livaboard - Combined or seperate life jacket and harnass?

[CharlesM]

Hello all

Posted this on the PBO board, but was wondering what the long term cost concious livaboard cruiser does.

Combined auto inflate lifejacket and harness, seperate harness and jacket? If seperate, what type of lifejacket? Inflatable or foam?

Cheers
Charles

 

[davidbains]

Charles, I have a auto inflate jacket/harness for myself. Less bulky, more likely to be worn etc.
But for my teenage crew I have seperate harnesses and foam jackets. You know they will float then!! Less likely to be damaged in storage too.

 

[Sea Devil]

Suspect there are stacks of opinions on this - all right!

For me I always have a seperate harness because I frequently wear a harness - on some single handed passages I sleep with it on. Two tails to clips are good.

Never get the life jacket out - only time I will need that is as I transfer from boat to life raft as the mast disapears under water or jump into sea to be picked up by helicopter.. really does not matter what sort of life jacket except for stowage problems and self inflating need servicing and that is yet another item of maintance

 

[Danthegorrila]

I use auto inflate combined jacket with 2 tails as someone else has said at night and when rough, but lets be realistic that was only about 4 times last year for most of the other 60 ish days sailing I wore shorts and t-shirt sometimes!

 

[MedMan]

My wife and I each have a Crewsaver Crewfit combined auto-inflate lifejacket and harness. We wear them and hook on if on watch alone (day or night) and in heavy seas.

 

[srm]

Hi

I wore an inflatable lifejacket every working day for 2 years. Decided to change cylinder anyway so put it under the tap - nothing happened. Submerged the sensor and still nothing happened. Not very reasuring.

Previously, as a charter skipper, we used foam lifjackets with mouthpiece blow up additional buoyancy so there was some fixed buoyancy, but only in dinghys and when transfering to another vessel at sea. On deck all wore harnesses when on watch, and hooked on at all times if alone and at night. Jackstays and guard rail height such that no one could fall over side if clipped on.

Have attended the funeral of a friend who was towed alonside his own boat in a harness.

Only my thoughts, but lifejacket is a false security on deck. A good harness and inboard jackstays make far more sense.

 

[mithril]

Why do you want a life jacket? Maybe you sail in the Solent!

Just kidding.

We live aboard and regard falling over board as "good bye world". Wearing a life jacket will ensure maximum pain so why wear one. Better to harness on and so not fall over board. This assumes a decent harness set up, of course. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[MedMan]

[ QUOTE ]
On deck all wore harnesses when on watch, and hooked on at all times if alone and at night. Jackstays and guard rail height such that no one could fall over side if clipped on. Only my thoughts, but lifejacket is a false security on deck. A good harness and inboard jackstays make far more sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. I agree 100% with your comments about clipping on - that is what we always do. The Crewfit is a combined lifejacket and harness. The harness is the priority function - the lifejacket a second string to the bow in case of something going wrong. There is no question of a false sense of security - we are always hooked on.