I went out to the boat stored in a dry pole barn today and found my PFD inflated.  I figured an anomaly inflation-it's getting on in years, and that I simply had to buy a re-arming kit.  BUT, when I manually inflated it I found that it would slowly leak down.  Had I been in an emergency it would have in time let me down.  

 

I suggest those with inflatable PFD's occasionally manually blow them up to ensure they don't have a slow leak.  On mine I blew into the tube until I could move no more air into it, and capped it off.  Within about 10 minutes is was pretty soft and would have required a new charge of air if I were on the water in it.  

Glad you found it like that and not in an emergency!

 

Inflatables are class 5 PFDs which means they fulfill your requirement for a PFD on board, BUT there are conditions from the manufacturer attached.  To be compliant with the law, you must follow all of the conditions.  Certainly with mine (bass pro model) the manufacturer's requirement is an annual inspection including manual inflation and visual check plus a new arming kit every X years (I think it is 3).  And of course you have to be wearing it for it to count as a valid PFD.  Just being in the boat isn't enough like it would be with a class 1-3.

For these reasons alone I prefer a zippered kayak type vest. 

11 hours ago, Motoboss said:

For these reasons alone I prefer a zippered kayak type vest. 

 

Yeah, I'm old school too.

x3. Old school here too.

FM

And here in Montana an inflatable PFD does not count as a PFD on a boat unless it is being worn. 

A lot of people miss that.

I use an inflatable " Onyx M " and while comfortable, there is that what if.

Glad to hear you found it when you did.

1 hour ago, MT204 said:

And here in Montana an inflatable PFD does not count as a PFD on a boat unless it is being worn. 

A lot of people miss that.

That’s true in all states actually 

 

styrofoam 4 life 

I have a life vest for kayak fishing but I'll be 100% honest, I don't wear it.

 

I have it on board because I have to lawfully.

 

I fish very small water, like 20-30 acres small. Another lake is around 400 but it's no wake.

 

Maybe I need to look into an inflatable one and have it on at all times.

 

My biggest concern now is that at age 48, almost 49, I could have say a heart attack and fall over. I have a better chance surviving with my head above water than drowning.

2 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I have a life vest for kayak fishing but I'll be 100% honest, I don't wear it.

 

I have it on board because I have to lawfully.

 

I fish very small water, like 20-30 acres small. Another lake is around 400 but it's no wake.

 

Maybe I need to look into an inflatable one and have it on at all times.

 

My biggest concern now is that at age 48, almost 49, I could have say a heart attack and fall over. I have a better chance surviving with my head above water than drowning.

Empty your kayak of all your gear

and dump it over without your

LIFE JACKET ON.

See how it goes.

Bet it's not the best deal even when you

KNOW it's coming and the waters warm.

Also, isn't there at least one person who'd 

miss you ? 

I will guess yes.

Life is the ultimate challenge.

Why stack the odds against yourself ?

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

32 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Empty your kayak of all your gear

and dump it over without your

LIFE JACKET ON.

See how it goes.

Bet it's not the best deal even when you

KNOW it's coming and the waters warm.

Also, isn't there at least one person who'd 

miss you ? 

I will guess yes.

Life is the ultimate challenge.

Why stack the odds against yourself ?

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

 

I was fully expecting this.   

 

Thanks!

Lots of good info here, glad I mentioned it.  Might make a difference .

1 hour ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

I was fully expecting this.   

 

Thanks!

Glad we didn't disappoint.

Sharing is Caring. 

A-Jay

On 8/5/2025 at 12:26 PM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

Maybe I need to look into an inflatable one and have it on at all times.

Do it. Please. You won't even notice you have it on.

19 minutes ago, txchaser said:

Do it. Please. You won't even notice you have it on.

Confirmed - I wear mine all the time when in the boat...frequently forget I have it on when trailering and ready to go home.

I have an older manual inflatable PFD also.  I  manually inflated that one and it went soft too.   !!!!

 

I'm going Mustang with my next one.

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

frequently forget I have it on when trailering and ready to go home

I stopped at a little restaurant on the water to get a sandwich and a coke. The waitress ask if “I was afraid of falling out of the chair and drowning?” Then I realized I was still wearing my pdf at the table. We all got a good laugh on me, she said it happens all the time.

It's true that many inflatable pfd's must be worn to count.  It's not true that all inflatable's must be worn to count.

 

Onyx and many other pfd's are USCG rated Type V and must be worn.  Normally, these jackets use a water sensitive bobbin that, in the presence of water, dissolve and release the firing pin, inflating the jacket.  IMO, they are the least reliable mechanism that can be used.  

 

Mustang H.I.T. pfd's use a hydrostatic inflator that must be submerged 4" in water before they inflate.  They are not subject to pre-mature inflation due to rain, humidity, or spray.   They are USCG rated as Type ll when used for recreational purposes.  They do not have to be worn to count.  

 

 

A local fisherman hit a submerged pipe in Lake Michigan a couple years back.  He was thrown out of his boat and his PFD did not inflate.  Miraculously, he gained consciousness by hitting the water.  He survived but had multiple broken bones.  This one really hit close to home for me since it is literally the same exact water I fish and I still don't know where he was exactly.  Because of this I did buy the top of the line Mustang inflatable.  Hope I never have to rely on it.  

Used them on the Flight deck for 7 years, I manually inflated mine daily, fired twin co2 cartridges off weekly..

Being blown off the deck and dropping 90’ isn’t the time to consider your pfd and whether or not it’s gonna hold air or fire off when you hit the saltwater.

 

Old habits die hard. 

1 hour ago, Capt Ed said:

It's true that many inflatable pfd's must be worn to count.  It's not true that all inflatable's must be worn to count.

 

Onyx and many other pfd's are USCG rated Type V and must be worn.  Normally, these jackets use a water sensitive bobbin that, in the presence of water, dissolve and release the firing pin, inflating the jacket.  IMO, they are the least reliable mechanism that can be used.  

 

Mustang H.I.T. pfd's use a hydrostatic inflator that must be submerged 4" in water before they inflate.  They are not subject to pre-mature inflation due to rain, humidity, or spray.   They are USCG rated as Type ll when used for recreational purposes.  They do not have to be worn to count.  

 

 

interesting. That’s the first inflatable I’ve seen rate as class 2. It is class 5 if used in a commercial setting but a 2 for recreational purposes. I assumed it had foam floatation but it doesn’t look like it. They must have tested the heck out of it and engineered it so that it basically can’t fail in a recreational setting. Very cool.