Auto/Manual Inflatable life jackets

Sep 11, 2019
165
Hunter 386 Lake St. Clair
Looking at purchasing a couple new life jackets for our Hunter 386 sailboat. Wondering what the consensus is for a well designed/made product,

Thanks,
Gary
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
If you can be certain that when hitting the water you will be fully conscious and able to inflate the jacket, a manual inflate would be fine.

The downside to a autoinflate is having it inflate at an inopportune time, say when it is sitting in your car and it decides to inflate while you're driving at 65 mph. Or worse, it inflates after a capsize trapping you in the cabin. (This happened on the Wingnuts disaster during the Chi-Mac race a few years ago).

My preference is for an automatic hydrostatic inflator. These are less sensitive to dampness and getting wet as they inflate based on water pressure. Mustang makes them among others. I have 2 with harnesses.

If you use jacklines, it would worthwhile to consider a back tow inflatable. There is only one manufacturer, TeamO. Here's a link:

Even if you are not in the market for a PFD, take a look at the videos on the Team O website, Very informative.

Here's another video of the back tow in use:


On downside to the Team O PFD is they are not CG approved and so don't meet CG carriage requirements. Nonetheless, we bought 2.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
Sep 11, 2019
165
Hunter 386 Lake St. Clair
All good information. I was at West Marine today getting the lowdown on PFD's. Definitely need the harness. Wondering if the automatic will deploy in rain. If so, may have to look at manual.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Wondering if the automatic will deploy in rain. If so, may have to look at manual.
No, it will not deploy in rain. However, at least the old still "pill" inflators could deteriorate if there was excessive dampness over time. That's why I prefer the hydrostatic inflators.

The one incident I had, was after a going through a thunderstorm and tossing my PFD in the truck and wet foul weather gear over it. Several hours later it inflated. This was an original SOSpenders PFD. Those PFDs were not USCG approved and eventually the inflating mechanism was taken off the market. The newer styles are likely more resistant to these kinds of failures. The Team O Back Tow PFDs have a dissolving pill, but it is not the same kind of pill. Spinlock also uses the newer style pill.
 
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Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
At Annapolis we looked at the Spinlock 5D Deck Vest with harness. I found it much more comfortable to wear than the Mustang HIT vest we have been wearing for the past 6 years. The 5D is auto inflate has built in harness and crotch straps. It uses a "pill" type activator but is "improved" to avoid false tripping. Apparently the pill sits in a tube protected from rain and splashes of water. When it goes in the water the water rises in the tube to get to the tube.
I ended up buying one on line at better than show prices.

As long as you plan to be conscious when you hit the water I guess manual will work:)
As John said, if you plan to go into the water conscious. a manual would be fine but I'd rather have the safety of the auto inflate.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I like the Spinlock 5D Vest. They now have one that is CG approved. I prefer the Hydrostatic model. It is not CG approved. So if it is the only life vest on your boat you will be dinged if inspected.

As @Ward H states it is comfortable to wear all day, and has attached features that many do not have.
 
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Dec 28, 2015
1,837
Laser, Hunter H30 Cherubini Tacoma
I like the Spinlock 5D Vest. They now have one that is CG approved. I prefer the Hydrostatic model. It is not CG approved. So if it is the only life vest on your boat you will be dinged if inspected.

As @Ward H states it is comfortable to wear all day, and has attached features that many do not have.
I have two of them and really like them. Very comfortable.
 
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
I have a 10 year old Spinlock 5D vest (with a new cartridge, of course). It's quite comfortable for women to wear. (A lot of inflatables really don't fit women very well)

Pros:
It has crotch straps and an attachement for a tether so it's good for offshore.
It's good when it's really hot weather.

Cons:
No good places to attach a PLB or MOB beacon or knife.
You cannot put a jacket over it because you will get strangled when it inflates. That's inconvenient. (compare to being able to put a loose jacket on over a foam PFD)
No pockets for stuff.

I also have a couple of 5-25 year old foam PFDs, which are also quite comfortable to wear.
PROS:
I actually find it more convenient to wear a foam PFD because I can put my windbreaker over it when going upwind, and take off the jacket when going downwind.
My foam PFD has pockets for gloves, attachment points for knives, whistles, personal beacon, and a hand held vhf.
It's easier to swim in than an inflatable. It adds warmth when it's cold or windy.
It protects my ribs if I fall against the rails or coamings.

CONS:
Uncomforatble if there's no wind and it's really hot, over 90F
No Tether attachement or crotch straps. If i could find a foam PFD with a tether detachment point and crotch straps, I'd prefer it for offshore too.

Just my 2 cents,
Judy
 
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
We bought two WM inflatables with harnesses. Later, we found two more of the same inflatables stashed on the boat. They work well for us. I would suggest buying a couple of rebuild kits. Periodically inspect the PFD's and be sure the indicators are all green. At some point, jump into the water with the PFD on. It is an enlightening experience. It will definitely keep you floating face up, but you won't be swimming anywhere. Then break open one of the rebuild kits and refurbish the PFD. This is good experience towards maintaining your inflatables.
 
Dec 26, 2019
21
Oyster 62 & Oyster 53 Caribbean, Greece
We use the Spinlock Deckvest Vito lifejackets; they're not cheap, but very comfortable and they don't pull down on your shoulders. We have the model which won't go off when splashed. We also have the AIS personal transmitters on each along with a personal EPIRB.