A new to me product for lifejackets.

[Gsailor]

Thinking of treating myself to a new lj.

I will try on before I buy but whilst viewing websites I found a product called MOB life saver.

Anyone have any experience?

It appears to be a piece of floating rope that deploys when your lifejacket does.

Is this beneficial? Expensive £18?

Could it be a hazard? Propeller? Neck?

Could I not DIY it if it is a good idea and save a few pounds?

 

[LadyInBed]

A bit of rope with a handle attached to your LJ.
You still need to have someone onboard to hook it to pull you in then lift you.
£18 - make your own.

 

[Gsailor]

A bit of rope with a handle attached to your LJ.
You still need to have someone onboard to hook it to pull you in then lift you.
£18 - make your own.

Yes, quite.

If I go over I expect roughish seas, so would this rope get all tangled around my arms and neck before I could be pulled up?

Trying to see if the gains outweigh the negatives.

Anyone got one and tried it in a pool or in anger?

 

[MattS]

I fitted one to my lifejacket. I guess there’s a chance the rope could become loose and get caught around something (although the fact that it’s floating is designed to mitigate against that somewhat). But it comes in a little pouch which you have to rip open for it to deploy - so in theory it should stay nicely folded up against your lifejacket until you decide to give it a tug and deploy it.

 

[Sandy]

I like the concept of of the product, but in all of my sixty years never have lost anybody overboard.

Having recently done the RYA Sea Survival course was surprised how few people actually died in our activity.

The statistics from National Water Safety were quoted. Looking at the data it is more dangerous to go walking by the water than sailing and motorboating. Perhaps walkers should mitigate the risk by wearing lifejackets?

 

[Gsailor]

I fitted one to my lifejacket. I guess there’s a chance the rope could become loose and get caught around something (although the fact that it’s floating is designed to mitigate against that somewhat). But it comes in a little pouch which you have to rip open for it to deploy - so in theory it should stay nicely folded up against your lifejacket until you decide to give it a tug and deploy it.

Thank you

 

[Gsailor]

I like the concept of of the product, but in all of my sixty years never have lost anybody overboard.

Having recently done the RYA Sea Survival course was surprised how few people actually died in our activity.

The statistics from National Water Safety were quoted. Looking at the data it is more dangerous to go walking by the water than sailing and motorboating. Perhaps walkers should mitigate the risk by wearing lifejackets?

Thank you

 

[stuartwineberg]

A bit of rope with a handle attached to your LJ.
You still need to have someone onboard to hook it to pull you in then lift you.
£18 - make your own.

Yep, made mine, a length of plain dyneema which floats with a short length of plastic tube in the loop to keep it open, all tied to the lifting strop inside the jacket so not exposed to uv

 

[LadyInBed]

Another thought, a throwing line thrown by someone onboard to you might be more useful.

 

[Daydream believer]

Having recently done the RYA Sea Survival course was surprised how few people actually died in our activity.

Let's face it . The idea of the course is to teach survival. If they go round drowning the customer whilst training them it would not be a very good advert, would it

 

[Gsailor]

Another thought, a throwing line thrown by someone onboard to you might be more useful.

I have always carried one of those. They are also stored in many liferafts.

 

[yimkin]

As soon as possible in recovery the MoB has to be attached to a lifting strop of some description. The usual attachment point is a ring /becket on the MoB's chest harness. The question is: 'how are you going to secure the MoB to the boat'?
Assuming a reasonably lively sea, an average fairly high freeboard with the person onboard trying to use a boathook, probably one-handed, to hook the ring or pass a strop there is a good argument for having a dyneema strop already attached to the harness at one end with a reasonable sized open loop at the other end which deploys on its own and is floating clear of th MoB.
I have fitted them to my lifejackets and they do not protrude in any way.
Of course a throwing line is useful provided the MoB can, (under stess), loop the line through a becket they probably can't see and tie a seviceable knot.

 

[William_H]

I like the concept of of the product, but in all of my sixty years never have lost anybody overboard.

Having recently done the RYA Sea Survival course was surprised how few people actually died in our activity.

The statistics from National Water Safety were quoted. Looking at the data it is more dangerous to go walking by the water than sailing and motorboating. Perhaps walkers should mitigate the risk by wearing lifejackets?

Yes here in west Oz a number of people drown each year from being washed off rocks while fishing. A life jacket or buoyancy vest would be a huge help and government are trying to promote the idea. Of course a tether to shore would be even better. ol'will

 

[jamie N]

I have always carried one of those. They are also stored in many liferafts.

The same with me, and in the interest of economy mine have a dual purpose; sheets and halyards being amongst them.

 

[mattonthesea]

We have a kayaker's throw line, used to rescue swimmers from fast moving rapids. Twenty metres of floating line is held in a bag which acts as it's own throwing ballast.

 

[wonkywinch]

I have one of Duncan's "life savers" on the basis that throwing lines (also have one of those on the boat) are only any good if the person is conscious and/or able to use their hands. Partial or full incapacity, which is very likely in an accidental MOB in our waters means I'd like the maximum chance of someone in a state of panic only wielding a boat hook has the best chance to get me alongside or back onboard for a proper burial later.

 

[Gsailor]

We have a kayaker's throw line, used to rescue swimmers from fast moving rapids. Twenty metres of floating line is held in a bag which acts as it's own throwing ballast.

That is the one I have; it was interesting re-packing it after a test in the garden...?

Life raft ones are usually koits (quoits?) attached to thinner line.

 

[Gsailor]

I have one of Duncan's "life savers" on the basis that throwing lines (also have one of those on the boat) are only any good if the person is conscious and/or able to use their hands. Partial or full incapacity, which is very likely in an accidental MOB in our waters means I'd like the maximum chance of someone in a state of panic only wielding a boat hook has the best chance to get me alongside or back onboard for a proper burial later.

Trouble is that someone says the line does does not deploy unless the person is conscious and rips the velcro... that then leads to auto deployment and choking or tangle or propeller accidents... bit of a quandary for me.

 

[MattS]

Trouble is that someone says the line does does not deploy unless the person is conscious and rips the velcro... that then leads to auto deployment and choking or tangle or propeller accidents... bit of a quandary for me.

My understanding (having never used mine in anger, thank goodness) is this:

- The lifesaver is mounted onto the deflated bladder (sticky adhesive). This means that when the bladder inflates, the pouch is essentially 'presented' on top of the inflated bladder
- The end of the lifeline is attached to the lifting becket within the jacket.
- The free end of the lifeline is coiled up within the pouch, which is loosely held together - enough to hold it together, but not enough to provide any meaningful resistance against a human trying to pull it out.
- The end of the lifesaver line has a loop, permanently held open by a length of plastic tube
- In the even that a casualty was unconscious, it would still be possible for someone to catch the end of the lifesaver line with a boathook to deploy it out of the pouch.

MOB Lifesaver website describes the process like this:

"An MOB Lifesaver attaches to the lifting loop/becket in a lifejacket. When the lifejacket inflates the Lifesaver is available there on top of the bladder and easy for the rescuer to grab with the boathook. With the Lifesaver in hand, they can then secure the MOB to the boat while they set up their retrieval rig."

 

[wonkywinch]

Trouble is that someone says the line does does not deploy unless the person is conscious and rips the velcro... that then leads to auto deployment and choking or tangle or propeller accidents... bit of a quandary for me.