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.
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.
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: [u][SIZE=2]http://www.nrs.com/category/2547/life-jackets/[/SIZE][/u]
Safe Boating, Dave
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
Thanks all Dave E great site! Interesting that I found one, one review trashed it for fly fishing. Another loved it! Lots of good suggestions. I kind of like the CO2 ones, but the idea of falling in and not have to worry is good also. More research needed!
Thanks folks,
Mike
Mike,
I use inflatable PFD’s and have for years, we even used them in the US Navy. The auto inflate type is great as long as you are not prone to getting yourself wet too often. In a pontoon boat you wouldn’t have to worry. In a canoe, you would. I figure being in a canoe is like riding a dirt bike, it is not a matter of ‘if’ you go down but ‘when’ you go down. So if you use the auto inflate then for sure always have a replacement system ready to install just in case you trigger the vest. I personally use the manual one as I am very used to them having used them for the past 50 years. But, even with them I carry a spare C02 cartridge just in case.
Whatever you do just make sure you have your PFD with you at all times.
Larry —sagefisher—
I’m a vessel examiner with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. An earlier responder correctly related that an inflatable pfd is valid only if it is being worn. There is a new type III inflatable that does not have to be worn to be legal, but most policing agencies aren’t aware of it yet, so if you have one, I suggest you wear it regardless. The Coasties we work with on the Mississippi gulf coast all wear auto inflatables, and don’t seem to have problems with improper inflating due to water exposure. I think the newer models handle water better than those from a few years back. Bottom line… wear a pfd, period.
I also have one of those Stearns vests. Thing is, I just can’t really trust it. Some years back I tipped my 12’ boat over far enough to take on a bunch of water and dump me in the drink. Was on my way to shore and not far from it but was in weeds that made kicking hard and tangled feet easy. The vest didn’t work. CO2 was empty. Never thought about there being a tube to blow up so hung onto boat and kicked toward shore. A park ranger saw me and before I was half way to shore there was an ambulance, a fire truck, a rescue squad, and two cop cars on shore. Just as I got shallow enough to reach bottom in the muck and start to drag heavy boat to shore, the rescue squad in full orange flotation outfits reached me, put a ring around me and pulled me to shore with a rope. By this time everyone in the park and living nearby was on shore watching the whole spectacle and mumbling about how close the old man came to dying. When I got out of the water I looked like the swamp monster with green slime hanging from me from my beard on down. The nice part was the guys pulled my boat up, dumped the water, put it on the trailer, and finally let me go after checking my vitals and deciding I would survive my ordeal after all that excursion in bathtub temp waters. I was lucky enough to get out of there just before the news van arrived so didn’t get video of the swamp man for 6:00 news. By the time I made the long drive home (1/2 mile) my wife and neighbor were standing in yard laughing since one of the firefighters was a friend of ours and had to call. An after effect of this was my legs (I was in shorts) were soon covered in hundreds of tiny red bumps. Fortunately for me they didn’t itch at all but took several days to go away. Guess there was something in the slime I covered myself with.
Last spring I went out with another charging kit and tried the vest with the one from the year before. Sure enough, no charge. Didn’t put new kit in but just used one of my mesh shoulder vests that allow decent freedom of movement.
vicrider, great story Glad it ended well, or at least safely. I agree with the mesh shoulder vests I use one and find it comfortable, sometimes forget I’m wearing it.
Hi all,
I think I will go with a mesh PFD from the site Dave E suggested. I want to be floating as I hit, not waiting for the thing to inflate! vicrider thanks for sharing! My story is that I fell out of a canoe. Floated to the surface, blew my whistle, this guy came by and picked me up in his boat. He said, “We’ll go get your canoe and tow it in”. replied, “Do you take AAA?” We laughed. Got back to the camper and I told my wife to laugh before her head exploded from the pressure of holding it in!
Thanks all,
Mike
got a good PFD from REI when getting the kayak redy for fishing. had it adjusted in the store, all tight and so on. went fishing and found it supportive of my upper back–a plus fishing in a little boat. however i felt i was still not safe and hired an expert to teach me how to fall out of and get back into the 'yak. best money i ever spent 'cause it was far harder than i ever thought it would be. turns out the PFD floats me high enough to make a big difference. lets me fetch out the gear and rig it up for re-entry. expert pointed out that an inflatable would not allow me to work next the boat to rig the “get-back-in-er”. now i know for sure that i can get back in, pump out and go wetly on my way…priceless!
I wear a Stohlquist angler PFD in my kayaks, period. Pockets for gear, great flotation, super comfortable and designed for paddling and fishing. As CaseyP pointed out, much better than any inflatable.