auto inflatable PFD

[Tom7227]

I just bought one and I am wondering if I got the correct one. I bought a Mustang MIT and see that the specs say that it has '26 lbs' inflatable. The Cabela's model has a 35 lb rating. I guess I don't know what the difference is. I weigh about 240 and that is only going to go up with duck hunting gear. Anyone know what these numbers mean?

Thanks for your time.

Tom

[JohnMickish]

You will be fine. Most jackets run in the 20 pound range.

[Ufatz]

For future reference, and as I recall: your body is about 80% water and water in water has no weight. So your 240 pound lardazz, as far as the PFD is concerned, doesn't weight much.LOL Assume 80% of your body weight and subtract it-the remaining weight is what is actually being floated. A PFD with a 20 lb. "bouyancy" rating will hold you up just fine and a rated 35 would probably hold up three guys.

Most importantly, do NOT leave those automatics in the hot sun and do NOT let them get water on them or BAM!....they inflate. And a rearming kit is more than $20 now. Leave one out in the rain and see what I mean.

Buy the best you can though.

There is a formula for all this bouyancy stuff but I don't remember it and it is not that important in this instance.

[JohnMickish]

Rain won't set it off. I have fished in all day downpours wearing mine with no problems. They take hydrostatic pressure to be set off. So not wear it under a jacket whatever you do. If you fall in with it under your jacket it can knock the wind out of you and prevent you from being able to breathe.

[Ufatz]

Okay. But how much you wanna bet me that if you leave a Stearns vest laying around on the boat in the rain that it won't POP!? And I will guarantee you if you leave it laying out in the hot sun it will pop. And you must have some super-sophisticated one with the hydrostatic pressure that makes it inflate.

All mine have a little cartridge filled with a white powder. When powder gets wet (submersion) it collapses piston and POP.....you're floating.

I learned all this stuff through the years re-arming them. The re-arm kit is now $20. You can learn fast at that rate.

I'll have to look into the hydrostatic pressure thing though.

[JohnMickish]

I just have a $150 Cabelas version. Uses that white pill to keep it armed. The hot sun and high humidity will make it pop as I have made that mistake too.

I have worn mine in several all day rains with no problem. Wearing it keeps the rain water from entering the chamber. Maybe with it laying on the floor/seat or whatever lets the water creep in and set it off.

One more thing with inflatable PFDs. If you are not wearing it, it does not count as a PFD when the warden does his life jacket count. Don't ask me why this is, but it has been explained to me by a CO that it is in the boating book. Keep it on and there won't be problems.

[elkhornsun]

For your size you should have bought one with a 35lb rating. The lower rated one is fine for flat waters but out in high waves it will not keep you head and mouth out of the water and neither is going to work if you are knocked unconscious and go overboard.

I altered my vests to not be automatic but require pulling the cord. Easy to have the vests in a storage compartment auto inflate and I did not want that happening and spend the $25 per vest for a new cartridge.

[Ufatz]

You're kidding, right? You spend the money for auto-inflate vests and then effectively turn them into plain old PFD's? And you speak of keeping head and face out of water and "being knocked unconscious"...precisely what the auto inflate PFD's are for?

There is nothing more dangerous on the internet than posts that suggest to people they do things that are unsafe.

Learn about PFD's....the various kinds and capacities and make sure you and your passengers are safe. You go over the side and hit your head and you WILL drown in five minutes or less when a standard PFD turns you face down or on your side.

And for crimineys sake DON'T disarm an auto PFD to make it more convenient?

[harvey lee]

I agree Ufatz, disarm one and when you hit your head and get knocked out or stuned for a minute, the PFD will NOT deploy.

No reason to even purchase one if you disarm it. I would also guess in MN that would not even be considered a legal life vest. I believe only the auto ones are legal.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Ufatz]

You do NOT have to use only the auto-inflate PFD's; there are many others that are USCG approved for all states, including of course, Minnesota.

But the idea of buying an auto-inflate and then disarming it for fear it might go off while in storage is absurd. We simply take the OFF the boat and store them in the shed/house/cabin or someplace where direct HOT sun cannot get them or where they cannot get soaked by rain, which WILL inflate them. I remember when they came out and the USCG would not approve them for quite a few years-then finally did. The lightweight "suspender" models are perfect for wading fishermen, especially for steelhead fishers who sometimes wade pretty heavy water.