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Servicing Your Inflatable PFD

Spring is coming again and you’ll soon be getting your boat ready for the season. We all know your to do list can get long and sometimes the best thing is to start early with some of the simpler tasks that don’t require you to crawl around your boat and work in your garage. Here are a few tips for checking and servicing your inflatable PFD.

1. If you have never inflated the device to get a feel for it, we recommend that you take it for a test run when you feel adventuresome and want to jump into the water with it. You should be very familiar with how the device works and feels when inflation occurs. Of course, you can always just manually inflate it, the boring method.
2. OK, we know your out there, you bought your inflatable 5-10 years ago, and you’ve never inflated it. Guess what, best that you test the inflation device. Don it, pull that rip cord, and be sure it inflates fully. If it does not, you should have the device serviced by the manufacturer.

3. Self-Check and Service
   • Oral inflate the life vest fully and let it sit for 12 hours (Overnight). If the bladder does not maintain its inflated state, send it in to be serviced by the manufacturer.
   • Disarm the device by removing the CO2 canister and dissolvable bobbin (automatic versions only) Check the face of the cylinder (per owner’s manual instructions) and make sure it is not punctured. Check the date on the bobbin. The date stamped is the manufacturing date and the bobbins are generally good 3-4 years past that date. They can go longer, but they should be replaced every 3 years (If you have a Hammer Inflator, service them every 5 years as per the owner’s manual). Re-arm the device according to the owner’s manual.
   • Give the inflatable a good once over. Look over the sewn edges, straps, buckles, ties, etc. Everything should be in good order. If the product is torn, has loose webbing, or is missing components, send it in to the manufacturer for servicing.

4. Keep a service log of your inflatable either in the owner’s manual or on the life vest itself.

Inevitably, some of you will need to get a new kit or two and its always recommended that you keep one spare for each inflatable on board your boat. So, please use the attached coupon to purchase kits from www.InflatablePFD.com.

Life Vest Wear Legislation

Many states are considering life jacket mandatory wear laws. For instance, New York State has been pretty active in this area. They are considering a mandatory wear law that would require life vest to be donned on boats under 20 ft that are on the water from Fall to Spring.

In addition, new rules were set out for port pilots to have a certain level of safety gear, including harnesses, whistles, lights, and Type III or higher life vests. They highly recommend that personal EPIRB’s be used.

Several deaths have also been reported during construction over waterways. A few lawsuits have been filed and it also has OSHA looking into the matter. The wrongful death suits claim that companies have not been providing workers with adequate protection for workers who fall in the water. If OSHA gets involved they could demand that companies must provide better gear and implement safety protocols to ensure employees are following safety guidelines while on the water.

This could also have an impact on the life jacket manufacturer’s, the UL, and USCG for current designs. Foam designs are not conducive to the work being done and they are often too bulky and warm. Typical jackets worn by the commercial construction industry are Foam work vests. They are light and a bit more comfortable than other class life vests, however they do not have the performance characteristics of an inflatable life vest or Type I life vest.

One of the best inflatables available to commercial users is the Float-Tech inflatable sold on our site. The jacket can be customized with lettering and logos and I’ve even heard that the company is moving towards having even more customized features available on their outerwear. The jackets are much more comfortable than traditional foam float coats and have very little snag hazards. Better yet, the device is fully serviceable, very similar to products available to the US Navy, thus, allowing companies to maintain the product over many years and reducing their cost of replacement.

If you have a comment about current legislation on mandatory wear, please comment to this posting.

Did A Life Jacket Save Your Life?

I pose that question only because I don’t think people hear it enough on the importance of taking safety precautions when boating. With the availability of numerous life jackets on the market there is no excuse to keep one on while enjoying activities on the water.

The 2006 boating statistics were recently released and basically they information is clear, wearing a life jacket could have reduced the boating fatalities nearly by 50%. There were 940 accidents that involved falls overboard or capsizing, 417 led to a fatality. I know its statistics, but that’s like 44% chance of not making it if you capsize of fall over board in an accident. Additionally, 90% of the victims were not wearing life jackets.

So what’s the excuse for not wearing life jackets? Uncomfortable, Ugly, Too Bulky, or what. There are definitely options out there you would wear, you just have to go out and look and try them out.

I want to hear from you. Do you wear yours or not and why? or Do you have a story to tell?

Hello world!

Welcome to InflatablePFD.com Blog. We’ll be adding more so keep posted. Here we’ll post any new news about life jackets, use, policy, wear, new products, and even some training video’s and information. Feel free to post a discussion or ask a question.