First thing that you should think about when it comes to cost of a PFD is: Its purpose is to save your life, so if the one you decide to buy is a bit costly, ask your self If your life is worth that much.
hope there might be a bit of info here that you will find useful
EVEN BUYING A "PFD" CAN BE COMPLICATED
I am one of those who wear a PFD at all times in a boat on the water.
Therefore, I get a bit 'serious' when I purchase a new one.
Even though the vest type PFD with the sewn in foam type floatation, has
severed its purpose well over the years, it does have a few drawbacks.
First and foremost, it is not designed to turn an unconscious wearer
face-up in the water....its design provides a stable position in calm
water for persons floating with their head tilted back. Second, you can
get just a bit hot while wearing it during the summer. Third, it
requires a lot of storage space in your boat.
Since the inflatable 'suspender' type PFD, when properly inflated, is
designed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up in the water, and due to
its physcial design, it should be cooler to wear during the hot weather,
as well as take up less storage space. I decided that I would buy me
one.
So off to Cabelas and BassProShop catalogs I go. Now it gets to be a bit
complicated.
The first thing I noticed, was the wide price range; $69.95 - $349.99.
Re-arming kits range from $14.99 - $22.99. Since that is such a wide
range, I thought I would see if I could figure out what it was all
about. Other than 'brand names' (we all know that those cost us a few
dollars) this is what I came up with that seems to affect the price the
most:
a. Pounds of Buoyancy - # 22.5, # 25, # 35(twice the buoyancy of most
foam vests), # 40
b. Method of inflating - Manual, Automatic/Manual, Hydrostatic
Now let me see if I can narrow my requirements down by doing a bit of
homework on both "a and b".
Just how much buoyancy do I really need? BoatSafe.com answered that for
me out with the following:
"PFDs have different pounds of buoyancy. What does that mean?"
A buoyant apparatus is anything that can float and hold up weight. For
instance, if you had a Type I PFD that is required to have 22 pounds of
buoyancy, it would be capable of supporting 22 pounds of dense material
such as lead, iron, gold, granite, etc. It would not let the material
sink to the bottom. If we tied a 20 pound anchor to this PFD, what do
you suppose would happen? If you guessed that it would hold the anchor
off the bottom you would be correct.
How can this PFD with 22 pounds of buoyancy hold up a two hundred pound
person in the water?
You have to do the math! Let's take the example of a 200 pound person.
Approximately 80% of the body is water. Water in the body has no weight
in water. So now we are down to having to support only 40 pounds.
200 lbs. X 80% = 160 lbs.
200 lbs. - 160 lbs. = 40 lbs.
But the PFD only has a buoyancy rating of 22 lbs. How can it hold up 40
lbs?
On average our bodies also have 15% fat and fat is lighter than water.
200 lbs. X 15% = 30 lbs.
40 lbs. - 30 lbs. = 10 lbs.
Now you can see that the average 200 pound person only weighs about 10
pounds in water. The 22 lbs of buoyancy in your PFD is more than enough
to keep the person afloat"
The #22.5 or #25 will serve me just fine.
Now to compare the methods of inflating:
MANUAL - Wearer pulls a lanyard, which causes a pin to puncture the co2
bottle which inflates the PFD.
AUTOMATIC/MANUAL -Provides the option on placing a "pill" between the
pin and co2 bottle, which keeps the pin from puncturing the bottle. If
the wearer falls in the water, the pill is dissolved, allowing the pin
to puncture the bottle and then inflates the PFD within in 2 or 3
seconds. Great feature if you are knocked unconscious. Drawback - Can
inflate prematurely due to rain, humidity or water contact.
HYDROSTATIC INFLATOR - Hydrostatic pressure is a force that water exerts
on an object when it submerges. When it is submerged in 5" of water or
more, a firing mechanism automatically activates to inflate the PFD. It
won't inflate in just any wet situation such as rain or an accidental
drop overboard, but must be submerged to inflate. These inflators are
maintenance-free for five years, unless activated. Drawback - Too
expensive for my wallet.
All things considered, think I will go with the manual inflator.
Now, armed with the above information, I think I am ready to pick me out
an inflatable type PFD.
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Hope the above might be of help to you the next time you purchase a PFD
of some type.
"REMEMBER: No buoyant device of any kind has ever been a sure Guarantee
against drowning. PFD's provide buoyancy to support or 'float' the
wearer, but vigilance and safety-sense plus wearing a good buoyant
device are the surest protection."
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Every STATEs boating regulations and safety laws I have read, states that " All PFDs must be:
U.S. Coast Guard- approved ". Before you purchase a PFD make sure that on its label, it states that it is U.S. Coast Guard approved .
Don