check your life jackets

[wotayottie]

After a really successful day dealing with my list of boat jobs, and in the resulting fit of enthusiasm, I brought 4 life jackets home for testing. OK I am not a safety zealot but I do take care of my posessions, or at least I thought I did.

The result was that one Crewsaver had a used gas cylinder in it - embarrassingly this is likely one that came with the boat in 2009 . All the other cylinders weighed in above the minimum gross weight stamped on them. One other life jacket failed the staying blown up overnight test, and that was the newest one, a Seago. The three Crewsavers were as fully inflated after 12 hours as when blown up. The one auto lifejacket still had a viable capsule.

Tested the two small grandchildren ones a couple of weeks back and they were fine.

Seems to me that you can get complacent and I had done so. Whats more I cant remember the last time I did MoB drill and I certainly dont have a pre prepared system for getting someone back on board.

How about you?

 

[prv]

To be clear, you're saying the empty cylinder has probably been there since 2009, so in eight years you haven't done the normal annual checks even once?

Well done for admitting it, I guess, since it might nudge others into checking theirs. But I find it pretty alarming.

I think in future I'm going to avoid ever borrowing lifejackets from leisure sailors.

How many times have you or someone else worn that jacket assuming it would keep you afloat if you fell in?

Pete

 

[Boathook]

I check mine each year. Inflate them for 24 hours (the newer ones seem to have problems with the inflation tube valve letting by) and weigh the cylinders using electronic kitchen scales. I normally give the new ones another 24 hour test to make sure that it was the valve and that it has sealed up.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I checked mine at the beginning of the season. All okay.
I went to fit a little seawater actuated light to mine yesterday and found the gas cylinder unscrewed!

 

[capnsensible]

Whats wrong with a quick check every time you get one out to wear it? Only takes a moment to look at the cylinder, check the light works and a general good looking at?

 

[lw395]

After a really successful day dealing with my list of boat jobs, and in the resulting fit of enthusiasm, I brought 4 life jackets home for testing. OK I am not a safety zealot but I do take care of my posessions, or at least I thought I did.

The result was that one Crewsaver had a used gas cylinder in it - embarrassingly this is likely one that came with the boat in 2009 . All the other cylinders weighed in above the minimum gross weight stamped on them. One other life jacket failed the staying blown up overnight test, and that was the newest one, a Seago. The three Crewsavers were as fully inflated after 12 hours as when blown up. The one auto lifejacket still had a viable capsule.

Tested the two small grandchildren ones a couple of weeks back and they were fine.

Seems to me that you can get complacent and I had done so. Whats more I cant remember the last time I did MoB drill and I certainly dont have a pre prepared system for getting someone back on board.

How about you?

Don't they mostly have a service life of ten years?
It's embarrassing when a guest finds a long-past sell-by date.

A couple of mine are going in the bin at the end of the year.
I will see if they work first of course!

My plan is to keep shiny new ones for offshore use and downgrade them to RIB/tender/local racing after a couple of years.
They still have to work of course!

I'm not on the water every day, but the wear and tear is still significant. More so since we've taken to wearing them in the tender more.

 

[lpdsn]

I went to fit a little seawater actuated light to mine yesterday and found the gas cylinder unscrewed!

Generic issue. You need to check every few weeks. Someday soon someone is going to invent the locking nut then they won't accidentally come unscrewed all the time.

 

[lpdsn]

Don't they mostly have a service life of ten years?
It's embarrassing when a guest finds a long-past sell-by date.

A couple of mine are going in the bin at the end of the year.
I will see if they work first of course!

Just started a thread on PBO on that topic before I saw your post. I've thrown away lifejackets in the past at ten years but they'd seen heavy use and it was an obvious call, but having my own boat now I've virtually unused lifejackets that are approaching ten years, so reluctant to bin them.

 

[ZoeImogen]

Given the auto-inflation cartridges expire every so often, it's definitely worth checking annually. Plus, if you're inclined to mess about on water the way we are it's quite fun to actually jump in with an autoinflating lifejacket to see what happens - a good use for expired cartridges, given the rearming kits all come with spare gas cylinders anyway.

 

[bitbaltic]

I checked mine at the beginning of the season. All okay.
I went to fit a little seawater actuated light to mine yesterday and found the gas cylinder unscrewed!

Generic issue. You need to check every few weeks. Someday soon someone is going to invent the locking nut then they won't accidentally come unscrewed all the time.

