What Brand of PFD / Harness Do You Prefer ?

[Snore]

Coming from a paddling background there were the good PFDs (Lotus before they were bought) and the not so good PFDs. The difference there was comfort and durability.

When it comes to sailing PFDs with harnesses, Mustang does a good job marketing, but are they really better than WM, Revere or Spinlock? Although I do not believe Spinlock is USCG approved.

Pondered buying a harness and slipping it under my Lotus, but I don't think that will work.

Thanks for the continuing education

Bill

[Snore]

Wow, no debate on this?

[goboatingnow]

PFDs are only useful for swimming or in water sports activities near shore, for cruising you need life jackets.

Dave

[Strait Shooter]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

PFDs are only useful for swimming or in water sports activities near shore, for cruising you need life jackets.

Dave

Do you really cruise with a life jacket on all the time?

[Québec 1]

Originally Posted by Strait Shooter

Do you really cruise with a life jacket on all the time?

Only when sailing solo cause the admiral says so.

[roverhi]

I've got a Spinlock from 2009. Wore it 24/7 for the 15 day passage to Hilo from SF. Very comfortable, and multiple adjustment points means it can be made to fit from full on foulies with layers underneath to Tshirts in the tropics. The included legstraps will keep it from riding up if I ever had to use it in the water.

When I'm solo, always am clipped in to the Spinlock Vest/Harness. Anyone who doesn't sail clipped in on ocean passages, even with a crew, is being very very foolish. Nearly impossible to find an MOB in the seas that typically run offshore.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Snore

Coming from a paddling background there were the good PFDs (Lotus before they were bought) and the not so good PFDs. The difference there was comfort and durability.

When it comes to sailing PFDs with harnesses, Mustang does a good job marketing, but are they really better than WM, Revere or Spinlock? Although I do not believe Spinlock is USCG approved.

Pondered buying a harness and slipping it under my Lotus, but I don't think that will work.

Thanks for the continuing education

Bill

* Dave doesn't know what PFD stands for.
* Quebec listens to his wife too much.
* Roverhi must sleep like a rock and not shower much.

It depends on the sailing. Paddling jackets are probably the best there is for small boat sailing; good freedom of arm movement and less to snag than typical water ski jackets or inflatables (very important when the trapeze is used). Cruisers and keel boat racers like inflatables. Some prefer a harness and jack line set-up, and no PFD. No one answer, no matter what the peanut gallery says.

On the other hand, you didn't say what you were sailing.

[Ex-Calif]

I have 8 "approved" foam core life jackets
I have two "dinghy" vests
I have one inflatable with harness

What I wear depends on what I am doing but I never wear the foam life jacket.

Most of the time I wear nothing. The rest of the time is likely the inflatable. If I am racing Keelboats I often wear nothing if I am in the cockpit. If I work the bow I always wear the inflatable.

Off-shore and/or at night is the inflatable. In dinghy's probably nothing or the dinghy vest.

Too many jackets to choose from - LOL.

[sctpc]

I use several a standard inflatable type for hot days and one in my jacket when its cold and I use Occasionally a neoprene survival for ocean or a mix of the 3.

http://www.stormylifejackets.com.au/...atable/:thumb:

[bobconnie]

For us it depends on hot or cold ! cold we have Mustang survial jackets with harness hook ups, in rough weather or nite watchs we hook up in the cock pit, warm weather, SOS, self infaters, harness in rough weather or night watch we hook up. we have PFDS for 6 crew.We also carry wet foul weather gear for both of us ! just what we keep all the time and carry from boat to boat ! it will go on our new Motor Sailer if they take our offer. just our 2 cents

[roger.waite]

We work pretty much as bobconnie in temperate areas. Except we wear PFDs with lifelines in all but benign weather. IMO, PFDs without lifeline attachment points are of limited use, but use of harness w/o PFD is perfectly acceptable in warmer climes.

Basic rule is if it ain't comfortable you ain't gonna be wearing it when you need it.

Not particularly sensitive to PFD brand, but on features we favour PFDs with manual inflation, crotch strap, spray hood, 150N floatation and a strong lifeline attachment.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by thinwater

On the other hand, you didn't say what you were sailing.

Assuming things continue to check out, I should be sailing a Tartan 33 in a week or so.

I am in Roverhi's school of thought. IMHO, the reasonable way to go on deck is with a PFD/harness clipped to a jackline that runs down the middle with a tether too short for you to go over the side.


Thanks for the inputs, it sounds like the only differences is features


Bill

[Dockhead]

We have 8 automatically inflating Seago life jackets on board, all with integral harnesses. 6 of them of the standard 175 newton ones, and two are larger 275 newton ones. I find them all very comfortable and there is really no excuse for not wearing them all the time on deck. Especially the smaller ones, which you hardly notice. Except when you have to pee, which requires taking them off (plus a bunch of other stuff -- in the interest of waterproofness, my foul weather overalls don't have a fly, so it's a PITA altogether).

Tips for buying life jackets (all of which have been given before, but desere endless repetition):

1. Never buy or wear a life jacket without a crotch strap. They don't really work without them, as several deaths in the '79 Fastnet showed.

2. Equip your lifejackets with spray hoods.

3. Equip your lifejackets with lights if you ever sail at night.

4. Rig decent jacklines and be sure to have enough safety lines on board.

5. Don't use safety lines of unknown origin -- they are no good after a good fall.

6. People regularly die from being dragged under water with their safety lines. If possible, rig your jacklines and choose your safety line length so that you can't go under if you fall.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Strait Shooter

Do you really cruise with a life jacket on all the time?

Yes actually I do. There not much good in the locker I find and the auto inflatables are quite easy to wear. The only time I'm tempted to not wear them was when I'm topless. (!) as they chafe a little. I'm so used to it now that I feel funny without it. It also acts as a carrier for my torch, knife and PLB

Dave

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by thinwater

* Dave doesn't know what PFD stands for.
* Quebec listens to his wife too much.
* Roverhi must sleep like a rock and not shower much.

It depends on the sailing. Paddling jackets are probably the best there is for small boat sailing; good freedom of arm movement and less to snag than typical water ski jackets or inflatables (very important when the trapeze is used). Cruisers and keel boat racers like inflatables. Some prefer a harness and jack line set-up, and no PFD. No one answer, no matter what the peanut gallery says.

On the other hand, you didn't say what you were sailing.

I actually know exactly what a PFD is. In this part of the world it is NOT a life jacket. It's a flotation device with less then 150 newtons of flotation. It's designed for inshore use and typically where the user get wet. This is a legal definition in Europe. A PFD is not a life jacket.

So there !

Dave