Wear your PFD.

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infoman jr.

infoman jr.

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Oct 5, 2003
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Louisville, KY
A buddy of mine got in my boat the other day, and I handed him a life preserver. I asked him to wear it, and he said, "I don't need one, I'm a certified life guard." I said, yeah, but you aren't a certified boat crash survivor. You'd better wear it. :D
 
My tourney partner doesn't wear one unless it's tourney day... Where the rules say you must. I put mine on if we are moving unless its just idle speeds and then I do sometimes. Seen too many people die when a lifejacket would have saved them.
 
Unicam said:
With the new PFD's out there, theres no reason not to. You barely know they are there!
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Gonna order me a couple pretty soon.
Thinking about getting the kind that you pull the cord and they inflate.

Wore them when I fished with rsimms and loved it.
You know they are good when he has to remind you to take it off and give it back when you get out of the boat. :D
 
RUGER said:
Unicam said:
With the new PFD's out there, theres no reason not to. You barely know they are there!
Click to expand...

Gonna order me a couple pretty soon.
Thinking about getting the kind that you pull the cord and they inflate.

Wore them when I fished with rsimms and loved it.
You know they are good when he has to remind you to take it off and give it back when you get out of the boat. :D
Click to expand...
The scenario that concerns me is having a wreck, being ejected and becoming unconscious. I wouldn't be able to use a pull cord in that situation.
 
BlountArrow said:
. . . . difficult to swim when you're unconscious. . . . .
Click to expand...
Exactly.

It can also be very difficult when you go in wearing lots of clothing and heavy boots, keys, change, and knife, etc. in your pockets. I fell in the TN River a few years ago (wearing a life jacket), and didn't think I was ever going to get back to the top. Probably still be there if hadn't been wearing a life jacket.
 
A good friend of my dad's died in McKellar Lake last fall (some of you probably heard about it if you watched the news in Memphis).

He was fishing alone and drowned, and had a kill switch on his motor that he wore. Although we don't know exactly how he died (foul play was ruled out), we do know that he wasn't wearing his life jacket.

My rule of thumb...if you are moving fast enough to get thrown from a boat, you are going fast enough to wear a life jacket.
 
Auto inflatables are the ticket, very comfortable and wont burn you up when its hot. A good quality one wont inflate in the rain as its pressure that sets them off. They are very sensitive I will say, twice now being in a hurry during Tournaments i have thrown mine off my shoulders as ive gotten out out of my seat, and one side has draped over the boat and into the water, BLOOOOM inflated in a second!
One other caution with many of them, dont store them for any length of time in a boat compartment while still wet. The heat and moisture will cause some of them to inflate! Ive saw this several times as well.
 
Winchester said:
One other caution with many of them, dont store them for any length of time in a boat compartment while still wet. The heat and moisture will cause some of them to inflate! Ive saw this several times as well.
Click to expand...

Been there, done that on more than one occasion. One time, my cousin opened up the rod locker at the exact same time that one exploded from the moisture inside. He about jumped in the water. :)
 
A note on the "pull tab" inflatables. They do not count as a life jacket unless YOU ARE WEARING IT! Having it "somewhere" in the boat doesn't count. This is for Tennessee, didn't research other states. I carry two of each on my boat. Normally I wear my pulltabber, but in case I don't, I'm still covered by having the regular kind in the storage.
 

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