wear life jackets
 

Hello Friends,
After reading countless threads in regard boating accidents, I would convey to all to please be safe and wear a life jacket; esp. this time of year when you all make those last runs either by yourself or with others. Please be safe!

Regards,
Christian Del Collo
Bad Boy Powerboats
Toasty Industries
856-904-1961

We had friends on a 26' cruiser at fairly low speed hit a submerged log this year two people thrown overboard on impact. Life jackets on their boat are mandatory for all passangers now. I'm thinking of doing the same thing. It's just like the lottery, You never know.

wearing a tether would help too!

I second that. Should be built from the manufacturer on all boats. Regardless of performance levels. If the captain chooses not to use it, so be it. If he wishes to use it, it is there in the interest of safety. Key word here is SAFETY.

That's completely right...

Divenstar:rolleyes::cool:

There have been several cases recently where there was a terrible accident, after which one of the boaters was missing, and was not recovered until several days later. Does this mean that they were not wearing lifejackets? Or can you still disappear even with a life jacket?

Presumably a life jacket would do nothing to help prevent you from being injured in an ejection? And that nothing would really help, other than a helmet, and it would only help a little?

Depending on the severity and details of the crash, one could still disappear w/a jacket on (slip out of it)... but it is more likely they'd be found, even if injured.

Wearing a life jacket can help prevent mid-body injuries... extra padding and so forth can't hurt. The biggest thing would be the fact that you may still be alive but unable to swim... in which case a life jacket would give folks time to pluck you out.

Life jackets are only effective if worn properly.

I always wear my lifelines . I tend to like to run hard, and figure if I come out of the boat at least I will have a chance of surviving. Can't save a guy if you can't find him. Everyone on my boat will have a jacket on if I'm going to run hard. Just common sense.

This is the first time I have been able to sit down at the computer since we found Pat. I’m feeling angry, sad and very alone. Bobby, Pat, Kenny and Josh, came to my house on Sunday to help me with my race boat. We weren’t successful that day but, the last thing Pat said to me as he was leaving my house that Sunday afternoon was, “bring the boat over on Monday, I’ll fix it”. Pat was the most selfless person I knew. Always willing to help out. Never say no attitude. Pat was my friend, my buddy, my mechanic. The squirrel. We have all lost too many of our family members, friends and comrades. We all take chances every time we Race, Test, or just GO FAST, in our boats. I think though, we have all learned a lesson, a very costly lessen that was taught to us by our fallen brothers. I believe that some of these tragedies could have been avoided if maybe they were wearing their life jackets. Maybe our fallen brothers are trying to teach us something? We all have had the time to start the grieving process, and it hurts, it hurts real bad. I don’t want to have my family and friends go through what we have all went through again. Therefore, I have made a commitment to my family and friends. That commitment is a promise for all on board to wear our PFD’s when my boat is on plane. We all live life on the edge, but at what cost? I don’t mean to sound pompous, but I do believe that some of our fallen brothers could have possibly been saved, had they been wearing some form life jacket. I have enough decals on my boat. I salute Smitty, Augie, Allen and the rest of the safety committee within the OPA for keeping us safe while racing. God Bless our fallen brothers.


Joe Peary
Crew Chief
Hot Licks Racing 371

Jackets on plane is the rule in my boat, I plan on ordering lifelines over the winter.

I have to absolutly agree. Gona wear mine from now on even when just playing.

But then also ,seatbelts in cars safe lifes too and every 12 min somebody gets killed in a car acc. in the us?

They all say they wear them and then forgot it.

Sorry i came off topic here.:party-smiley-004:

I would reconsider life lines in Fast Boating. In the Accident I wrote about. The boat was traveling at a high rate of speed when it rolled several times. If they were teathered, well you know.

Sorry to ask this but what is a teahdherd or what ever you call it ?

Hi gang,
My post was not to hypothesize what has happened in the past, or to accuse any - as I am unaware of the facts! However I do know that boating accidents are becoming more prevalent and lives are being injured or worse yet lost. A simple way to possibly avoid these horrible situations would be to wear a life vest. Our boating community is a small family and we must use all the same wisdom, technology, and hard work that go into making our machines swift, safe so we may enjoy them for years to come with our families! Our thoughts are with all boaters and mariners upon the waters.

If you deem it respectful, post pictures of our lost friends sharing what they enjoyed I am sure they would be touched knowing all our thoughts are with them forever!

Regards,
Christian Del Collo
Bad Boy Powerboats
Toasty Industries
856-904-1961

Daredevil:

A teather is a line, connected from the boat to the life jacket.

OK , thanks. never heard that.

it is the string attached to your killswitch and life jacket

a teather should be worn as well
It is a small line (pretty much a string) not a rope! It is attached to a kill switch and to your life jacket or belt and if you go out of the boat it will shut the boat off! It is not strong enough to hold you in the boat

You should always wear a teather with your life jacket when on plane

Dardevil, If you dont have one on your boat you need to put one on

Scandelous, Obviously you dont understand the use of a teather, and possably dont have one on your boat ,but you need one. and should have one attached to your body in any "fast boating"

The more i look at this the more i want to ask WHAT THE HECK ??

Lifeline is a type of life jacket not a line hooked to the boat

A tether is a string hooked to a kill switch

Apparently you are not educated in this terminology and i did not realise this at first reading your post

Consider yourself schooled :drink:

That Pix is pretty funny...

LOL...

Can't stop laughin'...

