A not so funny screw up...

[brother chris]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

I hardly wear a life jacket unless it is rough weather, or it is cold outside. I always keep them within reach though.

 

[wajajaja]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

don't wear it on the cuddy, always with at least a family member, always on a warm nice cruisin day. <br /> but,, have participated in rescues of those that Didnt make it who venture out in row boats/canoes on cold water(less than 60deg). the body doesn't work (swim,think),when its hyperthermic. serious hyperthermia is a temp less than 92 degrees. it only takes a minute in cold water.

 

[albgar]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Jacket with kill switch worn everytime outboard is running. When I night fished in the passed the jacket was removed when the outboard was stopped. Night fishing in the future, jacket will not come off. Non-swimmers in my boat will not remove jacket until we return to land.

 

[mkuehnl]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

trying to get the habit

 

[gsbodine]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Originally posted by jtexas:<br />Interesting thing about Texas law, guess it's the same everywhere - you must have a wearable PFD for everyone aboard, but adults aren't required to wear them; throwable PFD's aren't good enough. If you fall in, someone will have to throw you your wearable PFD, which you will then have to hang onto until you get picked up.

In GA at least you are required to have a wearable PFD for every passenger (though adults don't have to wear them) AND at least one Type IV throwable aboard. one or the other isn't good enough.

 

[Seamus]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

OK, I know I'm late on this, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. I have a Stormy Seas inflatable vest. When the weather is cool enough I wear it - when it's too hot I don't (I still have it with me.) Usually the cool weather coincides with higher risk boating and vice versa. I know I am taking a risk by not always boating with a life preserver, but the truth is that I am taking a risk by boating at all with or without. I can swim and tend not to panic in calm water (in water which is not calm I wear a life vest.) When I paddle a kayak I NEVER wear a vest. I know, truly stupid, but again, if I had to wear a vest to paddle, I wouldn't be paddling at all. I get very hot and sweaty when involved in aerobic exercise and I just cannot imagine how I could stand wearing insulation while so engaged. I do wear a wet suit when paddling in cold weather, so there is some floatation and insulation there and I suppose if I went paddling in rough water, I would wear floatation. This is a subject that I have thought through and have chosen to outfit myself with extra protection when I think I need it and not when I think I don't. True, I may be wrong and dead someday, but that's a risk everyone lives with everyday - even many miles from the water.

 

[wajajaja]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

just a note, excessive persperation is a symptom of a silent/painless heart attack, to do arobic excercise on a kayak with out a life jacket is<br />__________. <br /> I took a tour of the underground in seattle and it was noted that they used to have drownning in the trenches in town, because the water is always to cold to swim in. <br /> also if the kayak rolls and you hit your head, then what. <br /> hope your childless, children need thier parents.

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Originally posted by wajajaja:<br />[QB] just a note, excessive persperation is a symptom of a silent/painless heart attack, ...<br /><br />Gee, I must be having a silent painless heart attack nearly every summer day... This si a serious issue though, and thank you for highlighting this overlooked fact.<br /><br />I agree with the spirit of your post, whereas I haven't yet gotten into the habit of wearing my PFD most of the time, I have one. And I haven't been out more than twice since I got it. All you have to do is read pamphlets about the death rate, the vast majority of drownings involved people who could swim, some very well. And more than 2 out of three had floatation devices WITHIN arms reach before they entered the water. And more than half were not alone in their boat. Scary statistics if you think of it. Check with your Coast Guard if you don't believe my stated stats. Do your loved ones a favor, wear a PFD. You are not the only one affected by your life/death.

 

[SeaJayacas]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

I do a lot of boating on the ocean in-shore grounds. I hardly every see anyone wearing a life jacket around by me other than some very young children.

 

[karl smith]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

On flat water, I rarely wear a jacket. If there is chop while trolling, I will. When running rapids, always.

