabl...jacket-re-arm/

Note that the neck section would have to inflate to many times its size, for that to happen, except that it can't, because the fabric is not elastic and can't expand to that size. Also the inflator cartridge has the correct charge to inflate the jacket, so you'd have to find a way to install a massively oversize cartridge.

So if you could find a jacket that will expand, made out of PVC or such, I suppose you could keep blowing into the manual inflation valve until you are asphyxiated. Probably not a good idea.

[TurninTurtle]

Its what I personally experienced when I capsized my boat (14 ft almost as easy to flip as a Laser) and my life vest auto-inflated. My biggest problem was the damn life jacket was trying to kill me...

Convinced me to go back to a ski vest.

Now you can shut up.

http://www.iboats.com/INFLT-PFD-A-M-...stomer_Reviews

[leftbrainstuff]

We have deckvests with crotch straps. They are very comfortable. The inflatable pfds dont offer any back padding.

The inflatable pfds are useless if you're dinghy sailing. A foam type will eliminate the unintentional inflation issue and provide some back protection in a dinght or rib.

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[tkeithlu]

I think we need to remember that this thread was started by SuperDad88 because he wants jacket(s) with which to start learning to sail. Some of the responses have been from hard core racers, where substituting a BA for a type III or ski vest makes sense, or buying a full harness inflatable is worth the expense for offshore and damned dangerous conditions. SuperDad88 just needs a dinghy jacket, where he's likely to dump, for which a cheap Type III or ski vest will work just fine, and a simple automatic will be adequate for his keel boat training.

[MarkSF]

It would be very helpful if the OP could reply with details of which course he's going to take, on which kinds of boat, and then what kind of sailing he anticipates doing. Otherwise, any replies are just purely speculative.

[Brasshopper]

I see that this was last posted in back in January. Ok, in the long run I will be sailing offshore, probably solo. I am very large. Figure 58 waist, 6'4”. I figure I should get an inflatable PFD with a built in harness, then rig jacklines as well as using crotch straps on the PFD which crotch straps I will construct myself.

I am not even sure which PFD I should get. I can't find anything online. The only one that advertises that they are for the larger person is the Onyx A or M 33, and the harness built in seems to lack forward D rings, I am just not sure how strong the built in harness is. Maybe I could add D rings.

Does anyone know of a inflatable PFD that is prefit around the neck (no belts) which has a decent strength harness built in that would be big enough to fit message? I think I would prefer manual inflate. Or if you have other suggestions, I'd appreciate them.