Re-pack your Jon Buoy auto-inflating danbuoy? Impossible, Sir.

[Ohlin Karcher]

My Jon Buoy automatic inflation danbuoy got snagged, went in the sea, and self inflated. I pulled it out with a boathook. It just has a normal 33g CO2 bottle which I got the same day (from East Coast Marine in Scarborough, a good little chandlers).
The thing doesn't want to fold up and go back into its box, so I can use it again going down the coast. No instructions on the web how to fold it.
I phoned Ocean Safety the makers, and they said, "We do not give out repacking instructions for them, that's not how we operate. You have to take it to one of our centres, and give it to us, and there will be a charge of 20 something pounds plus VAT"
So I have a choice, either guess how to pack it properly, and not be sure if it will work next time.
Or stow it somewhere in my boat, which is full if people and stuff already, and carry an expensive but useless piece of equipment to So'ton and pay them to fold it. (Oh, and buy another danbuoy at the chandlers for the trip down. )
There is something wrong with this situation, why don't they just publish folding instructions, it would be so easy. The technology is less than a normal lifejacket ( no salt button or hamar diaphragm.)
These items are useless for cruising if you can't repack them.
Maybe I should use the bits and just seize the weight, flag, drogue and light on a broom stick, it would seem to be the sensible course.

 

[Kukri]

That's a bit miserable of Ocean Safety but they do, shall we say, "have a name for being a bit like that"

FWIW having been hunting danbuoys recently Jimmy Green look like the best value and if my anchor shackle was anything to go by they really try to get it to you quickly if you are on board.

(Small plug for Teamo Backtow lifejackets - really excellent repacking instructions. DAMHIKT)

 

[tross]

Repacking Ha !
Why don't we get repacking instructions for life jackets - after all we have to test them every year!( and the hoods that go with them? )
Why don't we get repacking instruction for the hoods on sailing jackets - they very rarely go back into the collar with out a bulge which means the the collar is now too small to do up at the front without choking you?
And while I'm on a roll, why to the CO2 bottles in my life jacket rust after a season?

All this and it still isn't even Friday !

 

[[3889]]

Repacking Ha !
Why don't we get repacking instructions for life jackets - after all we have to test them every year!( and the hoods that go with them? )
Why don't we get repacking instruction for the hoods on sailing jackets - they very rarely go back into the collar with out a bulge which means the the collar is now too small to do up at the front without choking you?
And while I'm on a roll, why to the CO2 bottles in my life jacket rust after a season?

All this and it still isn't even Friday !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEdpKSTxaG4
(Smug deckvest owner.)

 

[dom]

I phoned Ocean Safety the makers, and they said, "We do not give out repacking instructions for them, that's not how we operate. You have to take it to one of our centres, and give it to us, and there will be a charge of 20 something pounds plus VAT"

Ocean Safety's business model appears to embrace a high-margin aftercare service for its products. Which can make simple problems expensive and time consuming.

Seems like greed to many, who consequently try to avoid their products.

 

[Kukri]

Repacking Ha !
Why don't we get repacking instructions for life jackets - after all we have to test them every year!( and the hoods that go with them? )
Why don't we get repacking instruction for the hoods on sailing jackets - they very rarely go back into the collar with out a bulge which means the the collar is now too small to do up at the front without choking you?
And while I'm on a roll, why to the CO2 bottles in my life jacket rust after a season?

All this and it still isn't even Friday !

See post 2. I don't have shares in Teamo, but am a very happy customer...

 

[rotrax]

My Jon Buoy automatic inflation danbuoy got snagged, went in the sea, and self inflated. I pulled it out with a boathook. It just has a normal 33g CO2 bottle which I got the same day (from East Coast Marine in Scarborough, a good little chandlers).
The thing doesn't want to fold up and go back into its box, so I can use it again going down the coast. No instructions on the web how to fold it.
I phoned Ocean Safety the makers, and they said, "We do not give out repacking instructions for them, that's not how we operate. You have to take it to one of our centres, and give it to us, and there will be a charge of 20 something pounds plus VAT"
So I have a choice, either guess how to pack it properly, and not be sure if it will work next time.
Or stow it somewhere in my boat, which is full if people and stuff already, and carry an expensive but useless piece of equipment to So'ton and pay them to fold it. (Oh, and buy another danbuoy at the chandlers for the trip down. )
There is something wrong with this situation, why don't they just publish folding instructions, it would be so easy. The technology is less than a normal lifejacket ( no salt button or hamar diaphragm.)
These items are useless for cruising if you can't repack them.
Maybe I should use the bits and just seize the weight, flag, drogue and light on a broom stick, it would seem to be the sensible course.

