Wear your PFD all the time.

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

I put mine on as soon as I get out of the truck to launch my boat and it is the last thing I take off before I get back in the truck to leave. 5 instances I am glad I was wearing it:

Slipped on wet dock attempting to get into boat.

Slipped on wet vinyl on boat deck getting in boat.

Fell out of boat into water getting lures unstuck from trees. Twice in 2 years.

Flipped my fishing kayak. Sucked in water and coughed uncontrollably for several seconds. If I wasn't wearing my vest no doubt I would have drowned. You can't swim if you can't breath.

Gulf coast fishing charter rocked side to side after a huge tanker produced I'm guessing 6 foot wake while passing to close while we were anchored in already fairly rough seas. (37 foot center console). Out of 7 people I was the only one wearing a PFD. The captain told us to get low but the wake came in parallel to the boat and rocked it violently side to side. None of us got tossed into the water but I would have been the only one floating if it cleared the deck. And we were 35 miles out.

Point is you don't know when you are all of a sudden out of your boat and into the water. Monday it was so windy my boat was being pushed .7 MPH. I don't know about y'all but I can't swim that fast for very long, if at all. I would never have caught up to her if I got tossed into the water.

Learn from me guys. If it can happen to me it can happen to you.

 

[7mm08]

And…… supposedly 90% of guys that drown are found with their fly open….. wear it if you need to take a pee!!!

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Read about another guy who fell into water after trolling motor rope broke and he drowned. Think about it, it takes a lot of strength and a good tug to get it out of the water. If the rope broke you are flying backwards. Simple physics my friends.

 

[moondawg]

I wear mine when I go fishing in my kayak. Even if I am fishing small calm lakes with no boat traffic--which is 99.9999999999 % of the time. Even in the heat id July and August.

 

[nso123]

Just had this discussion on another forum. It's so common to hear people say "but I'm a strong swimmer" when the topic of wearing a PFD comes up. I can swim just fine too, but it doesn't help at all if I am unconscious when I hit the water.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I don't wear a PFD while cruising in the pontoon boat but I do wear it at all times in my jon boat, now. There was a day when I never wore them. I always said the same stuff, I'm a good swimmer blah blah blah. Now I'm in my 60's and know I can't swim like I used to swim. I read somewhere once that drowning is very painful. When I go out, I want to be in my sleep and feel no pain.

On a side note: One time long ago, I was in a jon boat like the one I have now, got past a break wall and was in 3+ foot waves. It felt like I was in 20 footers. I made my wife put her PFD on, I was sitting on mine and could not get up because it was to rough. It took a lot of work getting that boat turned around without it getting swamped, and back behind the breakwall. Scared me pretty good.

 

[redblood]

I was lifeguard certified in high school. still workout everyday. but as mentioned, none of that matters if you are unconscious. i bought a couple of the Co2 vests for me and my son. But they are the kind you have to pull the handle on. is there a better type?

 

[Jcalder]

I was lifeguard certified in high school. still workout everyday. but as mentioned, none of that matters if you are unconscious. i bought a couple of the Co2 vests for me and my son. But they are the kind you have to pull the handle on. is there a better type?

There's some that inflate when they get wet. As you said, not much you can do unconscious

 

[Biggun4214]

I was lifeguard certified in high school. still workout everyday. but as mentioned, none of that matters if you are unconscious. i bought a couple of the Co2 vests for me and my son. But they are the kind you have to pull the handle on. is there a better type?

Get hydrostatic they inflate in about 3 inches of the surface. Some of the self inflating PFDs will activate in dense fog or rain. These have a dissolving tablet that allows activation when they get damp.

 

[Biggun4214]

In 37 years I only worked one drowning where the victim had a PFD on and the one only had his arm through the PFD. It was semi inflated and held the victim at the surface.
I worked an accident where a girl fell from a Jon boat and was hit by the prop. She had her PFD on. The prop cut the back out of the vest and the material tangled the prop and killed the engine (small motor). The girl was cut up pretty bad but there was enough flotation in the side panels to keep her floating. Her brother was able to get her back in the boat and get back to the ramp.
At least two of the drownings involved the boat drifting from the ramp and the victim swimming to retrieve the boat.