Life jackets

[Noble95]

Our life jackets are coming up to there end date on the canister, are they easy to change on a DIY jobby or can someone recommend somewhere near southampton to get them done?

Many thanks

[ShinyShoe]

You should be checking them routinely before date anyway so no different to changing?

[Noble95]

First season having to do all of this myself (only 20) so some advice would be appreciated

[C2 RIBS]

What make and type are they , I have some docs on a few.

I use several outlets to service ours and as a safety point it is better , depends on age and condition

[Noble95]

I'm not sure on the make will have to come back to you on that one, they have always been looked after but are pretty old they where kindly donated by ocean key ribs when we got our first ribeye, they have always been maintained properly so want to keep it up!

[C2 RIBS]

Absolutely. Age is always a concern, we service every year and also inspect weekly as a standard. Knowing your kit is primary to spotting a fault

[Noble95]

Best test we ever did was a couple of years ago jump into the sea with them on then got them professionally re done!

[Peter_C]

I bought a few new old stock brand name lifejackets, from Ebay, that couldn't be sold through their retail outlets. The kits were $20 each from Amazon. From there my partner and I blew them up to test for possible leaks, deflated them folding them back into place, inserted the new salt block dohicky, and screwed the canister on. Very easy service to perform.

[Pikey Dave]

Depends on which type of mechanism they are. The salt pellet type are generally easier to change & shouldn't present much of a problem. If they are "Hammar" hydrostatic you might need specialist tools, some of the earlier ones had to go back to the manufacturer, later types can be DIY.

[Mbryant]

I've used Ocean Safety (Saxon Wharf, Southampton) to service my jackets for the past few years and they are efficient and cheap (around £10 per jacket).

Its worth checking them on a regular basis too; orally inflate the jacket to check for leaks, inspect the bottle, firing mechanism (if possible) and general wear'n'tear on the jacket. For what a replacement or service cost it's worth having some confidence in your jacket.

[gtb]

Originally Posted by Mbryant

Its worth checking them on a regular basis too; orally inflate the jacket to check for leaks, ....

I agree with self-checking and testing, but would say it's better to inflate using a hand pump to avoid build up of moisture inside the bladder that would occur using your breath.