Comfortable pfd
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rodderslw
- Rank: Cephalopod
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 5:09 am
Re: Comfortable pfd
I have been looking at these too but I do not think they are rated for use in ppb?bowl wrote:Trying one of these, 30 bucks why not
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Nude up
- Rank: Kingfish
- Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:08 pm
- Location: Bellarine peninsula
- Has liked: 333 times
- Likes received: 569 times
Re: Comfortable pfd
Just had a quick look on the website in ppb and wp you need a pfd1 that would be ok on inland waters
Re: Comfortable pfd
You are stuck between a rock and a hard place, just like all the other boat owners operating power boats of less than 4.8m in Victorian waters. Bulky, hot and uncomfortable PFD's would be fine, if we didn't have to wear them all of the time whilst on the water, but the sad fact is, we do have to wear them all of the time.
There are several varieties of life jacket that are slightly more comfortable to wear, other than the self inflating types. They're shaped like a vest, with ribs of closed cell foam sewn into them. They have a large piece of foam at the back of the collar. I use this type of life jacket for any guests who I might take out in my boat. They can be very hot to wear on hot summer days on the water though, but at least they're relatively maintenance free.
For myself, I keep and maintain just one self inflating PFD. It's comfortable and cool to wear in hot weather. I service them myself and record it as per the manufacturer's instructions, once a year. If it's damaged or if the CO2 canister is corroded, I take the appropriate steps to make it 'legal' again. Once the 5 years are up, I usually ditch my PFD and buy a new one. You can get your PFD serviced by an approved service agent on the 5th year, but it's costs $35 plus parts to do it and that doesn't include the hassle of getting it to them and picking it up again. I can buy brand new self inflating PFD's for as little as $70 and seeing as it's just the one, my personal one, I don't mind spending the money to be comfortable.
There are several varieties of life jacket that are slightly more comfortable to wear, other than the self inflating types. They're shaped like a vest, with ribs of closed cell foam sewn into them. They have a large piece of foam at the back of the collar. I use this type of life jacket for any guests who I might take out in my boat. They can be very hot to wear on hot summer days on the water though, but at least they're relatively maintenance free.
For myself, I keep and maintain just one self inflating PFD. It's comfortable and cool to wear in hot weather. I service them myself and record it as per the manufacturer's instructions, once a year. If it's damaged or if the CO2 canister is corroded, I take the appropriate steps to make it 'legal' again. Once the 5 years are up, I usually ditch my PFD and buy a new one. You can get your PFD serviced by an approved service agent on the 5th year, but it's costs $35 plus parts to do it and that doesn't include the hassle of getting it to them and picking it up again. I can buy brand new self inflating PFD's for as little as $70 and seeing as it's just the one, my personal one, I don't mind spending the money to be comfortable.