Buoyancy Aids and Lifejackets - RYA guidance

A buoyancy aid is designed to keep someone afloat. It allows the wearer full movement whilst an active sporting activity is carried out. However if unconscious, the wearer's head could be face down in the water.

A life-jacket has a buoyancy distribution sufficient to turn the user to a position where their mouth is clear of the water, even when they are unconscious.

RYA guidance

Making the decision about wearing personal buoyancy is generally based upon factors such as weather conditions and the experience of the crew, however if you re a beginner or still relatively inexperienced, making these judgements is often not that easy. Therefore in order to help clarify when a lifejacket or personal buoyancy aid needs to be worn, the RYA recommends that you wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid unless you are sure you don't need to.

The RYA strongly recommends that you should always wear personal buoyancy:

• If you are a non-swimmer and there is any possibility of entering the water
• When the skipper deems it necessary
• When abandoning ship
• When you feel you want to wear one or if you are not totally sure that you do not need to wear one.
  
  

The personal flotation device needs to be appropriate to the activity and in general the following will apply:

Buoyancy Aids are suitable for:

• Using personal watercraft
• When sailing a dinghy
• Novice windsurfers
• Providing safety cover for such an activity

Lifejackets are suitable:

• When on an open boat (eg. small powerboat or RIB)
• When going ashore in a yacht tender
• On a sailing yacht or motor cruiser

Levels of Buoyancy

In addition to selecting between a life jacket and a buoyancy aid, consideration also needs to be given to the level of buoyancy that is required.

Buoyancy aids and lifejackets have different levels of buoyancy. These levels of buoyancy should be considered and influence your choice. There are four main buoyancy levels: 50, 100, 150 and 275.

In general terms, Level 50 is a buoyancy aid designed for when help is close at hand, whereas Level 150 is a general purpose lifejacket used for offshore cruising and motor boating.

Specialist life-jackets are available for infants and children.

You should also consider fitting or buying a lifejacket that is fitted with:

• crotch straps to stop the lifejacket riding up over your head
• spray-hood to stop waves and spray entering your mouth
• lights, dye-markers and personal locator beacons to aid location
• harness D ring for harness attachment to stop you falling off in the first place

Crotch straps, spray-hoods and lights are frequently not fitted as standard to a lifejacket, but are really essential to actually keep you alive in the water and aid your location.

Where it was once rare to see people wearing life-jackets afloat, it is now an accepted norm.

Please remember that inflatable life-jackets and buoyancy aids require regular checks and servicing. 

Sea safety, the complete guide

This guide covers all of the RNLI's safety messages in an easily accessible format. The booklet provides top-level safety information that is generic to everyone. Integral to the booklet is a CD-ROM that allows you to obtain customised information covering topics such as flares, sea survival and navigation

http://content.yudu.com/A1hm3w/RNLI/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=

Types of Lifejackets

TYPE 1

Offshore Life Jacket

This PFD is designed for extended survival in rough, open water. It usually will turn an unconscious person face up and has over 22 pounds of buoyancy. This is the best PFD to keep you afloat in remote regions where rescue may be slow in coming.

TYPE 2

Near Shore
Buoyant Vest

This "classic" PFD comes in several sizes for adults and children and is for calm inland water where there is chance of fast rescue. It is less bulky and less expensive than a Type I, and many will turn an unconscious person face-up in the water.

TYPE 3

 

Flotation Aid

These life jackets are generally considered the most comfortable, with styles for different boating activities and sports. They are for use in calm water where there is good chance of fast rescue since they will generally not turn an unconscious person face-up. Flotation aids come in many sizes and styles.

TYPE 5

Special Use Device

Special use PFDs include work vests, deck suits, and hybrids for restricted use. Hybrid vests contain some internal buoyancy and are inflatable to provide additional flotation.

TYPE 3 and 5

Inflatable Life Jacket

These are highly visibile when inflated and turns most wearers and unconscious users face-up faster than traditional PFD's.



