Life Jackets

[Sportsman]

On a flat calm with temperatures in the 30s I take your point. Not something we see in the North Sea very often

I agree it is a personal descision, but if (heaven forbid) one of your clients died after falling overboard, who would the next of kin sue, and would they win.

Bye the bye I saw John Wilson on TV this afternoon trout fishing on Hanningfield resevoir. The boat they were in was small and unstable and they were both standing up landing a fish with the boat rocking violently from side to side. Obviously no life jackets.

I can't help feeling this is not a good image to portray to youngsters. At least the presenter of Predators and the Irish guy on Coast to Coast are properly dressed when in a boat

[squidlips]

dont forget you need a 275 newton life jacket if you are wearing it over your floatation suit

(according to fladen) as any less bouyancy will not turn you face up if you fall in

[Sportsman]

dont forget you need a 275 newton life jacket if you are wearing it over your floatation suit

(according to fladen) as any less bouyancy will not turn you face up if you fall in

 

Sorry, don't get that one. In a fast rescue craft in the North Sea, we always wear bouyancy suits as well as life jackets. The bouyancy suit is for insulation as well as bouyancy.

The instructor is in and out of the sea all the time (at least he was until the HSE stopped it ) and the lifejacket always deployed perfectly.

Edited November 25, 2005 by Sportsman

[Peter.R]

There was a recent case near me of a guy dying after falling in whilst getting off his boat in a 'safe' harbour. Just goes to show that they really need to be put on before you get on the boat and taken off after you are well clear of the water, too.

 

 

The R.N.L.I. will tell you, that the greatest number of fatalities occur, when getting out to or returning to shore from boats!!

[squidlips]

Sorry, don't get that one. In a fast rescue craft in the North Sea, we always wear bouyancy suits as well as life jackets. The bouyancy suit is for insulation as well as bouyancy.

The instructor is in and out of the sea all the time (at least he was until the HSE stopped it ) and the lifejacket always deployed perfectly.

 

if you are only wearing a floatation suit when out fishing and you fall overboard you can be face down possibly unconsious.

so you need a 275n life jacket to turn you over onto your back.preferably an automatic self inflating type.

as a floatation suit doesnt know what way up you are.get it.

[bob@reefcatfishing]

Just a little word of warning with flotation suits. I wore my flotation suit during the sea survival course I attended. Part of the exercise was just to jump in the water and rescue an injured crewman. Well I jumped in with my flotation suit on, and wearing a lifejacket. The trouser section of the flotation suit filled with air, so I had 2 large inflatable sausages around my legs keeping my legs up, plus a lifejacket keeping the rest of me up, I could hardly move. It really was quite frightening in a way, I wanted to swim and the flotation suit was stopping me. If I hadn't had the life lacket on I would have had trouble keeping my head above water.

 

I was able to bleed the air out, but it took a few minutes, definitely not something I would want to repeat. If you have the opportunity to get in the water with a suit on, I would recommed giving it a try.

[Sportsman]

Sorry sqidlips I misunderstood your point. Yes, you are absolutely right. A lifejacket is designed to turn you onto your back with you face out of the water, a bouyancy aid will help you float but will not turn you over so if you are not able to do it for yourself you can certainly drown. You should always wear a lifejacket, whatever else you wear.

Bob, I agree, a strange sensation

From a personal survival point of view having bouyant legs isn't a problem, you just lay back and float, it becomes a problem if you need to move around or swim. Best way to move in a lifejacket is to lay back and use both arms in a sculling motion to move backward.

Better too much bouyancy than not enough

Edited November 26, 2005 by Sportsman

[geffaz]

just a thought this time of year isnt cold shock more likly to kill you than drownding?

[Leon Roskilly]

just a thought this time of year isnt cold shock more likly to kill you than drownding?

 

I was told that the sea is usually at it's warmest at this time of the year.

 

It takes a long time for the summer heat to be lost from such a large body of water, so it isn't until well into the New Year that the sea tempertures start to really decline, and are still very cold come June (it also takes a long time to warm up).

 

Obviously that will be different in shallow estuaries where hundreds of square miles of mud are exposed at low tide to frost or sun, depending upon the time of year.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[manxlad]

hi guys

interesting topic, i had a similiar chat with fishing mates in the pub recently and an interesting point came up.

i have and wear an auto inflate lifevest which i feel very safe and use at all times,

a pal said that he would not buy a auto again as he fell over the side of his dory when fishing alone. lucky for him it was still in the harbour, but the point was that the lifejacket did its job and inflated, but he then found that he could not swim anywhere as it kept him afloat but unable too swim cos he could not use his arms to swim properly, to his embarassment he was picked up by a local yachtie. he now has bought a manual lifejacket so he can swim back to the boat, an not just bob around like a cork!

only going by what he said but this if true may also be something to consider, specially if you fish alone

regards

paul..