Recently, a
club member asked for opinions about the best life jacket to buy for keelboat sailing. Since this
issue comes up not infrequently, I’ve compiled many club members’ opinions in
an effort to simplify the decision-making process for future members. Let’s start with Brent’s overview of the considerations involved:
First, do you need/want a Type II vest? The deciding factor here are whether you want a vest that will likely keep your head out of the water if you are unconscious. If this is a concern, then you should look to Type II, which narrows your choices quite a bit.
Next, on a keelboat, I wouldn't want to use a non-inflatable vest. Too bulky. Yet, on a dinghy, you don't really want an inflatable. To my mind, one should really have two different vests - one for dinghy sailing and one for keelboats. If you can't have two, then you'll have to do with a non-inflatable while keelboat sailing.
If you want/need a Type II inflatable, there aren't very many options. Mustang makes one with a built-in harness. This is what I use. I'm quite happy with it.
If you don't want/need a Type II non-inflatable, then you'll be looking at Type III devices, and it really comes down to personal preference, but there are a few big considerations. First is bulk, but that's not the most important consideration in my opinion, though it's the one that gets the most attention. Way more important is that it doesn't restrict motion of your arms across the front of your body, and that there are no edges, corners, buckles, etc. that are likely to catch lines.
I would much rather take a bulky vest with a smooth profile than a sleek one with bits and pieces that would catch a line. In fact, high floatation is a big deal for me. Most people just go for the lowest-profile vest they can find, but it is important to remember what the vest is for. More floatation is better.
For a vest to do a good job, it should keep you as high out of the water as possible. It is there to save your life and not look good. However, if you won't wear it, it won't do you any good. So, know thyself.
I use a Type II/V hydrostatic inflatable with built-in harness by Mustang Survival when I don't plan on getting wet (i.e. keelboats). On dinghies, I wear a Type II by Extrasport (I think). I require a Type II vest, but as I tend to sail away from the immediate shore, I would probably use a Type II device anyway.
The topic of wakeboarding vests has come up, and while
attractive in limited circumstances they should be relied upon only with
caution:
Keep in mind, wakeboard vests will generally not save your life. They will only improve you comfort for a short time. Many (most?) do not meet the minimum floatation requirements to even meet Type III standards, and those that do are pretty minimal. These are adequate only to provide a bit of insulation and reduce fatigue somewhat. Use a neoprene vest only if you are sure you won't go into the water unconscious, or become unconscious or semi-conscious, and rescue is guaranteed within a few minutes. Otherwise, this is just false security.
These vests are not adequate for keelboat sailing, except perhaps puttering around the lake with a competent crew. Also, they are not advisable for single-handing except under supervision. If you don't believe how quickly hypothermia sets in and how important every pound of buoyancy is, come talk to me and I'll tell you tales from the ER.
Of course, each person needs to weigh risks and make their own decision about what precautions to take, but most (all?) neoprene vests only lend a false sense of protection when it comes to sailing. They are not designed for this purpose. They are designed for situations where the water is relatively warm and rescue imminent.
The reason there are so many different kinds of PFDs is because there are different levels of exposure to different sorts of risks. Each requires different measures to mitigate. If you want to buy just one PFD to suit any sailing you might do, then buy the device for the worst exposure possible. Then, if you can afford a second device, consider something less capable and possibly less obtrusive for sailing that is less exposed to risk.
However, all things being equal, an inflatable, in addition to being more comfortable than a foam vest, provides more buoyancy and has a better righting capability than an equivalently rated foam vest. Still, as discussed, they are not really suitable for dinghy sailing because of the high chance of going into the water in a non-emergent situation. Though, if I didn't need an auto-inflating Type II, I would consider a manually-inflating Type III over a neoprene vest for dinghy sailing. This way I would have some floatation and insulation, plus the ability to inflate if I had to. Still, for keelboat sailing, I wouldn't consider using anything other than a Type II except perhaps in conditions where I didn't feel like I needed a PFD at all.
My advice: Just plan on getting two vests - an inflatable for keelboats and a foam vest for dinghies. Get whichever you need first, and get a vest with the buoyancy appropriate to the level of risk you want to mitigate. If you don't think you'll do much keelboat sailing, then just use your dingy vest. If you're going to race on a keelboat, get an inflatable or go without - unless you're going to do any distances at all, in which case you'll want an inflatable with a harness.
