What do you wear

[Jimbob]

depends on the day e.g summer, but at this time of year we both wear

Drysuits
Auto lifejacket,,,but we also have manual ones

[Mark Halliday]

Manuals for the grown ups and auto's / solids for the kids.

[Jimbo]

I wear a drysuit and buoyancy aid when I'm safety boating - in case I have to enter the water.

I wear a drysuit/oilies and used to be a manual, however for my birthday daddy bought me a hydrostatic automatic lj with light, so as soon as I can get on the water - that will be it!

[mark-f]

I wear a drysuit and buoyancy aid when I'm acting as a safety boat in case I have to enter the water.

otherwise I wear a drysuit or sailing oilies with auto lifejacket,

on those hot sunny days i wear a set of dry waders with boots to launch and recover with shorts under :-)

Mark

[Alex Brown]

During the summer, maybe jeans, t-shirt, lifejacket - oilskins if there's a bit of spray about.
If it's cold, all in one floatation suit with 275N auto lifejacket (apparently it helps righting if you go in the water with a floatation suit).

When safety boating, I wear dry suit and bring along buoyancy aid although generally wear auto lifejacket - may get a manual one next year instead.

At work, we are required to wear lifejackets when working on or near the water, this includes on the tug.

I remember a while ago, there was a fair amount of talk when a tug turned over in the entrance channel to the dock about whether auto or manual lifejackets should be worn. If you're within the cabin doing escort work and the thing turns over before you can pull the hook, an auto-lifejacket would probably affect the speed you can get out of the cabin if it has gone off cos it could potentially pin you to a wall or something.

Don't think I'd ever wear a manual lifejacket if I was out on the boat on my own - getting knocked overboard in an unconcious state would be bad.... would rather be automatically righted than drown.

-Alex

[codprawn]

I did ask in the past but just wondering if anyone is using the fisherman style floatation suits - something like this.

http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductD...rrer/fisheries

They are exceptional value for money - some of the suits are as little as £60 or so. They all offer floatation and insulation and some are breathable as well.

[Alex Brown]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I did ask in the past but just wondering if anyone is using the fisherman style floatation suits - something like this.

Aye, this is what I have - http://www.gaelforce.net/megastore/m...n.asp?ppp=1638

It's not breathable though and makes you sweat when it's warm, but during the winter it's superb.

-Alex

[John Kennett]

I have a Cosalt flotation suit, and it's warm but it won't keep you dry. As far as I remember the flotation is only 50N making it a bouyancy aid, not a lifejacket.

A full-on survival suit will turn you the right way up like a lifejacket will, but from what I've seen it's unlikely that many of the regular flotation suits will. I'd regard the bouyancy as a bonus, but not a replacement for a lifejacket.

BTW that Imax suit doesn't appear to be making any specific claims about the suitability of its bouyancy for anything at all!

John

[codprawn]

Just picked the Imax as an example -0 I bought some of the sheakspeare suits - only £50 each - they are all apporved to CE EN 393 and EN1913-1 standards.

As far as the floatation bit goes 50N is the minimum - large sizes a lot more. Obviously not intended as a lifejacket but for the money they seem really good and very well made.

[Jonny Fuller]

Raybans and an extra small condom

[Mark Halliday]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

an extra small condom

Never worried too much about keeping my little finger safe and dry.

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

What good is a manual if you are knocked unconscious? Aside from lower cost, what advantage would a manual have over an auto? Are the autos highly reliable or are they prone to premature inflation, or not inflating at all when needed?
.........

The Auto jacket do go off when you don’t want them too and I think that the ‘firing’ mechanism is generally less reliable than a manual system

All things considered we have a disproportionate fear of drowning while boating which is not supported by the facts. 427 people drowned (UK) in 2002 of which 20% drowned at sea. 39% drowned in lakes or streams yet you rarely see someone walking beside a river with a lifejacket on
Looked at by activity 22 people drowned boating while 20 people drowned in vehicles life jacket for the car and 73 people drown while having a drink so I’m wearing my like jacket to the pub and not on the rib

Back to the original question when conditions call for it, dry suit and manual or sun block and bikini (not a pleasant sight)

[ollyit]

usually waterproof snowboarding trousers and ski jacket or wetsuit,always sigma manual lifejacket

[Nemo]

My diving drysuit and a manual life jacket or oilies and manual depends what im doing.

[Andre]

For this time of the year the NEW Typhoon 100 gr single piece undersuit is very good . Fits well under my Typhoon WOSS or 2 piece all weather gear. Lifejacket goes without saying

[Rogue Wave]

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

drysuit , auto & helmet cos I don't like salt in me eyes while driving.

(We do know someone who fell in off a RIB and didn't inflate his lifejacket cos he said it would save him 20 kwid.)

missus

I think you'll find he was thrown !

That settles it then Manual it is far more cost effective!

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Scary Des

The Auto jacket do go off when you don’t want them too and I think that the ‘firing’ mechanism is generally less reliable than a manual system

The manual firing mechanism on an automatic lifejacket is generally the same as on a manual-only version, so how can it be any less reliable?

John

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

The manual firing mechanism on an automatic lifejacket is generally the same as on a manual-only version, so how can it be any less reliable?

John

I think it is due to fact that there are more parts involved in the automatic system than there are in the manual. Des

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Scary Des

I think it is due to fact that there are more parts involved in the automatic system than there are in the manual. Des

With all the automatic ones I have used (bar my hydrostatic one) they have work with a soluble tablet unit, which it is possible to unscrew, at which point they are pretty much exactly the same as their manual counterparts.

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Scary Des

I think it is due to fact that there are more parts involved in the automatic system than there are in the manual. Des

There is nothing in an auto jacket that will prevent you from firing it manually.

John