As a younger, bullet proof, fisherman I rarely gave any consideration to wearing a PFD. As I get up in years (79 in a couple months) and somewhat unstable I now think it's probably a good idea. If for no other reason than it makes the body easier to find. 

I am just not comfy wearing the normal bulky PFD so I bought an inflatable. d**n thing got wet and went off in the boat locker. Bought a $30 ish recharging kit and , following the accompanying instructions, I set it up to be a "manual only" activation. Now, that takes care of the accidental inflation but I now wonder how certain I can be that the thing will inflate when I pull the cord. You can't test the d**n thing without having to replace the co2 canister again as far as I can tell.

How can I gain some confidence so I will go to the trouble of wearing a PFD?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Great idea—Everyone should wear a PFD. I’m a very good swimmer, but if I get ejected from the boat, collided into, or knocked unconscious, swimming does nothing for me. Neither does a manual PFD for that matter. For what it is worth, I have never had a PFD that did not inflate when the manual lever was pulled. Given that the PFD worked as intended, as long as the new co2 cartridge is within its expiration date, I wouldn’t think twice. 

You only have one life.  Bite the bullet and get the Mustang.   It is pressure not water activated.

79?  dang..I was wearing a PFD in my 30's.

 

anyways, what you described is why I run a traditional foam(?) PFD in my kayak.  simple, and I 100% know it will float me.  no mechanicals.   I think mine is comfortable, and I forget it is on.  I have found myself driving home with it on, and then I pull over and take it off, like a dooffus.

 

I own a Mustang inflatable.   I wear it on boats.  my friends bass boat, party boats.  there is mental checklist I do.  I check the tautness of the canister.  look for the green "GO" plastic indicator, etc.  it's a process.   I've seen one blown up.  I am not convinced I can climb back aboard my kayak with it inflated on my chest.  

 

for $30...I should just yank the the backup cord.  double check it. hahah

buy the Mustang Chimera.  it has both.  some foam to keep you up, and it inflates when the SHTF...  I had one, it is crazy comfy.

Mustang Elite and NRS Chinook user here. 

 

The Chinook I use on my kayak.  I keep commonly used spare tackle in old hook packets in one of the pockets.  Think whacky hooks and O-rings, Texas rig hooks & weights etc.  That way I only have to dig into the crate for bigger stuff like jerk baits, cranks and jigs.

 

The elite I wear on the boat all the time.  I've nearly sent myself over the gunnels a couple of times, and the water up here is cold. 

 

The lake I was on this weekend was 55F for both the air and the water temperature. An unexpected dunk in that water wearing warm clothes is going to become an instant desperate fight for your life without a PFD, and a really uncomfortable experience with a very real risk of hypothermia with one.

 

Another vote for Mustang.  

I'm in the same boat (well I want to stay in the boat) as the OP. I have inflatables in both boats and I wear an inflatable belt while wading and duck hunting. 

 

I have managed to fall in during every month of the year including January, February and March. PFD's have saved my butt a few times and I always have one handy. 

 

All of mind can be inflated by CO2 and mouth to test. An important feature.

No inflatable for this old geezer.  Regular padded PFD will afford a measure of padding if I hit the gunnel when I tumble over board (or even trip inside my boat).  It also is somewhat insulating when fishing the shoulder seasons.

 

oe

Mustang, also.

 

I bought my wife an Onyx, but it went off in the the boat locker.  Never had that problem with the Mustangs.

9 hours ago, slowworm said:

NRS Chinook user here.

 

I always wear mine.  I like the pockets for extra 'stuff' and it keeps my wife happy that I wear it....

 

I've never had any interest in auto/manual inflators.

11 hours ago, Jig Man said:

You only have one life.  Bite the bullet and get the Mustang.   It is pressure not water activated.

 

Just now, Tackleholic said:

 

I have one, don't leave the dock without it.  I also attach the kill switch to my clothing, put the outboard remote in one pocket, and the trolling motor remote in another pocket.  I usually set the trolling motor on auto, and if I were to go overboard the remote would be my only option to stop it.

Please don't disarm the automatic feature. With stability issues, you are as likely to hit your head and fall overboard as you are to just fall overboard. I know, it happened to me a few years ago. I didn't hit my head in the boat, but on the boulder the TM hit that caused my quick exit. Needless to say, I was disoriented and by the time I came to my senses, it may have been to late.

You can still manually inflate the vest with the auto feature intact.

My first inflatable did the same as yours, so I don't leave mine in the boat at the end of the day.

STAY SAFE!

^ What Joe said - disarming/blocking/de-activating the auto feature is a BAD idea.

 

I've had my A/M-24 for several years now - it's never gone off accidentally even in the rain....I put my rain jacket over it to keep it 'safe'. Never stored in the boat, always comes inside when the boat is  parked.