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Originally posted by waterinthefuel:<br /> <br />He never wore a lifejacket, and my father, a stickler for boat safety, always used to tell him he should wear it. He would always blow him off saying he didn't need it.<br /><br />The old man drowned not 150 feet from our dock in less than 8 feet of water. Now that dock next door went from hustle and bustle and rowdy and noisy with that old man, to "haven't seen anybody on it in 2 years."<br /><br />Very sad. Guys, I know it's not "cool" to wear a lifejacket, but it's not cool to get drug up by the Wildlife Infisheries and placed in a body bag either. <br /><br />Wear your fuKing life jacket.

I editted for effect. Pay attetion guys and gals, or one day we will be reading your obit instead of your posts. I know I'll be wearing mine my next time out, and from then on.

 

[jjboor]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

I just got my boat running this year, And am new to boating. Al I did sofar that had to do with boats, was the beer part. <br /><br />But as I was tought driving my car by my instructor, she always made me put on my seatbelt. I now don't drive confortable without one because I got used to wearing one. This probably saved my life twice, and both these times there was no chop... or bad weather or anything it just happend out of the blue.<br /><br />So after reading these posts, I'll get myself used to wearing my ski-vest starting right now... And I'll get myself a real one(read cool one) when I have the budget. (read after replacing my VRO pump) So when something happens out of the blue again, I'll at least float.

 

[PatPatterson]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Originally posted by Gaugeguy:<br /> Whenever under power the vest is on, and I never am on the water alone. Always at least two in the boat. I've had two friends drown in two seperate incidents within the last 5 years. Vests would have saved them both, and they were both excellent swimmers. <br /><br />Gaugeguy

You quoted the law in my boat. The kids wear theirs at all times, and EVERYONE wears thiers when the boat is under power, and the boat does not leave the dock with less than two people.

 

[pursuit 3800]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Funny I never thought of it like that. After buying the bigger boat it was more like driving a station wagon instead of a ferrari. You just don't equate that with danger. However I see an investment in auto inflate vests in my near future. Interesting thread.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Last week here in Ontario was a sad news for at least 6 Families. One 16 year male drowned in Georgian Bay, 4ft waves dragged him under, on Lake Simcoe 4 men in a rented boat capsized, 3 of them dead the lone survivor was wearing a life jacket, A seadoo was found drifting on lake simcoe, The operator was found days later, no life vest, a 30yr old woman was scuba diving with a dive club, she was struck in the head by a Boat and killed, Boater ignored or did know what those diver down flags meant, boater and boat are still at large. this all happened within a 3 day span.

 

[snappernz]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

always wear mine while underway so do the kids ,but take mine off to fish,as soon as the motor staarts up my jacket goes back on .<br />gotta remember do the kids or others on the boat know how to handle the boat if the skipper goes over the side

 

[mattsaks]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

i always wear mine when im on the move. and make any passengers wear one as well. four guys in a 18ft boat, all experienced hit a submerged log (we think) tore the back end off the boat. lifejackets on board but none in use. none of them came back.

 

[gsbodine]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

I'll just add another incident to this list. Last week, one of the students at my wife's college drowned as he and some friends were out at night in a storm on a pontoon boat and ran out of gas on a local lake. Apparently they tried to pull it to the side by swimming it over to the bank, but they didn't have enough life jackets (which yes is illegal here too) and the wind and weather was terrible (the remnants of the hurricane. The one guy without the life jacket didn't show up when the others got back aboard and it was too dark to find him when they jumped in to look for him. He was to graduate next semester.

 

[Stumpknocker]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

Thats not good news.

 

[kshelly]

Re: A not so funny screw up...

I tried water skiing one day. Wife and kids in the boat. After jumping in the water, engine quit. I went about my business trying to get the skis on, all the while getting farther from the boat due to the strong current. Finally got situated, told wife to start boat and bring the ski rope around to me. Boat wouldn't start. I had a portable jump-start in the boat, but she couldn't figure it out. I knew it was up to me to get back to the boat. Swam my a** off! If it wasn't for the life jacket, I wouldn't be here now. I was so exhausted. Point is, if I fell out of or was thrown from the boat, without a life vest I'd be history. I wear mine all the time now.