PFD's
Hi,
I was out boating, well fishing in my NuCanoe, today and I got to thinking, "This PFD is very bulky". So, I'm searching for some thoughts on PFD's. I won't boat without one, after being dumped out of a canoe once. What do people use? Those horse collar ones? The ones that are the Michelin Man lookalikes? Thanks vor any input.
Mike
Get one that uses co2 to inflate it. Some are automatic.
I have a manual inflatable PFD. I have never used it but have thought about finding the rip cord a couple of times when in unexpected positions in the river.
Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!
I use a very comfortable CO2 inflated PFD. It's not the automatic type as I thought those may inflate when not needed at $20 per cartridge.
I fished with a young man whose wife bought him an automatic PFD. He left it in his garage here in the suburbs of Atlanta and came out to find it inflated one day. So they may be good in AZ, GA not so much.Originally Posted by cmcculloch
Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!
I use a manual CO2 type while lake fishing in my pontoon, but if I took the boat to the river I'd opt for my "fishing" type II vest. As the SAR man said, "if you need a PFD in moving water you don't need to be looking for the pull tab." Cliff
Hello Melk, I have no idea what type of water you're paddling on, but for what it's worth.
While we have two inflatable PFD's onboard our drift boat ( for what reason I'm not certain, no one chooses to wear them ), in our area they are only considered legal while being worn. Which seems sensible, until that one time you get checked out by the sheriffs river patrol and it dawns on you, that you took it off to wade and now that you're back in the boat floating the river, it's slung over the seatback.
We all know what we should do, then there's the rest of time when we're just being human.
What we wear to keep us safe in flowing water are white water vests, built for the act of rowing and while wearing them is the best insurance, just having them onboard ( even if not being worn ) passes our inspection process.
Once you find the one you want, a good practice is to take the plunge. Put it on and go for a good swim with it. Doing so will show you the difference between adjusting it to be comfortably worn and having it adjusted so it won't ride up over your head when you're adrift or that it tends to roll you over face down in the water when at rest ( as you would be if you were rendered unconscious ). Anyone whose relying on a PFD of unknown characteristics and fit to preserve their life is taking the chance of a lifetime.
Check out what your state mandates, then go to a place the offers many styles of application specific vests in a wide range of sizes, then choose one based on the type of water you'll be using it on and what value you place on your life.
These folks have a huge selection and better info on vests and their uses than most: http://www.nrs.com/category/2547/life-jackets/
Safe Boating, Dave
Last edited by Dave E; 10-16-2013 at 03:43 PM.
For the local ponds around here in warm weather and warm water do not use a floatation device - even managed to turn the canoe/boat over this summer! Long time since I managed to do that trick! But a very short distance to the shore.
However, for serious waters like a couple of nearby lakes and rivers, especially in cooler weather and waters - and I might add unfamiliar waters - I use a Stearns Fishing Vest (Class III). It has the CO-2 rip cord activated cylinder (which I have never had to use), plus it has an optional manual air inflation tube (huff & puff). While at a lake swimming one summer, I blew up the air bladder one time just to see how the vest would perform. I was surprised at how little air was required to make it a substantial PDF.
Another good point for this vest is the many pockets and plus three zippered compartments for the usual fly fishing gear to be stashed. A down side of the vest is that it is a burden to wear on a hot summer's day.
On stillwater, I use a manual (rip-cord) inflatable. It's much less bulky than a conventional PFD and I'll actually wear it. There are a couple of different mechanisms for the automatic inflatable PFDs. One uses a capsule that dissolves the other uses hydrostatic pressure. The latter should not inflate from rain or excess humidity.
On moving water, I use a conventional type III PFD.
I have the normal pfd's in the tin boat but in the storage compartment 110% of the time (, but in my little gheenoe and yaks I use one of my kayak pfd's that is designed for paddling. They are somewhat bulky but very comfy and I tend to wear these more than a regular pfd. I've thought of getting the smaller/newer pfd's with the co2 cartridges but have not researched them enough at this time to make a decision. A winter time project for me. LOL
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