Life jackets cannot be in closets?

[CFS Klopas]

Here's a example: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...42?recordNum=1

Most inflatable PFDs are listed as "Type V with type III (or II) performance", the conditional being that the PFD must be armed and worn. If you find one that gets a Type II or Type III rating without mentioning Type V, it meets requirements the same as a foam PFD.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Unless something has changed? Inflatables are a nice to have but do not qualify as a PFD. Comfort for being on deck.

Not all inflatable PFDs are USCG Approved.

It is important to look at the brands and then individual models as some brands may have unapproved and approved models that look similar. Some brands may have no Approved models at all. This is especially true of the cheapest inflatables seen on eBay and Amazon or at retailers.

Here is an example of a good brand, and one of their USCG Approved Inflatables (this is not the most expensive or most extreme design). It comes in four different submodels (automatic, manual, harness, no harness).

http://crewsaver.com/media/193850/a4...0-pro-uscg.pdf

[Lihuedooley77]

We have the horse shoe with M.OB. pole and line, ready to deploy and it is mounted on the stern pulpit...

We tie additional P.F.D. ( life jacket ) to the other side of the stern pulpit with a slip knot ready to deploy. I confess, we do not wear them underway, in good weather, during the day . If someone on board is a young child, or a non swimmer, they will have a life jacket.

The rest of the life jackets are in the port cockpit seat locker, not burried under anything, and are stacked and ready for use. Adult and children as required. Plus prior to departure ee go thru a safety briefing and M.O.B. procedures and also how not to go overboard in the first place. Night watch crew have safety harness and short tethers, and life jacket on.

In an emergency or weather situation, No one should have to go below on a sinking vessel, to rumage about searching for life jackets.

I also like the inflatable new class of P.F.D's, that would be much more comfortable and easy to wear .

instead of circumventing or trying to get around regs, or inspections, maybe we should be thinking think more on the level of safety for the crew and passengers.
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U.S.C.G. armed boarding.

many years back, we were anchored off catalina, and I had two in my charter party, who were thinking about purchasing a sail boat and cruising the caribbean. They knew zero and were just exploring their dream.

It was early morning, just after breakfast, and we began to hual up the anchor, when we were boarded by boat load of coasties. These fellows were armed, and looked like reserves on their two week active duty requirement for the year.

There was about four of them, one with a shot gun, and one with a holstered colt 1911 .45.

The coastie with the .45 asked if he could board. I asked him if he knew out to break down and clean that .45. He said " Yes , sir. " That was good.

Two of them boarded, the shotgun stayed in their small vessel.

.45 goes thru the vessel, and is inspecting the engine compartment, he says we do not have a spark ( flame ) arrester. I said, IT IS A DIESEL ENGINE.... He says it doesn't make any difference, and he was going to site me for that violation, plus I did not have the DO NOT DISCHARGE OIL UPON THE OCEAN MOUNTED PLACARD.

The Placard I agree with and will take care of it.....and explained again that the engine was a diesel..... He starts writing away.

I make on last attempt.....LOOK a flame arrestor is for a gas engine that has a carberator......this is a diesel with fuel injection, no carb, no arrestor, no violation.

That finally sunk in, i signed for the placard, we hualed up the anchor, and sailed back newport bay.

I would imagine that some U.S.C.G personnel are more experienced than others or have their own idea on regs and safety.

I take skippers responsibility very seriously, and I am 100% responsible for the vessel and the safety of everyone on board. including my own.

Maybe an open hanging locker, designed with no doors near the companion way ladder, would work, and also having a couple of P.F.D.S on deck ready to deploy might be a good plan.

Having several P.F.D's , laying on the the main salon fiddle rails of a sailing vessel is not going to work, they will go adrift all thru the cabin.

Just our thoughts..

Sail well, and sail safe.

[Basil]

It’s great that a large number of us come from other countries in the world where commonsense is the key factor, in regard to safety this discussion is only for those in America waters

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by jsc7

I was reading US Coast Guard guidelines and it reads that life jackets "should not be stowed in plastic bags, in locked or closed compartments, or have other gear stowed on top of them."

Is this is an actual regulation or just advice? Often when I see the word "should" in federal documents, it means it is not an actual regulation.

If it is a regulation, the "closed compartment" language would seem to ban stowing life jackets in a closet.

If this is a real regulation, what is the CFR number?

While conducting your free Vessel Safety Check, the trained professionals from the U.S. Power Squadron will be able to clear up any confusion:




I Want a Vessel Safety Check!

[Seabeau]

When I take newbies out for a day trip I show them the jacket locker, have them size one to fit and stash it with their personal effects. If and when the Coasties do the check, everyone if fitted within a minute.

