Life Jackets

[roggie]

What do folk normally do with their life jackets - take to be services every year or just replace the gas canisters every now and again )plus auto parts if fitted? Also where do you buy the canisters from (internet or chandlery).

 

I've just purchased some life jackets off ebay in case we go on the tidal Thames and think I should make sure they work - only 1 is a automatic version. I've blown then up to make sure no holes but what the best way to check the gas is OK without spending loads of cash replacing all the canisters.

[George94]

I think an inflatable life-jacket is useful for divers but is overkill on a boat. None of the professional waterway people use them on the Thames. They just have small buoyancy aids, and that is what the PLA suggests boaters should wear.

[Alan de Enfield]

Its far to late at night to put forward an argument against such rubbish - but you may wish to read the PLA Safety Bulletin which states as follows :

 

"...... it is strongly reccomended that lifejackets are worn at all times when on deck"

 

 

Note - LIFEJACKET = not a buoyancy aid

[matty40s]

apparently a lady named Roxy comes round and tests them all...

[Starcoaster]

You can hire Nigel Carton for that.

 

"Lifejackets tested- whether you want them to be or not!"

[George94]

Its far to late at night to put forward an argument against such rubbish - but you may wish to read the PLA Safety Bulletin which states as follows :

 

"...... it is strongly reccomended that lifejackets are worn at all times when on deck"

 

 

Note - LIFEJACKET = not a buoyancy aid

 

But that's not what they do themselves.

 

Obviously, 100 miles away in Lincoln you know all about it, but if you were ever to come to the Thames you would find that PLA staff, and other watermen, tend to use small buoyancy aids.

 

People who are active about a boat know that an inflatable lifejacket is potentially dangerous if worn down below, and can get in the way of what you are doing while on deck.

 

There are always people advising you to do this, that, or the other in the name of safety, but they seldom think of the practicalities or of the actual size of the risk.

 

I have fallen into the Thames, without a life-jacket, and know that it would have been much more difficult to swim ashore had I been wearing one.

 

You may recall the tragedy of the family that were lost in a Scottish loch a few months ago. Those who survived were not wearing life-jackets.

 

People who can't swim may well be better off with a life-jacket, but those who can, in the Thames above say, Dartford, before it starts to widen, are in my view, and in the PLA's view (because that's what they do, as opposed to what they sometimes say) better off with a buoyancy aid.

[nigeljan]

confused why would a diver want to wear an inflatable life-jacket ?

[keble]

Well the above comments are not helping the OP's query!

I too would like to know as I also have gas cylinder jackets (Seago).

 

Phyllis on here knows how to check, and was going to tell me how, but it got forgotten somehow.

So can anyone else help?

[lynalldisocvery]

But that's not what they do themselves.

 

Obviously, 100 miles away in Lincoln you know all about it, but if you were ever to come to the Thames you would find that PLA staff, and other watermen, tend to use small buoyancy aids.

 

People who are active about a boat know that an inflatable lifejacket is potentially dangerous if worn down below, and can get in the way of what you are doing while on deck.

 

There are always people advising you to do this, that, or the other in the name of safety, but they seldom think of the practicalities or of the actual size of the risk.

 

I have fallen into the Thames, without a life-jacket, and know that it would have been much more difficult to swim ashore had I been wearing one.

 

You may recall the tragedy of the family that were lost in a Scottish loch a few months ago. Those who survived were not wearing life-jackets.

 

 

 

 

George i may be wrong but im sure some of those poor kids who died were wearing either lifejackets or bouyancy aids.

 

 

 

Lynall

[David Schweizer]

But that's not what they do themselves.

 

Obviously, 100 miles away in Lincoln you know all about it, but if you were ever to come to the Thames you would find that PLA staff, and other watermen, tend to use small buoyancy aids.

 

People who are active about a boat know that an inflatable lifejacket is potentially dangerous if worn down below, and can get in the way of what you are doing while on deck.

 

There are always people advising you to do this, that, or the other in the name of safety, but they seldom think of the practicalities or of the actual size of the risk.

 

I have fallen into the Thames, without a life-jacket, and know that it would have been much more difficult to swim ashore had I been wearing one.

 

You may recall the tragedy of the family that were lost in a Scottish loch a few months ago. Those who survived were not wearing life-jackets.

 

People who can't swim may well be better off with a life-jacket, but those who can, in the Thames above say, Dartford, before it starts to widen, are in my view, and in the PLA's view (because that's what they do, as opposed to what they sometimes say) better off with a buoyancy aid.

I also live a good distance from the Thames, but I have been on it many times. My observations suggests that the Staff wear life jackets not bouyancy aids. We have one of each on the boat, and the life jacket, is far more practical when perfoming physical tasks than the bulky bouyancy aid. I am less familiar with the PLA, but these photos Taken from PLA websites) suggest that their staff wear inflatable life jackets, at least when they are in front of a camera!

 

 

 

 

I was unable to find any showing staff wearing bouyancy aids.

Edited November 14, 2012 by David Schweizer

[pquinn]

the rnli checked ours and the were using lifejackets.

[Kiwipeter]

The advantage of a self inflating/self righting life jacket is if you get knocked unconscious going overboard. The eclusiers on the big rivers in France (Saone/Rhone etc) won't operate if you aren't wearing one (

[pquinn]

whats an eclusier?

[Tim]

There is an expiry date on the gas cylinder, so in theory you should replace the cylinder if it is out of date.

