lifejacket/buoyancy aid

[ditchcrawler]

Thanks. Lots of useful information there. One would have thought any chandler retailing life jackets would know this stuff but clearly not.

What do Tesco know about repairing slow cookers, but they sell them.

[Shreck]

I bought mine last year from Norfolk Marine. It is Norfolk Marine's own brand and quite well made for the price.

 

Make sure that if you have an actuation cord that it is well tucked inside the outer protection cover. The re arming kits are not exactly cheap so a slight snagging of the cord could see you a few bob out of pocket and the butt of many jokes if the ruddy thing goes off with you wearing it.

 

Shreck

[Tam & Di]

Anybody know what those buoyancy aid things are that CRT staff and lockeepers wear? .....It was the Canal du Nord by the way, horrible canal.

 

A self-inflating jacket is certainly the way to go. The old fashioned things that make you look like a Michelin man (or mamma) are incredibly dangerous on something like a barge where you have to move around on deck and use lines etc. - they add to your bulk and it is easy to knock yourself overboard. You are supposed to have the self-inflating ones serviced annually in France, but as you know there are hardly any inspections and I used to open ours out annually myself and inspect them visually for wear and for checking the gas cylinder, and only had them checked independently less frequently. I also wrote up my inspection in our log so I could show that if we did get checked.

 

I agree about the Canal du Nord - I always use the Canal St-Quentin by preference unless we are going onto the Somme which does mean you have to use the C du N.

 

Tam

[Loafer]

We used to put a padded lifejacket on our dog. It increased his girth to the extent that he knocked himself off a lock beam one day and into the cut. Good job he had a l life jacket on, said Mrs Loafer!

[blackrose]

What do Tesco know about repairing slow cookers, but they sell them.

 

Yes, but a chandler is specialist shop, it's not a supermarket.

Edited February 16, 2016 by blackrose

[blackrose]

 

 

You may find these short videos from Marine Warehouse useful. They show how to re-arm most types of lifejackets, both the gas bottles and the bobbins.

 

http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/videos/48/lifejacket-service-halkey-roberts-v85000-automatic-inflator

http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/videos

 

Regards

 

Howard

 

That's a very useful video, thanks. I didn't realise actor Martin Freeman used to work at Marine Warehouse (sounds just like him!)

 

Edit: I've just check one of my jackets. The salt bobbin is still green and the cylinder weighs bang on 140g which is embossed on the side. Do I still need to change them?

 

These are the ones I need: http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/products/88/halkey-roberts-auto-rearming-kit-33g

Edited February 16, 2016 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

 

That's a very useful video, thanks. I didn't realise actor Martin Freeman used to work at Marine Warehouse (sounds just like him!)

 

Edit: I've just check one of my jackets. The salt bobbin is still green and the cylinder weighs bang on 140g which is embossed on the side. Do I still need to change them?

I wouldn't

[Alan de Enfield]

The salt tablet will look perfect until it starts to disintegrate - its one of the things that should be replaced (maximum) 2 years after the manufactured date on the bobbin.

 

If you really want to try to make it last a bit longer, take it off the lifejacket, turn it upside down and give it a good tap on something hard - if the salt starts to come out and crumble then it time to replace it.

[blackrose]

Ok, thanks

[mango]

The Hammar automatic inflation device has a life of 5 years, but the lifejacket should be inspected annually: http://www.cmhammar.com/products/personal-safety-mob/lifejacket-inflators/

 

The Hammar system works on pressure rather than contact with water to avoid the risk of accidental inflation. Are there other devices that are operated by pressure?