Try youtube - we checked and repacked our large jonbuoy after looking there.

Bottom line, its not rocket science, is it?

 

[Stemar]

Repacking Ha !
Why don't we get repacking instructions for life jackets - after all we have to test them every year!( and the hoods that go with them? )
Why don't we get repacking instruction for the hoods on sailing jackets - they very rarely go back into the collar with out a bulge which means the the collar is now too small to do up at the front without choking you?
And while I'm on a roll, why to the CO2 bottles in my life jacket rust after a season?

All this and it still isn't even Friday !

If your cylinders are rusting, I can only think it's because the jackets are getting damp and staying damp. My little boat isn't the driest around, and we do end up out in the rain, but my cylinders are all 12 years old and counting. OK, we try not to be out in bad weather, which includes anything over about a 4 for Milady, but still. Bring 'em home, open 'em up and dry 'em out if they get wet. Having said this, I did condemn a friend's LJ cylinder last year because of corrosion, but he's a specialist in picking the wrong weather to be out.

As an aside, I faithfully weigh my cylinders every year and they're always a gram or two over their minimum weight. Has anyone ever had an apparently undamaged cylinder not be the right weight?

Aside No 2: If cylinders are rusting regularly, might there be any benefit to giving them a polish with car wax? Could it help keep the dreaded tinworm at bay? I can see a possible downside if it lubricates the thread, making it easier for the thread to come loose; can anyone see any other issues?

 

[ashtead]

If your cylinders are rusting, I can only think it's because the jackets are getting damp and staying damp. My little boat isn't the driest around, and we do end up out in the rain, but my cylinders are all 12 years old and counting. OK, we try not to be out in bad weather, which includes anything over about a 4 for Milady, but still. Bring 'em home, open 'em up and dry 'em out if they get wet. Having said this, I did condemn a friend's LJ cylinder last year because of corrosion, but he's a specialist in picking the wrong weather to be out.

As an aside, I faithfully weigh my cylinders every year and they're always a gram or two over their minimum weight. Has anyone ever had an apparently undamaged cylinder not be the right weight?

Aside No 2: If cylinders are rusting regularly, might there be any benefit to giving them a polish with car wax? Could it help keep the dreaded tinworm at bay? I can see a possible downside if it lubricates the thread, making it easier for the thread to come loose; can anyone see any other issues?

I had heard vaseline works ?

 

[mm42]

Try East Coast Marine again, as you say a great little chandlery (my local). He might have done one.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Try East Coast Marine again, as you say a great little chandlery (my local). He might have done one.

I will, thanks.

 

[prv]

Why don't we get repacking instructions for life jackets

I'm fairly sure mine came with instructions.

As for the dan buoy, it can hardly be rocket science. Any creases in the fabric showing how it used to go?

I test-inflate and re-pack my full-size Jon buoy each winter along with the lifejackets - the first couple of times I had to have two goes at folding it small enough to fit neatly in the case, but I've got the knack by now. It helps that I carefully unpacked it, noting how it was originally folded, which obviously isn't an option if the first time you saw it was bursting out of the pack and inflating itself...

A year after I got it, I spoke to someone from Ocean Safety at the Boat Show, who agreed there was no particular reason I shouldn't service it myself. Obviously not toeing the company line there

Pete

 

[Stemar]

Any creases in the fabric showing how it used to go?

When doing life jackets, I try not to use the old creases to avoid fatiguing the material by constantly folding it in the same place. No idea if it does any good, but it's something I was taught by my dad when folding a cycling cape

 

[PilotWolf]

Just a though how about painting your LJ cylinder(s)?