 

I retro-fitted an ECOS onto my 1973 Evinrude and if the motor is running, the kill switch is attached to me. I know it's not legally required, but I personally think every motor should be retro-fitted...then USE the bloody thing as it's intended.

5 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

No inflatable for this old geezer.  Regular padded PFD will afford a measure of padding if I hit the gunnel when I tumble over board (or even trip inside my boat).  It also is somewhat insulating when fishing the shoulder seasons.

 

oe

with you on this one. no replacement for displacement

On advice from @A-Jay, I went with the Mustang HIT auto inflate PFD.

 

Then picked up four more to have in the boat for other peeps. I think they may be manual versions...can't remember...I think they were on sale. 

7 hours ago, thediscochef said:

with you on this one. no replacement for displacement

As long as you wear one, all is good.

22 hours ago, Jig Man said:

It is pressure not water activated.

The Mustangs that I looked at on Cabelas are water activated.  If one wants pressure activated they should be aware that apparently not all Mustangs are pressure activated.  "  I have had Cabelas water activated PFD's for years and only had one go off in storage.  My boat got flooded.  Normal storage in boat lockers will not set them off.  

 

15 minutes ago, MickD said:

not all Mustangs are pressure activated.

You're looking for the Mustangs labeled "HIT"...H for 'Hydrostatic' - the ones marked "MIT" are the water activated ones...M for 'Membrane'.

 

My Onyx A/M-24 is MIT technology.

the dude almost made it to 80 being all footloose and fancy free sans PFD.  he's got this. 

 

at this point anything would be better.  

I've paddled thousands of miles, even in the winter. I've lived nearly a year in the wilderness. I've run whitewater in kayaks, canoes, and rafts. I've fished Lakes Superior and Michigan in 14' boots with ten horsepower engines. I share all this to preface this story:

 

I tipped last year and when I tipped, it was so SUDDEN that I have no memory of falling. I was above water. Then I was underwater. And I've more than half a century of paddling experience. So, choose your PFD accordingly.

 

Like @DogBone_384, I prefer a life vest (Chinook) with pockets. With all my attached doo-hickeys, I look like I'm on Seal Team Six, but everything my PFD carries are items I don't have to carry when walking through the woods in the dark.

 

FWIW, I wouldn't fish with someone who wouldn't wear a PFD. These aren't just words. I've told two people that they weren't boarding my canoe without donning a PFD. They both protested, but relented. 

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I've paddled thousands of miles, even in the winter. I've lived nearly a year in the wilderness. I've run whitewater in kayaks, canoes, and rafts. I've fished Lakes Superior and Michigan in 14' boots with ten horsepower engines. I share all this to preface this story:

 

I tipped last year and when I tipped, it was so SUDDEN that I have no memory of falling. I was above water. Then I was underwater. And I've more than half a century of paddling experience. So, choose your PFD accordingly.

 

Like @DogBone_384, I prefer a life vest (Chinook) with pockets. With all my attached doo-hickeys, I look like I'm on Seal Team Six, but everything my PFD carries are items I don't have to carry when walking through the woods in the dark.

 

FWIW, I wouldn't fish with someone who wouldn't wear a PFD. These aren't just words. I've told two people that they weren't boarding my canoe without donning a PFD. They both protested, but relented. 

i kayak with a couple of people who didnt wear PFD.  i told them, to do whatever they want, but know going in that i will take a beat or two before i try rescuing them.   reaching for a person floating there all angry because they just u-boated all their expensive gear and reaching for a person thrashing from fear of going under again are two different scenarios altogether.   rescue swimmers are a different breed of human.  

7 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

 rescue swimmers are a different breed of human.

How many times have you read about a rescuer drowning along with the person he was trying to rescue?  Happens all the time.  The Red Cross life guard/saving course I took a long time ago instructed us to approach the person under water, grab them by the legs while still under water, and "climb" their body to the shoulder, turn them so you are behind them and quickly control them with an arm across their body .  Being very scared of drowning they instinctively grab the rescuer if they can.  And that is how two people drown instead of one.  

 

I too will not fish with someone who won't use a PFD.  I've never had anyone refuse or try to refuse.  I have an inflatable for my guests.

The image of placing several lifeless bodies of every age and gender into body bags, has a way of burning into one's mind what happens when falling overboard and not wearing a Life Jacket.

I wore Mustang Professionally and see no reason to change for recreational purposes. 

Stay Safe

A-Jay

Agree 100% A-Jay.

 

Anyway, I asked my coastie buddy what they wore on deck and he said the mustang HIT. So, based on the recommendations of the only 2 coasties I know (I guess 3 being Mrs A-Jay by association), I’m saving my pennies and asking the Fathers Day Man (he’s kinda like the Easter bunny) for one…

Mustang HIT. Remember there’s more people affected than just the drowning victims. Bravado doesn’t help your love ones you leave behind.