[Ken Z]

The coast guard and marine patrol will be estatic when they make it a law for everyone to wear pfd s. on a boat. I store mine out of sight, within arms length. Throwables close at hand.

[hellosailor]

Crewsaver, aka Crewfit, the same company AFAIK, may or may not be USCG approved. Their original vests pre-date approval. Then after approval, their US distribution and sales for many years were too small for them to bother changing their vests or submitting them for approval. They had gone off the US market entirely around 2005, I think.

Nice to see them back. I always thought it was a decent product, and if it still uses the paper-mache wrapped bobbins, I prefer those.

[Mattz]

As a Coastguard radio operator, we usualy find that when sailors have a crisis developing they are totally focused on resolving it, and have no thought of putting life jackets on until we prompt them.

And as a sailor I concede to have been guilty of this.
Another time, I was brained by the mizzen boom in a gybe, and flopped on the lifelines. My last thought was to bend my knees so I would tip backward onto the deck, rather than nosedive overboard. It worked.

Now I insist everyone put on lifejackets (or clip their harness on) before we cast off. No discussion. No "buts".

[Captin7Seas]

I'd like to see Sailorchic34 respond to the Seabreez note above, since he was an enforcer of similar north of the border regs. On our boat in calm Wx, which I define up to 14 knots, they stay in an unlocked cockpit locker, above which they are out and one everyone on the boat. I've sailed up and down the coast from Charleston and from there to Bermuda and back three times and in a dozen years been boarded twice for safety checks - both times no issues were noted on this policy and both times Wx was < 15 knots of wind.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Basil

It’s great that a large number of us come from other countries in the world where commonsense is the key factor, in regard to safety this discussion is only for those in America waters

Best Response Yet!! We have been cruising Mexico the last couple years. What a great country - the Mexican Navy is there and does take actual security and safety concerns seriously. But nobody cares if you are out in your dink without any flotation at all. Down there its your own ass if you screw up, and that's the way I like it.

And since we must be responsible for ourselves, we always keep two vest-style flotation vests on deck around the main cockpit hatch (just my wife and I on board). Since they are handy there, I always wear one on deck when underway.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by waterman46

Best Response Yet!! We have been cruising Mexico the last couple years. What a great country - the Mexican Navy is there and does take actual security and safety concerns seriously. But nobody cares if you are out in your dink without any flotation at all. Down there its your own ass if you screw up, and that's the way I like it.

And since we must be responsible for ourselves, we always keep two vest-style flotation vests on deck around the main cockpit hatch (just my wife and I on board). Since they are handy there, I always wear one on deck when underway.

exactly.
as for pfds on while cruising... have you EVER tried to repair anything inside a tiny hole while wearing some restrictive as hell items "unremovable" by law?? how long did it take to ignore that law and return to common sense??? presuming common sense was available in first place.......
responsibility for own actions yes. the only way to live.
cruising outside of nanny state nations is a common sense based system. no big brother watching every move up close and personal, no toilet inspections and no pfd warnings. they will inspect your boat for contraband upon leaving and some on coming into mexico. aduana has a seemingly random practice.
all my safety equipment is available readily in a close-able locker, open when sailing and filling water tankage. the vent is in htere and not connected to outside of hull , for unknown idiotic probably money - based reasoning.

[evm1024]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Having worked with US agencies on regulatory matters, I stand by what I said. This is EXACTLY how they think. Leaving ambiguity is another way of passing the buck.

Having responded to a number of RFQ/RFP (request for quote/proposal) we always went through each RFP and identified all must, shall, will and explicidly stated how we would meet those requirements. The formed a list of deliverables.

The should, desirable etc were not on the deliverable list and were not part of the acceptance tests. We would however state in the proposal how we would work hard to meet those objectives. That is salesmanship...

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Gone Bananas

I read just two of these replies before I couldn't stand it any more

Regulation , Schedulation- regardless not withstanding etc. Life jackets are to be worn at all times when away from a dock or slip. Anyone under 16 should also be wearing them even when at a dock or anchourage.

Another--- no - is standing up on a sail boat--- unless tied in

:

Ok, on your boat.....I like to take a more common sense approach, that suits my comfort levels.

I'm curious as to how you operate your sailboat and never stand?

This is an example of how someone's own fears/insecurities can dictate to me what my comfort level/risk acceptance should be.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Ok, on your boat.....I like to take a more common sense approach, that suits my comfort levels.

I'm curious as to how you operate your sailboat and never stand?

This is an example of how someone's own fears/insecurities can dictate to me what my comfort level/risk acceptance should be.

I'm guessing he can't swim?