W.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

Just a though how about painting your LJ cylinder(s)?

W.

I use lanolin for jobs like that, it's harmless to fabrics and very waterproof indeed ( I smeared my Aries windvane with a thick coat of lanolin, and it lasted over a year of continuous salt spray, rain and snow. Amazing stuff!)

 

[tross]

My point with regards to the rusty cylinders and the preventative coatings - why are we having to do these in the first place - it is not beyound theability of the manufacturers to prevent them rusting in the first place - or is that so they can sell more.
As an aside, I have used the acrylic liquid floor polish we use on the vinyl foors at work. - This year I will try a sample on the transom to see how it survives the rain, sea and sun.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

My point with regards to the rusty cylinders and the preventative coatings - why are we having to do these in the first place - it is not beyound theability of the manufacturers to prevent them rusting in the first place - or is that so they can sell more.
As an aside, I have used the acrylic liquid floor polish we use on the vinyl foors at work. - This year I will try a sample on the transom to see how it survives the rain, sea and sun.

Those cylinders are made by the million and used for fizzy drinks and all sorts, we pay yacht tax on them but imagine if they were made in 316 stainless, they would last for ever, not much profit in that..and no, the air doesn't leak through the steel..

 

[Mistroma]

I have always thought that my JonBouy was designed by someone on work experience. It consists of a section of drainage pipe inside a sleeve made from plastic tarpaulin type material. The top cover is very difficult to replace, stiff to remove and the cover for the inflation system is prone to sticking.

I check mine annually and use a little silicone grease on the cover for the auto-inflation trigger. I've never had a problem packing it again.

1) Extract all the air (I hold the valve open with a small rubber grommet held by a thin section of duct tape and use a dinghy pump to deflate)
2) Fold at the middle, lay flat and roll towards the ends (This leaves the trigger, cylinder and inflation tube near the outside of the roll)
3) Make certain the manual inflation cord hangs clear of everything and wrap the JonBuoy inside the green pouch supplied.
4) Manual inflation cord should hang outside the end of the pouch after joining the edges with Velcro.
5) The pouch should just slide into the tube on top of the line. Fitting the end cap can be a bit of a bother and requires a screwdriver to lever the material back into place.

N.B. It is worth pulling out all of the line to check for any problems. The end section tends to rot in the sun but can easily be cut off and re-tied about a foot further along the line.

I wrote this from memory and hope it makes sense. It isn't a difficult process to carry out.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

I have always thought that my JonBouy was designed by someone on work experience. It consists of a section of drainage pipe inside a sleeve made from plastic tarpaulin type material. The top cover is very difficult to replace, stiff to remove and the cover for the inflation system is prone to sticking.

I check mine annually and use a little silicone grease on the cover for the auto-inflation trigger. I've never had a problem packing it again.

1) Extract all the air (I hold the valve open with a small rubber grommet held by a thin section of duct tape and use a dinghy pump to deflate)
2) Fold at the middle, lay flat and roll towards the ends (This leaves the trigger, cylinder and inflation tube near the outside of the roll)
3) Make certain the manual inflation cord hangs clear of everything and wrap the JonBuoy inside the green pouch supplied.
4) Manual inflation cord should hang outside the end of the pouch after joining the edges with Velcro.
5) The pouch should just slide into the tube on top of the line. Fitting the end cap can be a bit of a bother and requires a screwdriver to lever the material back into place.

N.B. It is worth pulling out all of the line to check for any problems. The end section tends to rot in the sun but can easily be cut off and re-tied about a foot further along the line.

I wrote this from memory and hope it makes sense. It isn't a difficult process to carry out.

That's extremely kind of you to go through those details for me. Mine's a slightly different type, in a two part box which is split by the auto-inflation ( a bit like a liferaft canister) and I will heed your advice when I tackle the repacking mission.
In fact I will take a few piccies for reference, the trouble is being unable to test it once it's packed.

 

[photodog]

Well, at least yours inflated.

Mine just sank.



Anyways, since replaced with a more traditional variety...