Light for life jacket

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IanL

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My current light is now beyond its expiry date. I have a Crewsaver 150N life jacket and the light has a strip of plastic attached provided with a hole that slips over the inflation tube.

On the market I see some models designed to clip to the webbing harness but I cannot find a suitable location.

I think the light should be mounted as high as possible so I am wary of any that are water activated as they might not get wet.

What is my best option?
 
Buy a new light just like the old one?

I can't remember the name of it, but I googled the name printed on the light to find out how to test it when I service my Crewsaver jackets. I'm sure some of the hits were offering them for sale.

Pete
 
Your best option is of course, not to fall off the boat.
I took the view that a light you could remove from the jacket and wave above your head would be a good idea, so I went for a manual switch-on 2AA type which pins to the harness, and also tied it to the webbing with a metre of thin spectra, which is stored wrapped around the light. They are ACAR or something like that? Auto ones were a lot dearer at the time.
Thanks for the reminder, they must be due new batteries.
Maybe an auto one on the inflator tube plus a small diving torch would be a good answer, I have a little UK 2AAA torch which is usually in my oily pocket. shining that towards the yacht would be more visible than the all-around glow of a lifejacket light I think. But as far as I can see, only something automatic on the top of the bladder is going to help if you are not conscious.
 
Recent ones have the switch on a wire rather than integral with the light, and the wire must be unrolled when it's fitted to the jacket so that the switch can fall into the water. If it's out of the water the light won't work.

premium-lifejacket-light-solas-approved.jpg


This model has provision for a clip to hold it to webbing.
 
light

Twister_Ken said:
Recent ones have the switch on a wire rather than integral with the light, and the wire must be unrolled when it's fitted to the jacket so that the switch can fall into the water. If it's out of the water the light won't work.

premium-lifejacket-light-solas-approved.jpg


This model has provision for a clip to hold it to webbing.
Click to expand...

Yes I tried one of those, now 5 years out of date and living in my oilskin pocket. I used a small zip tie to secure it to the inflation tube as I cannot find any webbing in a suitable place to fit a light. Seems a bit hit and miss to have the electrical contact dangling in the hope of getting wet.
 
A few posters have pointed out good prices on the Aspli website recently for things such as replacement lifejacket re-arming kits.

They appear to also sell a lifejacket light that clips to the inflation tube and has a dangly sensor..

Aspli lifejacket light

I had been looking around for some with replaceable batteries but these actually look to be a good price anyway. Does anyone have them?
 
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staying wet

prv said:
If you've fallen in the sea I think it's a fair bet that everything will be pretty wet! :)

Pete
Click to expand...

But it needs to stay wet to work. If it gets caught up anywhere it might end up above the water. I am thinking that in the worst scenario it might take a while to find me.
 
Life Jacket lights

Perhaps I am a cheap skate but for night races (inshore) I issue my crew with a small LED torch 3 AAA batteries and water proof. They can use them for general boat work but keep the torch on a lanyard around the neck. Familiarity and constant use ensure reliability and very cheap. I also think a better signal if pointed at the rescue boat. good luck olewill
 
William_H said:
Perhaps I am a cheap skate but for night races (inshore) I issue my crew with a small LED torch 3 AAA batteries and water proof. They can use them for general boat work but keep the torch on a lanyard around the neck. Familiarity and constant use ensure reliability and very cheap. I also think a better signal if pointed at the rescue boat. good luck olewill
Click to expand...
Its not a bad idea - with the only proviso that it they were knocked unconscious as they fell in (or fell in because they had been knocked unconscious!) then they wouldn't be able to operate the torch. We have automatic lights fitted to out lifejackets/harnesses. Perhaps a mini-maglight in addition might be a good idea?
 
IanL said:
But it needs to stay wet to work. If it gets caught up anywhere it might end up above the water. I am thinking that in the worst scenario it might take a while to find me.
Click to expand...
If you have ever been in the sea in a lifejacket in any sort of choppy water you would understand how I too cannot imagine the wire not getting wet and staying wet! The only bit of you that isn't submerged is most of your head and the top of the inflated lifejacket and in any wind and waves, you constantly get water slopping over you. As you probably know its one of the reasons the best practice in lifejackets suggests they have a hood to cover your face as casualties die from drowning from the waves and spray breaking over them even though the airway is above the water.

The lights on ours are like the ones suggested and I have tried them and they work really well.
 
William_H said:
Perhaps I am a cheap skate but for night races (inshore) I issue my crew with a small LED torch 3 AAA batteries and water proof. They can use them for general boat work but keep the torch on a lanyard around the neck. Familiarity and constant use ensure reliability and very cheap. I also think a better signal if pointed at the rescue boat. good luck olewill
Click to expand...

Agree entirely: they will need a pen torch anyway for looking up occasionally at the headsail trim and finding munchies, but this is in addition to the light fitted inside the LJ. My objection to the automatic LJ lights is that they could go off when stored away after a good non-overboard situation soaking and then have a flat battery when and if needed. I don't think any of them sold now for yachts are of the type that actually uses the seawater as part of the battery chemistry and hence has to remain immersed. Some of the old WWII surplus ones were of that old type.

I have a small waterproof torch with a normal spotlight at one end and a xenon strobe at the other, that I carry instead of a pen torch if I go offshore on someone else's boat.
 
The ideal light

I have tried my 10 year old Aquaspec AQ98 and the contacts do need to be wet. There is provision for turning it off so if I was floating around during the day I could save the battery until it gets dark.

So the sprahood must be designed to keep my face dry and the dangly bit of the light wet. Of course the light gets covered by the sprayhood when in use. On my Crewsaver one, it will probably end up under the strip of reflective tape.

What we need is a design competition for the ideal lifejacket light. Can I suggest the following criteria.

1. Light switches on (and stays on) when immersed or when the lifejacket inflates.
2. It can be manually switched off or on.
3. It is robustly mounted in a position that gives maximum visibilty.
4. Ideally this position is not directly in front of the wearers face.
5. Long battery life.
6. Facility for checking state of battery.

Any other ideas
 
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