Life ring - location/mounting

[Jerra]

Ditchcrawler's picture shows what we as kids used to call "plaiting in ones". You start with a knot like shown in Ray T's post and pull successive loops through. if you want to lock it so that it doesn't unravel you tuck the end through. If using it in a situation where you would want it to come out quickly slip a piece of dowel or a marlin spike trough the loop over the tail of the rope and out the other side. To deploy simply pull the dowel out and throw the ring.

 

EDIT: to add an h

Edited December 12, 2016 by Jerra

[MHS]

We have a throw line in the stern cupboard.

Our life ring is under the bed and only comes out for river trips as an extra.

[Athy]

We generally have ours on the slide whilst travelling. At night it is put in the back of the cabin, below the steps. At journey's end it retires to sleep in the gas locker.

[DHutch]

We have one, on the roof, lied on lightly with thin cord to prevent it getting knocked off or blowing away.

 

Its been there alone and without issue, mooring all over the network, for about ten years and has yet not been stolen.

As said, visible and able for anyone to deploy, including the public even if we are not there and the boat is locked.

 

Originally we did have two, 25 years ago, but the loss what put down to the wind.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Johny London]

In the end I've put mine around one of the mushroom vents - a couple of the pieces of rope hooked around the vent so it's fairly secure, and not overly nick-able. Though rapid deployment could suffer - but not as much as digging it out from under stuff inside the boat!

[David Schweizer]

Most people seem to prefer a throw line these days, but if you still have a life ring, please make sure you know how to deploy it. Apparently there have been a number of cases where the person in the water has been knocked unconscious by a hard life ring hitting them on the head, worsening an already unhappy situation.

 

When I undertook training for my Boatmaster license, a lot of time was spent with demonstration and practice for correct life ring deployment, which should be thrown to land several metres upstream of the person in the water, so that it floats towards them, in the hope that they will be able to grab it. It is also important that the loose end of the rope is either attached to the boat, or being held firmly by someone securely standing in the boat, so that it can be retrieved for a second attempt , or to gently haul the floating person towards the boat.

 

Correction:- The life ring should be thrown downstream of the person as it will flow less quickly than the person in the water.

Edited January 2, 2017 by David Schweizer

[Johny London]

Hi I knew about not whacking someone on the bonce with it. The upstream technique is good though. I don't have mine on any sort of rope, it's free to do it's thing.

[cuthound]

Most people seem to prefer a throw line these days, but if you still have a life ring, please make sure you know how to deploy it. Apparently there have been a number of cases where the person in the water has been knocked unconscious by a hard life ring hitting them on the head, worsening an already unhappy situation.

 

When I undertook training for my Boatmaster license, a lot of time was spent with demonstration and practice for correct life ring deployment, which should be thrown to land several metres upstream of the person in the water, so that it floats towards them, in the hope that they will be able to grab it. It is also important that the loose end of the rope is either attached to the boat, or being held firmly by someone securely standing in the boat, so that it can be retrieved for a second attempt , or to gently haul the floating person towards the boat.

What's the recommended technique in a canal with no flow?

[David Schweizer]

What's the recommended technique in a canal with no flow?

 

Still a couple of metres beyond the person. Although there are canals with long sections where there is no discernable flow, most do have a flow albeit very slight, you only have to sit on a boat with leaves or petals on the canal surface to observe some flow.

[nipper]

It would be interesting to find out if those who have the throw line have actually used it and practised with it!

 

For what its worth, I have used one on a boat handling coarse I got involved with, many years ago, on the bumpy water!

 

It came as a total surprise to me, that unless you could place that float very near the casualty, and I mean, so close that all they have to do is to grab it, then the float is a total waste of time!

 

The theory is that you can tow it behind the boat, go in a circle and tow it to the casualty. But, that float that is being towed by the boat, only follows the boat and does nothing else. I found that to get the casualty to reach the float, you had to almost run him down in order for the float to get close to him!

 

You can go around in circles but that float will never get to the casualty!

 

There is no substitute for an Automatic Life Jacket

 

Nipper

[frangar]

One advantage of a life ring that was pointed out to me on my boat masters course many years ago was that the life ring can protect the casualty once they are inside the middle from being struck by anything if you have to bring the boat alongside them.

 

A life ring that's not tied to anything isn't a great idea.

 

Gareth

[NickF]

Most people seem to prefer a throw line these days, but if you still have a life ring, please make sure you know how to deploy it. Apparently there have been a number of cases where the person in the water has been knocked unconscious by a hard life ring hitting them on the head, worsening an already unhappy situation.

 

When I undertook training for my Boatmaster license, a lot of time was spent with demonstration and practice for correct life ring deployment, which should be thrown to land several metres upstream of the person in the water, so that it floats towards them, in the hope that they will be able to grab it. It is also important that the loose end of the rope is either attached to the boat, or being held firmly by someone securely standing in the boat, so that it can be retrieved for a second attempt , or to gently haul the floating person towards the boat.

Not sure I follow the upstream principle, both life ring and the person in the water will drift downstream at the same speed so the one will never reach the other! Surely upwind would work better.

[alan_fincher]

I don't have mine on any sort of rope, it's free to do it's thing.

 

I really can't imagine that is likely to be a great deal of use.

 

A line will both allow you to have multiple attempts at getting it to the casualty, and also to draw them towards you when you succeed.

 

Without one I would have thought a ring is probably not going to end up doing the right thing at the first attempt, and likely to float off into the distance once it hasn't!

[David Schweizer]

Not sure I follow the upstream principle, both life ring and the person in the water will drift downstream at the same speed so the one will never reach the other! Surely upwind would work better.

 

Actually, having checked my notes, I got it the wrong way round (it was a long time ago!) Being less dense, the life ring will flow less quickly than the person, so it should be thrown to land downstream of the person in the water.

 

P.S. I will be ammending my oringinal post to avoid incorrect advice being circulated.

[Bee]

Anything that floats and can be thrown is good, cushions, bit of wood, anything. We have not got a life ring or throw line, we should. What we have got though is the ladder from some bunk beds, probably 5` long, lightweight steel with a rope loop at the top which can be dropped over a bollard or lowered into a lock or anything at all really. It is really, really difficult to get back on a boat, e.g Thames, Trent etc or get back over the coping on a canal, have only used it once, bloke fell off the counter in a lock.

[Ray T]

We also have one of these:

 

https://www.waterskiworld.com/life_vest/seachoice-throw-cushion-type-iv-flotation.html

Edited January 2, 2017 by Ray T

[David Mack]

Anything that floats and can be thrown is good, cushions, bit of wood, anything. We have not got a life ring or throw line, we should. What we have got though is the ladder from some bunk beds, probably 5` long, lightweight steel with a rope loop at the top which can be dropped over a bollard or lowered into a lock or anything at all really. It is really, really difficult to get back on a boat, e.g Thames, Trent etc or get back over the coping on a canal, have only used it once, bloke fell off the counter in a lock.

When my wife fell in on the Nene it was a similar ladder offered by another boat owner that enabled her to get out. The piling we were moored against was far too high, and we couldn't pull her up onto thee boat. The only other option was for her to swim to the far side where the bank was lower and she could climb out, but the water would have been too shallow to get the boat over to pick her up again!