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Auto-Inflate Preservers Pill Cage/Bobbin

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2012 : 07:58:40

Larry,

Did your old PFD auto-inflate in the tub? How old was it?

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3462 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2012 : 10:29:02

John,

My old WM 4000 was approximately 5 1/2 years old and I had never re-armed it or changed the pill w/cage in all those years. I submerged it in the tub and it auto-inflated within a few seconds. Initially, I thought I had a small leak as I saw bubbles trickling up but that turned out to be bubbles from the underside of the pfd. Once those few bubbles emerged from underneath, the PFD proved to have no leaks. I cleaned the outer shell with a very dilute soap but thoroughly scrubbed the collar which had that sweaty smell from years of use. My wife is now going to use that PFD. It has been re-armed with the $20 kit bought thru Defender. My wife never wears a PFD onboard and so my hope is that she will now since these PFDs are so compact. I also bought a new Mustang auto-inflate PFD from defender - I believe the model number is 3084. It's the one with the Hammer Hydrostatic Re-arming mechanism that has a 5 year expiration on it before it is to be re-armed and it has the sailing harness rings if I by chance decide to rig my boat with jack lines.

Since my boat is out of the water this winter, I have not had a chance to use the new PFD. Just fitting it in on in the house a few times, it has a slightly different fit/configuration compared to the WM4000. So, it is not yet natural feeling to just quickly put it on but something I am sure will become second nature soon after I start using it.

In regards to not changing the pill for 5 1/2 years...I should have changed it out earlier. If the pills were sold separately in the USA, that would be a relatively inexpensive maintenance to perform periodically. Even better would be to test the PFD periodically...maybe annually. In that case, then the cost goes up considerably as the need for the Secumar CO2 cartridge fitted with it's mechanism adapter and a pill w/cage would be needed. When safety is involved many will overlook the periodic replacement cost of a re-arming kit in favor of the safety derived. That's a decision each has to make whether to not do anything, replace the pill periodically or test and re-arm periodically.

Many, if not all the auto-inflate PFDs, also come with a manual pull handle to self-inflate the PFD and they all have an air tube to manually blow up the vest if necessary. My thought is that the failure mode for not replacing the pill periodically is that the pill may deteriorate due to moisture and then inflate when not needed. However, when these inflate, it is not like an airbag going off in your car that can cause perhaps a facial injury or block your view while travelling at high speeds down the road. When the PFd does inflate, it inflates to perhaps about the size or slightly more than the outer dimensions of the boxy least expensive PFDs that many of us have a few onboard. So, my thought is the worst that will happen if the pill is not changed out periodically is that it may go off prematurely and may startle you but probably not cause any safety related issues onboard. If by chance the pill did not dissolve at all even when in the water (and I believe these are salt tabs and hard to believe would not dissolve no matter how old), then you would lose the safety feature if unconcious but you could still pull the handle to slef-inflate it. The CO2 cartridges as long as they are intact (Secumar indicates that with a green or red indicator) they are good and do not need replacement periodically.

Edited by - OLarryR on 02/28/2012 11:11:33

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2012 : 19:47:48

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 If for some reason I get knocked out and overboard I want them to at least be able to find my body.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If this is one of your primary concerns, getting knocked out while going overboard, then you should be using an inherently buoyant life vest as auto-inflatables can, and do, malfunction. That is why they are only recommended for those with good swimming skills so when they don't inflate, the wearer can keep him or herself afloat while they manually inflate the vest.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
You know, you are probably right but I'm not nearly as concerned as I used to be about getting knocked/falling overboard. Since I put a furler on last summer I haven't left the cockpit once while away from the dock. Also, I haven't put the main up since I put the furler on(too lazy) so getting hit by the boom is a non event AND all my lines are led aft to the cockpit too. I've been sailing in the lake where the water is smooth instead of the bay where it can become quite rough.

As mentioned by others above I also keep a regular PFD within arms reach plus I sit on the throwable cushion.

Still, I may look into a non-inflating PFD to wear on those days when it's really blowing and rough out in the bay when it's more likely that something could happen.

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2012 : 20:13:04

I think it's a truism that the safest PFD is the one you actually wear. So despite all the potential malfunctions, if the auto-inflate's comfort leads to you wearing it more frequently, then it's probably safer. Even if the auto bobbin fails, you still have the manual inflate option (assuming you're conscious), and if the CO2 cartridge fails, you can blow through the tube. As with most safety devices, training is important so you don't panic if the auto-inflate fails. But the auto-inflate is nice to have in the unlikely event that you are knocked unconscious. One other nice thing about it is it holds you in a face-up position if you are unconscious, unlike many vest-type PFDs.

There are some other logistical considerations. My C250 has a split backstay and a wheel. One time I decided to be polite and give our guests the auto-inflate PFDs. I wore the vest-type (waterski style). Although it's not excessively bulky, it was just bulky enough to make it very difficult to slip between the wheel and the backstay. I had to take it off to move around the cockpit. (Let's not get into the old tiller vs. wheel debate!

)

We wear PFDs on all our boats - no exceptions. On the little boats at the lake I wear the traditional vests because we get wet all the time. I also tend to wear a bathing suit with no shirt, so the PFD acts as my top. Putting one over a shirt is very hot in the summer. On Take Five I wear shorts and a shirt, so the traditional PFD would be very uncomfortable over the shirt (plus the backstay problem).

I have a buddy that sails a Scorpion (Sunfish knockoff) with me when I'm at the lake with the Phantom. Don't do what he does! He buckles his PFD around his mast. I guess he wants the boat to have extra flotation in case of an accident.

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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2012 : 21:59:08

If a person maintains an auto-inflate PFD on a regular basis I think the the odds would have to be extremely low of having a failure the one time you actually have an emergency and need it to auto-inflate.

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 02/29/2012 : 11:30:19

Personally, I don't like auto anything, except for autopilots

.

I know of a couple cruisers who have had theirs go off during a storm, not a great idea... Rather, I think a manual with a tether is the way to go, but that requires that you mind the boom and always have one hand for the ship, etc... But I also like boom brakes so that removes that issue. If you do go over other than getting knocked out, you can pull the jerk cord and be OK. Also, put a beacon with lithium batteries in your pfd...

sten

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