The bayonet-fit cylinders in Secumars (which include a red/green indicator which you can see through a little window in the cover) don't unscrew themselves. I have never, ever found one loose (and of course the window means you check every time)

 

[bitbaltic]

The result was that one Crewsaver had a used gas cylinder in it - embarrassingly this is likely one that came with the boat in 2009 . All the other cylinders weighed in above the minimum gross weight stamped on them. One other life jacket failed the staying blown up overnight test, and that was the newest one, a Seago. The three Crewsavers were as fully inflated after 12 hours as when blown up. The one auto lifejacket still had a viable capsule.

Well done for admitting it, no lives lost and hopefully you will check more frequently in future!

I reckon this is not at all an uncommon state of affairs on many boats.

 

[laika]

Don't they mostly have a service life of ten years?

Really? I've not seen a manufacturer-imposed do-not-use-after date for lifejackets (other than components such as firing mechanism, light etc. which can be replaced). Not on mine anyway (spinlock and mullion).

I wouldn't knock anyone for doing this as a matter of course though. This year (partially because of being time-poor, partially because the last time someone other than me serviced the LJs was 6 years ago) I had mine "professionally serviced". One (unknown vintage: came with boat, still looked ok but probably 10+ years old) exploded on the inflation test. Would I have caught this if I'd blown it up as I normally do? oral inflation presumably doesn't exert the same stresses as a gas cylinder firing...

 

[lpdsn]

The bayonet-fit cylinders in Secumars (which include a red/green indicator which you can see through a little window in the cover) don't unscrew themselves. I have never, ever found one loose (and of course the window means you check every time)

I've a couple of newer lifejackets with indicators in windows. They are a handy means of checking, but the cylinders do have to be re-tightened from time to time.

Still doesn't get away from the fact that most lifejackets are fitted with cylinders that come unscrewed in use whilst the technology to stop it is pretty commonly used elsewhere. Trying to blame it on the users when it is a basic design/standards issue is silly and would be unacceptable in kit used in other activities. Should you have to check if the wheel nuts are coming undone on your car before every journey?

 

[bitbaltic]

Really? I've not seen a manufacturer-imposed do-not-use-after date for lifejackets (other than components such as firing mechanism, light etc. which can be replaced).

Secumar are unequivocal that the whole jacket has a 10 year life.

 

[bitbaltic]

I've a couple of newer lifejackets with indicators in windows. They are a handy means of checking, but the cylinders do have to be re-tightened from time to time.

Still doesn't get away from the fact that most lifejackets are fitted with cylinders that come unscrewed in use whilst the technology to stop it is pretty commonly used elsewhere. Trying to blame it on the users when it is a basic design/standards issue is silly and would be unacceptable in kit used in other activities. Should you have to check if the wheel nuts are coming undone on your car before every journey?

Agree completely, which is why I didn't by jackets susceptible to the problem.

 

[Old Thady]

My plan is to keep shiny new ones for offshore use and downgrade them to RIB/tender/local racing after a couple of years.

I'd imagine far more people fall off boats in the course of boarding/berthing manoeuvres than go overboard offshore. All my lifejackets are approximately the same age and quality. However, if I had a variety, I'd use my most trusted equipment where I'm most likely to fall overboard rather than keeping it 'for best'.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Whats wrong with a quick check every time you get one out to wear it? Only takes a moment to look at the cylinder, check the light works and a general good looking at?

Mine have Hammar releases so the cylinder is inside the bladder. Good, because it doesn't rust, but no inspection possible.

 

[capnsensible]

Mine have Hammar releases so the cylinder is inside the bladder. Good, because it doesn't rust, but no inspection possible.

What make are they? How do you replace the cylinder? Sounds interesting. It used to be that under the SCV code, one could inspect ones own lifejackets, so I did heaps. Then the rules changed..... Still check mine ever ycourse week tho and generally when I put one on to wear.

 

[Stemar]

None of my LJs have "best before" dates on them, but they do get serviced every year - 24hr blow-up, weigh cylinder, check date on mechanism and general visual check - every year. This year I condemned a cylinder because of corrosion for the first time. Only once have I ever found an unused cylinder to be underweight. That went in the bin, too. I've found loose cylinders at first service, but I don't think I've ever found one loose that I've serviced.

I serviced some LJs for a friend a few years ago and found mechanisms 5 years out of date. They still went off with a satisfying pop when thrown in a bowl of water, so no reason to panic. All the same, I'd hate to have to explai to the Coroner why one was out of date!

 

[JumbleDuck]

What make are they? How do you replace the cylinder? Sounds interesting. It used to be that under the SCV code, one could inspect ones own lifejackets, so I did heaps. Then the rules changed..... Still check mine ever ycourse week tho and generally when I put one on to wear.

Crewsaver. You get at the cylinder by dismantling the hammar trigger mechanism - something I'll need to learn how to do this winter, as the mechanisms are about to go out-of-date.