Auto Lifejackets work!!

[iangrant]

A 5 year old guest on the boat fell off the jetty, head first, in East Cowes Marina on Saturday evening, thankfully wearing a recently re-armed (by me, 'cause it went off in the damp in of the car) Crewsaver Childs auto lifejacket. The lifejacket inflated and we hooked him out a little shaken and wet but alive. I often wondered if they worked but having seen it now tested for real, I believe. So, the boat rule still stands, on deck or in the marina - children wear lifejackets. The look on the other three childrens faces was worth seeing!!

Ian

 

[rogerroger]

Phew, what a relief. Hope it doesn't put him off.

I noticed some very diligent power boats over the weekend - big boats, calm conditions, large fly bridge etc - all adults wearing life jackets.

Then on other occasions, tiny power boats - kids of 5,6 or 7, with no life jackets. Frightening.



Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[iangrant]

Thankfully, it's not put the little lad off - he was more concerned that his dad didn't catch it on video (his dad actually dived in after him).

Ian

 

[Viking]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

I was on a Sea Survival course one autumn. We were asked to bring our usual sail clothes and life jackets.

On trying the automatic jackets only 5 out the 20 jackets worked. On checking, these 15 jackets had been left onboard and the moist salt air had slowly desolved the 'tablet' which had slowly release the piecing trigger into the top of the air cylinder which in turn had slowly released all the air.

ITS WORTH CHECKING YOURS THIS WEEKEND!

 

[rogerroger]

class. The lad will have some great stories to tell at school...

"I fell 100 feet, there were sharks and ice bergs..."



Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[tony_brighton]

Confessed to the current Mrs Grant yet?

 

[rogerroger]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

I just wouldn't bother with the salt tablet ones - I use the hydrostatic type.

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[iangrant]

Oh yes, the news was taken rather better than expected, by her and her best mate. (the mother of the little lad)

 

[oldsaltoz]

G’day iangrant.
Your right they work just fine if you look after them. However, there is another trap with them. You may recall the Sydney to Hobart race where a crew member had gone forward to change the Jib, the skipper looked up to see his crewman stabbing himself in the chest with his trusty knife. Turned out that his auto inflate life jacket got too wet when taking a wave over the bow and inflated under his wet gear, this made it impossible to breath and the could not open the coat due to harness etc, so he decided to deflate it with his knife. Can you imagine the look on the skippers face, and the moral of this story is……

Avagoodweekend Old Salt Oz……

 

[ToMo]

A Prick in time!!!...nm

.

 

[stephenk]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

Thats interesting, I keep my crewsaver lifejacket on board but brought it home this year. Its 6 years old and to be honest I had never really given the cylinder a second thought as it had never gone off so I thought it would be still intact.
Upon checking the cylinder I was baffled as I saw it was pierced but I thought that it would be impossible for the cylinder to be holed without inflating the lifejacket. I even started wondering whether somebody had used it, inflated it and simply rolled it back up. From what you say it appears that it must have happened gradually ?

Stephen

 

[tome]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

I believe there's a problem with the crewsaver (and other) lifejackets which use salt tablets for activation. I've often seen them inflate when the wearer takes a bit of spray, sometimes it's hilarious but on other occasions downright dangerous. I was woken in the middle of the night by one going off in the hanging locker next to my berth. If it's going to be wet, I always remove the activator and rely on manual activation.

I've tried the hydrostatic release on two of mine for the past season and so far these haven't given any problems, so will consider fitting to the rest this season.

Does everyone do a lifejacket test at least once a season?

 

[Guest]

Question is: Was dad wearing a jacket?

 

[iangrant]

Err - No - his was a natural reaction to plunge in after his son!! - But then he can swim.

 

[Viking]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

Yes thats right, It seemed that the air had slowly seeped away.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Viking on Thu Jun 6 11:33:17 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Viking]

Re: Auto Lifejackets work -If looked after!

Me too!