Dennis suggests using a floater jacket:
I'm normally a KB sailor, but I do sail dingys. On the dingy, I always use the clubs PFD's or similar. They are cheap, quick and don't get easily damaged.For years, I tried to use a very nice offshore inflatable PFD on the KB's. But I seldom really wore it --> not good. Among other issues was the fact that it had to be worn outside any coat or especially rain coat, so to get the coat off, the PFD had to come off and again seldom went back on.I sail KB's frequently in the winter - so it is chilly. Ultimately I purchased a type III Mustang Integrity Class floater Jacket. It is thick, having 1/2" flotation all around inside. It is very warm and having a nylon shell is reasonably dry. Now, I do look forward to wearing my life jacket when it is cold out, so always have it on when I should. It is comfortable on most all cool days. When the weather really does get warm (shirt sleeve), I do go back to the inflatable. Downside is price.Of course the floater jacket has no maintenance other than keeping it clean. I've waterproofed it once and that helped.
As if that wasn’t enough food for thought, John adds the
following links to tests of different styles of life vests. Do consider how they will perform in waves,
since you’re most likely to fall in the drink on a heavy day:
I found this interesting when I was researching inflatable PFDs.Testing inflatables against traditional PFDs in a wave pool with waves up to 4 feet high:In fact, the type III inherently buoyant vest-style life jacket proved the real eye-opener for our test crew who had to work hard treading water to keep their faces clear of the waves when using this device. When another test was conducted simulating an unconscious victim, those wearing the Type III inherently buoyant devices repeatedly sank well beneath the surface as the waves rolled over them.Above from:More life jacket tests:Complete list of BoatUS tests:USSailing Safety at Sea studies (no life jacket tests):
Adrian’s experience with on european pfds should also be
considered. Some members have even
discussed adding leg straps to their pfds:
I have a Mustang MD3084, which I bought maybe 4 years ago. Here's a couple thoughts:
-Get something with automatic inflation. When I fell overboard, it brought me up to the surface immediately, almost in time to catch the stern of the boat, and close enough to grab the life ring. If it hadn't been automatic, the boat would've had to circle around for me. I tuck the release handle into the PFD when I sail so it won't accidentally get caught on something.-Get something with an integrated harness. I wear mine all the time, and with the harness already on the lifejacket, clipping in is like a second thought.
-Don't get a Mustang. They use a proprietary plastic ring on the cartridges. When I went sailing in Europe, TSA confiscated my cartridge and you can't find any with the plastic ring outside the U.S. The 33g CO2 cartridges are universal, but the plastic ring isn't, and it's glued on to the cartridges Mustang sells. This is so you will buy only Mustang cartridges, which aren't sold outside the U.S. If it weren't for this, I would heartily recommend Mustang. Go to fisheries and look at all the PFD recharge kits they sell. Buy the PFD with the most "standard generic" recharge kit you can find. If you don't ever plan on leaving the U.S., then a Mustang PFD is a great choice.
-When I was in sailing school in France, we had inflatable PFDs that were super tough, with an integrated harness with a crotch strap. It is slightly less comfy, but a crotch strap is way more secure, and will allow someone to pull you back onboard by the harness. I doubt I'll ever find any harnesses with crotch straps for sale in the U.S., but if I did I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Here's one close to the one I used:
http://www.certec.eu.com/fr/produit.php?famille=nautisme&lang=fr&id=69
Here's an example of one with leg straps:
http://www.certec.eu.com/fr/produit.php?famille=nautisme&lang=fr&id=45
Keep in mind that the more complicated it is to put on, the less likely you are to use it...
-Other features: if it doesn't have a whistle, put one on it. I also wish mine had a pocket to put a strobe. I have to clip the strobe to the PFD, but it's not very secure.
This takes us to the matter of strobes. Finding a crew overboard in the dark is
nearly impossible. Brandon tells us that
“after doing some ‘toss crap in the water at night and see if you can find it’
drills with Dan in the KB Skipper class, I would NEVER sail at night without it
or a PFD.” So make sure everyone has a
light on them if you’re sailing at night.
If you don’t find a pfd with an integrated strobe, consider
Raz’s words:
A great strobe to have is the C-Strobe made by ACR. It runs about 30 bucks at fisheries and runs on 2 AA batteries. This is a strobe that NOAA uses and is excellent, proven technology. When Brandon and I taught a keelboat class last year that did a lot of night sailing, we made all our students get a strobe and I think they all chose to get this one. Practice turning it on a few times so that the muscle memory is there if you ever find yourself in the drink.For a very worthwhile five dollars, you can get a little clip that attaches the C-Strobe to the oral-inflate hose on your PFD. This is nice because the strobe stays safely on the inside when the PFD is packed, but is really easy to access if the thing inflates.
And just so you don’t forget to do everything possible to
avoid falling off a boat in the first place, skip forward to about 4:30 on this
video John found:
Use jack lines at night or when things get rough.
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