Wear a life jacket or don't go

[Amx]

What tournament? Got a link?

[BentRod]

I think he’s referring to this:
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sun-sent ... y,amp.html

[Amx]

That sucks. Hope they find him soon, and he's ok.

Too many people run 70, even 80, mph in their Bass Boats while not wearing their PFDs. I'll wear mine when going on plane at any speed. Even if it takes all of 2 minutes to get to the launch on the small local lakes.

Are there gators in Okeechobee? I think there are.

[jonb]

We lost whorde (Nick) a few years back while he was at a complete stop or at most trolling speed. Fell out of his raft and drowned. It can happen to anyone. Pdf's should be worn at all times on boats. Especially when water temps are below 50°F. I have friends that where them while wading rivers. I plan to buy a nice low profile inflatable pdf for that reason when i get the chance. Its worth every red scent knowing i wont make my wife a widow. On boats i use a cheapo bulky orange pdf, its not fancy but it works.

[TrackerPro16]

There was a bunch of talk about it over at Bass Boat Central (BBC). Both the angler that lost his life and about the cooling factor of water and PFD’s. Sad deal. Hope some good will come out of it if people will start wearing ADEQUATE water protection.
I helped look for two guys that fell out of a canoe and drown. No vests.

[DavidA]

Something that should be kept in mind when flying through the water at some of the speeds mentioned: Leaving the boat at that speed, those inflatable life jackets aren't likely to do you much good if you are unconscious or have swallowed any amount of water. They are light, comfortable and convenient, but do require you to take action in order for them to be effective.

[Amx]

Unless you buy an auto inflatabe jacket. It'll inflate after you sink 6"

and the good inflatables have a tablet that disolvs in the water. Might take a minute but it'll disolve and then it'll inflate.

and also an inflatable DOESN'T count as a PFD unless you are wearing it. Leave it just laying on the seat and you'll get a ticket, has to be properly on you.

[DavidA]

Thank you Tom. I didn't know they existed, but it is only logical that they do, or would in the near future.
I said the above because I was very happy to finally get one of the more traditional, pull-the-cord CO2 types, and got to thinking while going very fast in a friend's boat, that should something happen, I'd not really be much safer.

[Amx]

I forgot to mention, on mine it was in the boat for years. (I use a traditional jacket, but have the inflatable for a spare) One day I went out to the boat to go fishing and the lid was open a couple inches. Seems that tablet got so old it broke apart, causing the co2 to inflate the PFD. The card that came with the new tablet and co2 said the tablet should be replaced every year, I think.

[The Quadfather]

Unless you buy an auto inflatabe jacket. It'll inflate after you sink 6"

and the good inflatables have a tablet that disolvs in the water. Might take a minute but it'll disolve and then it'll inflate.

u.

I’ll never forget my buddy and I at Chopaka lake a few years ago. He is in one of my float tubes, and wearing my standard issue inflatable PFD, disolving tablet type...
He is literally at the Shoreline, trips a bit in fins. A drop or two of water goes up in the air, comes down perfectly, and somehow engages the tablet. BAM!! Now PFD is bright orange and around his neck like a dog collar.

He fished that way for about 3 days.

Of course I’ve since been in full downpours, and PFD has not discharged.

[hewesfisher]

These guys weren't but they had a more serious threat to their lives than falling the water.

[dutchman2858]

I just want to toss out this tidbit I experimented with a couple years ago. I always wear manual inflatable suspenders, but I'm closing in on 70 and doubt I could pull myself back over the side of the boat if I fell in while by myself. In fact, with some of our beefier members it might be tough for a partner to get them back into the boat. My 30 hp Merc has power trim/tilt with an activating switch on the motor, as well as on the shift/throttle lever. When I was bass fishing with my adult son one day up at Grandy Lake I lost my balance while clearing some weeds from the trolling motor and went over the side. Absolutely no threat to life or limb, so I didn't even inflate my suspenders. I told my son I wanted to try something and worked my way around to the stern. I stood on the engine cavitation plate and reached over and pushed the up trim/tilt button. Slick as snot the motor lifted me up high enough to pull myself over the motor and transom and into the boat. Not all motors have this feature, but if yours does, its something to keep in mind. A motor with power trim/tilt with only a switch on the dash or throttle handle could be used by a partner to lift you up with the motor also.

[BARCHASER]

Good idea, I never thought about using the power tilt that way. On my Yami there is a switch that would be reachable from the water. I do wear an inflatable always. But I gave up on the self inflatable. Once I was towing the boat home with the top down and it rained hard, real hard. Had two inflatables and both were laying on the boat deck under the seats but not covered up and both inflated. Replacing the disolving tablet thing was kind of expensive so now I just use the pull feature.

[stryker17]

the wife and I both fish regularly at buoy 10 and at Sekiu, that being said I am soon to be 82 and the wife is 76, we have always used the suspender type but 2 years while in AZ, I tried to see how far I could swim......I think I made it about 5 ft before I couldn't go any more. With the rough water we have seen on the sound and river, we went down and bought 2 of the auto inflate. I think that even with the pull cord type, that, we would panic so fast that we would not have time to pull the cord. I just hope that it never comes to having to use one but if it does I hope we are a little better off. Like the Dutchman we have kind of worked out a plan on using the outboard tilt and trim to help......looking forward to another season if there are some fish........

[dutchman2858]

Another thought: As captain, make sure a responsible person on board knows your plans for various emergencies: fire, man overboard, how to start the engine, etc. One specific situation that is common in boating: fishing from an anchored boat in river, lake or ocean. If you, as operator, fall overboard in current can your partners recover you successfully? As a charter operator running a boat out of Kodiak, AK in all types of water and current conditions I gave my clients a simple instruction: if I fell overboard and tide or current pulled me away from the anchored boat they were to cut the anchor line (a sharp knife should be located in a prominent location). That way the boat will at least be floating the same general direction as me and we can then coordinate getting me back aboard the vessel. I was of course wearing a flotation device. Simple planning can save lives.