Lifejacket History

The history of lifejackets

Lifejackets have been saving lives for generations. Their history is a potted one but can probably be traced back to the simple blocks of wood or cork used by Norwegian seamen.
Being British ourselves, we will credit the invention of the forerunner of the modern lifejacket to Captain Ward, an RNLI inspector in the UK, who in 1854 created a cork vest to be worn by lifeboat crews for both weather protection and buoyancy.
Cork was used for many years. Anyone who has seen the film titanic will remember the cork lifejackets, available to some of the passengers.

This Century - lifejackets

Cork is nice and 'floatatious' but can be a little hard, so kapok, which is a fibrous vegetable material minutely honeycombed with air cells and a much softer alternative to cork, became the standard stuffing around the turn of the century. This was particularly useful on navy ships, because seamen wore their lifejackets even while sleeping.
Cork and kapok lifejackets were standard for many years. Sadly like most inventions War brought us the inflatable lifejacket - as worn by sailors and submariners. This military technology was then applied to consumer lifejackets and these have developed into the many styles that we see today.
In the 60's synthetic foams were developed and the foam lifejacket invented. This new technology brought with it the flexibility to produce all the variations that we currently see. Each sport could then have its own style of jacket, such as Ski or Angling vests.

Lifejacket Design Competition

Competition Goal

To encourage and solicit innovative ideas and new technology to design a life jacket that the majority of average boaters might wear.

Background

Each year drownings account for 70% or more of all boating fatalities. Of the people who drown, over 80% were not wearing a life jacket. The U.S. Coast Guard has estimated that over 200 lives may be saved each year if people wore their life jacket.

Studies conducted by the BoatUS Foundation indicate that lack of comfort is the number one reason why life jackets are not worn in greater numbers. In fact, the average life jacket wear rate for boaters is generally around 20%.

The BoatUS Foundation believes that innovation and the application of new technology might entice more boaters to wear life jackets. If you are a creative thinker and have an idea for a new and innovative life jacket your ingenuity may help save lives. We don’t have any rules as to what types of materials or designs are allowable. The Foundation wants you to come up with as many new, imaginative and out-of-the-box ideas as you can.

Contest Guidelines & Rules

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION:A panel of judges will evaluate entries based on the following criteria:

• Wearability: How comfortable is the life jacket? (e.g. does it restrict movement? Would a boater be likely to wear it because it is less bulky or more comfortable than other jackets available today?)
• Reliability: Does it work every time? Are there any chances for potential failures? Does wearer have to do something to make it work or does it function autonomously?
• Cost: What is the expected pricing? Is it affordable for the average boater? (A retail price point of under $25-$30 is encouraged, but not mandatory).
• Innovation: How creative or original is the solution? Are any new technologies or materials being utilized?

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS:

• The competition is open to anyone – professionals, amateurs and students alike. Additionally, teams and groups are encouraged to apply.
• All applications must be submitted with a link to a video demonstration of the product. Videos may not be more than 4 minutes total running time.
• Please make sure that contact information is current and will be current for at least one year after the final submission deadline.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

• This contest will consider working prototypes only. There is no need to send in your prototype though, as contestants are required to video tape their product(s) in use, in a pool.
• The video must clearly demonstrate how the prototype floats a person in the water.
• The video should show front, side and rear angles of the prototype in use.
• Videos must then be posted on YouTube, with a video link included in the entry form.
• Component and material list with cost estimates must be included with entry form.
• Multiple submissions are welcomed.
• Do not ship product to BoatU.S. Shipped products will not be considered, and WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

DEADLINE:

• All designs must be submitted on or before February 1, 2011. Winners will be announced at the 2011 International Boating and Water Safety Summit.

PRIZE:

• The winning design will receive $5,000.00 in U.S. dollars awarded at the 2011 International Boating and Waterways Safety Summit, if the winner is present.
• Winner does not need to be present to win—but if we are unable to contact winner through provided information, prize will be forfeited after 30 days.
• Prizes must be claimed within 30 days of valid notification.
• Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state or local taxes, tariffs or import duty fees and must provide social security or federal tax i.d. number as a condition of receiving the prize.