Divenstar :grinser010:

Kinda scary isn't it? It appears he owns a 31 and 38 foot go fast boat as well....:eek::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Yea i was thinking the same thing

YES, i got one actually 2. Just did not know what they where called ,when mensioned above . LOL
I always ware mine since i stuffed my other boat.:rolleyes:

Thanks though.

here to help if i can :)

IS my check in the mail yet ?????? LOL:drink:

Here are some pics for reference in case someone reading doesn't follow.


http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/4...lswitcham1.jpg
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/k...jpg/1/w640.png

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2...switch2st7.jpg
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/k...jpg/1/w640.png

I think in reading this one could confuse "tethered" to the boat as being tied down to the boat in some way :eek:
I have never heard the expression "tethered" but am fairly new to performance boating
I've always used or heard kill switch or lanyard. it seems foolish not to wear it while underway though. since all these tragedy's it seems foolish not wear a vest also.

Here is the other choice :rolleyes:

sonar scan at depth :(
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...yonbottome.jpg

That is an eerie and grewsome sight....certainly ey opening. :eek:



My thoughts as posted on another website discussing jackets.

1. On plane, jackets on.
2. Idle speeds, jackets on weak swimmers and children.
3. 50+ you should strongly consider a lifeline.
4. 60+ you should more strongly consider a lifeline.
5. 70+ you should even more strongly consider a lifeline.
6. 80+ you should own a lifeline.
7. 90+ you should start to consider a helmet and a lifeline.
8. 100+ you should consider seeing a shrink :D

This is a sickness we all enjoy, its has its dangers, even with all the safety equipment in the world something can/will happen eventually. Take every reasonable pre-caution to make sure you and those around you are safe.


Edit* re-read first post.

Lanyard on before I start the boat. (when I have a dockhand with me, otherwise of course its on as soon as I get away from the dock and put the boat in gear)

Nice ride. Kind of like a new age Batmobile :drink:

Pretty sobering.

Is Lifeline a special, better kind of life jacket, or just a particular brand of life jacket? Are there any that are particularly better?

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=6457741


Sad more lives lost with no life jackets :(

Lifelines are impact rated life jackets made for racing and faster pleasure boats. They have more padding, heavier duty zippers and clasps, and a high collar to help roll you over if you are unconscious. They also have leg straps so it does not come off over your head if you go overboard at high speed. There are several different models, based on what you need. They are very comfortable to wear. The basic jacket type or horseshoe collar and inflatable type will not do much if you go out of the boat at 80-90mph, most of the time they will rip off you at impact. Strange thing is they are not Coast Guard rated and do not count against your total lifejackets if you get stopped by LEO.

Thanks man. :cool:


I like to dream of being Bruce Wayne at times. :party-smiley-004::drink:

As posted in another thread, everyone wears a PFD (lifevest) on my boat. If I have a full crew of guests (with no clue about what they are about to experience), i help them into them before starting the motor. Explanations are easier when the motors not running.

If it is the usual suspects, I start the motor and then click in.

I hook in the lanyard (onto a D ring on the belt of my PFD) everytime I leave the dock. Once the fenders and lines are in and stowed, the clamps are down.

You often don´t know beforehand if there is going to be an 80 mph blast in there somewhere.

Also, a boat cruising at 50 mph can be more likely to have an accident, just because the driver thinks that he is well within his boats capabilities, and is not paying maximum attention to what is going on around the boat!

I use automatic lifevests, which give absolutely no rib and neck protection in an impact (bad) but full floatation and neck support in the water, even if the user is unconscious (really good!). They fulfill all recreational boating requirements and laws, over here!

The reason I use them is because one size fits absolutely everyone (only one belt needs to be adjusted) and they are really comfortable to wear. Often people get off the boat forgetting that they have still got one on!

The advantage is that there is no reason not to wear one (suntan, can´t breath, looking like a nonswimmer.... and so on).

I took the Tres Martin HP class. He made a couple of interesting observations when giving us the lecture about life jackets. Not to criticize, but I am guessing your boat runs 70-80mph? Do you really think those horse shoe collar, auto inflating preservers are still going to be on at those speeds. I used to water ski quite a bit and I have fallen at 35-40 mph and the impact is severe. Like hitting concrete. What do think the impact is going to be at 70-80? Those types of life jackets are made for slower fishing, cruiser, and blow boats, not for HP boats. I think that is going to give you a false sense of security. They are probably better than nothing. If you are running your boat hard you should at the very least have some good quality, triple buckle ski type vests and really should invest in a jacket that is truly going to protect you and roll you over in the event of an ejection or crash. Just my .02 cents.

I agree with gerrit.
I've never been ejected from a boat, but seen first hand the force of blowing the a$$ end of a 30' go fast out of the water in a tight low speed turn. Never seen it com'n. Bodies get thrown around pretty hard. Banged up every one in the cockpit pretty good.
I use to do a lot of slalom skiing. The ultimate speed for slalom is 35-38 mph. When you lay it over to make an aggressive cut behind the boat your speed doubles. Let the cutting edge of the ski get loose and your skip'n across the water like a stone. (Sort of like an ejection) Being that low to the water you're most likely gonna skip until your speed slows down, but you still tuck your arms in close in case you tumble or it'll feel like they were ripped off. No wet suit and water intrusion will feel like some one ripped ya a new a$$hole. An improper vest would be gone in a heart beat leaving your sides unprotected from impact. All in all, a couple good spills in an afternoon will leave ya feeling pretty beat up.
Couldn't imagine what an ejection at 100+ mph would be like. For starters your gonna be 6-8 feet above the water. I would think the angle of impact to water is gonna make you bounce and tumble pretty violently, making my skiing spills seem pretty tame.

I have had to have a few bathing suits surgically removed after a couple of hard crashes while slalom skiing. I have never been ejected from a boat, but I came close one time and my wife and I got beat up pretty bad. That is why I took Tres's course. Between education, common sense, and high performance life jackets at least you give yourself a chance to survive.