 

On a recent water safety course (RYA) I was told that over 50% (no idea where the figure comes from) of people are unconscious before they hit the water, thus saying what is the point of a manually inflatable life jacket.

[oldironsides]

whats an eclusier?

 

French lock keeper.

[Grace and Favour]

whats an eclusier?

 

A French Lock-keeper

 

Edited to make more accurate - -

 

An Eclusier is a Lock-Keeper working on locks in France

Edited November 14, 2012 by Grace & Favour

[Peter-Bullfinch]

We had our two lifejackets serviced by Parmaris in Birkenhead. 0151 647 4410 . CH41 1EP . They have a system of 21 checks. Seals and O rings are replaced as well as well as cartridges. The operating head safety clip and auto base cap if fitted is replaced too. They charged 34 pounds for a pair inc VAT. We posted ours to them. They were prompt and friendly. I asked if we could do a self check. Yes, they said. Put one onto your wife, go outside and tell her to leap into the Mersey! We paid up.

[Keeping Up]

Don't the gas cartridges have their weight stamped in them, so you can weigh them yourself to check whether or not they still contain the correct amount of gas?

[Tim]

That's correct, the weight is on the cylinder.

[ditchcrawler]

What do folk normally do with their life jackets - take to be services every year or just replace the gas canisters every now and again )plus auto parts if fitted? Also where do you buy the canisters from (internet or chandlery).

 

I've just purchased some life jackets off ebay in case we go on the tidal Thames and think I should make sure they work - only 1 is a automatic version. I've blown then up to make sure no holes but what the best way to check the gas is OK without spending loads of cash replacing all the canisters.

For the Cylinder.

The tare weight of cylinder should be stamped on the side somewhere. It should also state the weight of the liquefied gas in them, so add the two together and put them on the kitchen scales. Also visually check for damage and corrosion.

[GUMPY]

Don't the gas cartridges have their weight stamped in them, so you can weigh them yourself to check whether or not they still contain the correct amount of gas?

Yes post office scales are good for this as unless you are a drug dealer its unlikely you will have a scales accurate enough.

[ridders]

full coverage of this subject here:

http://rnli.org/safetyandeducation/stayingsafe/seasafety/Pages/Lifejackets.aspx

edited to add leaflet is here:

http://rnli.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Caring%20for%20your%20Lifejacket.pdf

Edited November 14, 2012 by ridders

[alan_fincher]

But that's not what they do themselves.

 

Obviously, 100 miles away in Lincoln you know all about it, but if you were ever to come to the Thames you would find that PLA staff, and other watermen, tend to use small buoyancy aids.

And virtually all the lock keepers on the EA controlled part of the river wear inflatable life-jackets, don't they ?

 

If its OK for them, why is it not OK for me ?

 

 

People who are active about a boat know that an inflatable lifejacket is potentially dangerous if worn down below, and can get in the way of what you are doing while on deck.

 

There are always people advising you to do this, that, or the other in the name of safety, but they seldom think of the practicalities or of the actual size of the risk.

I find no difficulties whatsoever wearing a modern inflatable jacket on rivers.

 

Why is it dangerous to wear it "down below", then ?

 

(I think I can guess a very small possibility where it might be, but go on, anyway.......)

 

People who can't swim may well be better off with a life-jacket, but those who can, in the Thames above say, Dartford, before it starts to widen, are in my view, and in the PLA's view (because that's what they do, as opposed to what they sometimes say) better off with a buoyancy aid.

A buoyancy aid is far less guaranteed to keep you the right way up, with head fully out of water.

 

You can be the strongest swimmer in the world, but if you are knocked unconscious going in, being a swimmer isn't going to help you.

 

Do you have any actual evidence of narrow boat crew on (say) the Thames who are now dead who would not be, had they not been wearing a life-jacket when crewing the boat, please ? (Not any other kind of boat, in another place - deaths of crew of a tiller-steered canal boat being operated on a big river, due to life-jacket wearing.....)

[bargemast]

A French Lock-keeper

 

Edited to make more accurate - -

 

An Eclusier is a Lock-Keeper working on locks in France

 

 

To make even more accurate : an éclusier = a lock-keeper, not necessarely in France, but just in the French language.

 

For someone French, the lock-keepers on the Thames, or anywhere else are all éclusiers.

 

In this case it was about lock-keepers in France on the Saône and the Rhône, but officially boat-crew on the deck during locking procedures, or anywhere else where there's a risk to slip/fall overboard have to wear life-jackets, a rule that's rarely respected.

 

 

For George94, how wrote : I have fallen into the Thames, without a life-jacket, and know that it would have been much more difficult to swim ashore had I been wearing one.

 

People that are good swimmers often forget how to swim because they hit their heads before or while falling overboard, and if not when the water is cold or the waterway flooding they will be very quickly exhausted.

 

Therefore just a buoyancy aid isn't good enough.

 

Peter.

 

Wearing a lifejacket will give you more chance to survive.

 

Peter.

[twbm]

What do folk normally do with their life jackets - take to be services every year or just replace the gas canisters every now and again )plus auto parts if fitted? Also where do you buy the canisters from (internet or chandlery).

 

I've just purchased some life jackets off ebay in case we go on the tidal Thames and think I should make sure they work - only 1 is a automatic version. I've blown then up to make sure no holes but what the best way to check the gas is OK without spending loads of cash replacing all the canisters.

 

I've just replaced all the triggers and cylinders on our four lifejackets for £16 per jacket, and that was from a Southampton Yacht Chandlery, not known for their cheap prices. I think that's a fair price for peace of mind.