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Life Jacket

Stephen Scaysbrook

Stephen Scaysbrook

Senior Member
Can any one reccomend a life jacket. Is there a jacket that can be worn under my fishing suit or are they all worn on the out side.
 
Hi Stephen,
You can wear a buoyancy aid under your clothing but as it says it's only an aid. I wear a crew saver 275 newton life jacket with a hammar system so that it works by water pressure. The first one i bought worked when it got wet so when it rained it would inflate,
not so good. You can wear the crew saver over your fishing jacket. I also wear a two piece flotation suit which keeps you really warm as it i filled with a type foam. The c/s comes with a ring so that you connect a rope and has a detachable harness so that it does not come off over your head if you fall in. Reason i wear all this? I have a disease called meniere's if i get water in my ear i become very dizzy and fall over. Flotation suits start about £70 275 newton life jacket £200.
 
I also wear a CrewSaver mine is a 150N Auto Standard life jacket fully adjustable so I wear it over the top of what ever I'm wearing and you hardly know its there.
Fishing the Wye and other large rivers on your own especially when the river is in flood it is a essential piece of fishing tackle whether you can swim or not !
I bought mine on Ebay after slipping in the river but having trouble getting back up the bank
Here is a link for you of exactly what I have

Crewsaver Crewfit 150N Red Life Jacket | eBay

Dave
 
Paul I've got a problem with my ears at the moment and I keep going dizzy. I'm not sure what my problem is yet but dont want to stop fishing. Thats why I'm looking at diffarent ways of staying safe.
 
Yeah that looks perfect and very similar to the Crew Saver, I'm sure they must be made to the same standards and its in green !!!
Go for it Stephen !
Dave
 
Just a word of caution gents, the lifejackets mentioned above are very good but they should be subject to annual service. The main issue is to check that the CO2 cartridge has not leaked empty and that the manual overide toggle will work properly. You can of course do it yourself if you have the expertise. I have a Seasafe coat which contains one of these 150N jackets, it gets an annual service and test certificate from Norwest Marine in Liverpool for about £8. I'm sure that there are many other service agents around the country.
 
Hi Stephen,

I bought one last week off eBay as I am punt fishing next week and can't borrow one this time. When doing my research I did see there are some that come in ....yes sorry camo. Typical ones are 150 newtons bouyancy which is rated 40kg plus weight support - which is I gather an 'accepted' adult recreation size.

The normal colours are blue, red, yellow etc as obviously most boating wearers want to be as conspicious as possible so they are seen. Most of them the cover is what you see colour-wise when packed, but when inflated are usually predominently bright yellow. You can get green fishing ones.

I decided against an auto inflate and went for a manual one in dull (I think) red although if you are concerned by brightness a few strokes with a camo stick crayon would do the job. Recharge bottles are about £10-13. Mine was purchased from a sailing concern who I guess were getting rid of surplus stock and it had been regularly serviced.

I wouldn't normally buy one just for bank fishing as I am cautious, but I guess accidents are just that, unforseen.

Good luck
Chris
 
A word of caution, DO NOT wear an auto inflate lifejacket under your coat, yes people do, unbelievably do it !! apparently once inflated it can potentially stop you being able to breath due to the pressure on your chest, not good.
 
All depends on how the rucksack is worn, basically you don't want any of the rucksack straps over any part of the inflation chamber. If they are then obviously proper inflation may not take place or even worse only partial inflation of one side will result in trying to keep your face out of the water as you lean to one side.

This type of 150N lifejacket is designed to float you with your feet out in front of you and your head back in case you are unconcious as you hit the water. Having seen and performed a number of tank tests with these lifejackets and rucksacks etc. it was noted that even pretty full rucksacks initially have a large amount of reserve buoyancy especially if all the zips are fully done up. This has the effect of lifting your back more upright which obviously isn't a good thing and may even force you face down into the water if unconcious.

The advice in my industry is not to wear a bag at all but if essential then an over one shoulder carryall with a loose strap is the preferred option so that it can be cast off with relative ease.
 
:eek:i firmly beleive life jackets have their place in fishing inland But.
the very best life preserver is not to get into dangerous situation in 1st place,
nothing will stop you getting knocked out if a large heavy floating debris catches yer one against your head! :eek: then you couldnt extricate yourself from getting snagged up and the strong currents dragging you under, life jackets wont preven this unless your a light weight and the life Jacket is a really good one with All its details and capabilities apparent, be safe, be aware, and be shy of danger its the only way to be safe:)
 
I have a Crewsaver 150N and it's about time it was serviced,but looking on their website they say "Allow 28 days for the work to be carried out" This is not acceptable to me !
Can anybody recommend another service agent that offers a better service ?
Or can this work be carried out by myself with replacement service arming kit and be reliable ?
Dave
 
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if memory serves me right the manufacturers service will include damage reports to material, seams, pipes,straps and recharges it does unfortunately take time as theres a lot of jackets and bouyancy aids made each year and to service:)
 
Best bet may be to find somewhere local where you can drop off and collect. My Seasafe coat service takes about three days if I drop and collect. That includes checking the lifejacket, strobe light, saltwater activated light etc.
 
Buoyancy aids

Not a bad idea to keep out of danger, especially in winter, loads of clothing, slippery banks, fast cold running water, bah. Stay at home and let the fish and the EEs get on with it. Just seen that the EEs are raping the countryside of mushrooms now - they must need these as a side dish to go with the fish they poach.

If you insist on fishing in inclement conditions, I would opt for a horseshoe type buoyancy aid which provides versatility and therefore more likely to be worn. You may not want to wear a jacket which has a built in buoyancy aid in warmer weather and the same argument applies even more so to the floatation suits. With a horsehoe jobby, you can wear it with a shirt, jacket or even in a bath if necessary. Some swimming pools will let you practice with a buoyancy aid. I suspect a rucky would compromise any inflatable aid unless arm band only buoyancy aids are chosen. There are some good value horseshoe buoyancy aids on the 'net.
 
Buoyancy aids

Not a bad idea to keep out of danger, especially in winter, loads of clothing, slippery banks, fast cold running water, bah. Stay at home and let the fish and the EEs get on with it. Just seen that the EEs are raping the countryside of mushrooms now - they must need these as a side dish to go with the fish they poach.

If you insist on fishing in inclement conditions, I would opt for a horseshoe type buoyancy aid which provides versatility and therefore more likely to be worn. You may not want to wear a jacket which has a built in buoyancy aid in warmer weather and the same argument applies even more so to the floatation suits. With a horsehoe jobby, you can wear it with a shirt, jacket or even in a bath if necessary. Some swimming pools will let you practice with a buoyancy aid. I suspect a rucky would compromise any inflatable aid unless arm band only buoyancy aids are chosen. There are some good value horseshoe buoyancy aids on the 'net.
 
Been doing a bit of digging around and found a company in Swansea called Marine Warehouse they offer a 48 hour turnaround with a fixed price service of £7.99 plus whatever parts are required and certificated you do have to add postage on or you can purchase the kit to service yourself and there is a brilliant video on the website showing you how to do it (Links Below)

http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/

http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/videos/45/united-moulders-automatic-life-jacket-rearming-instructions

Regards
Dave
 
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