Boating – May 2018

40 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MAY 2018

BOAT DOCTOR ///

I own a variety of life jackets for a variety

of uses. My belt pack serves for evening

cruises and other quiet-water use when I am

accompanied. My infl atable vest is great for

when I’m of shore fi shing with friends. When

I’m out on open water by myself, I often choose

the vest pictured here. Inherently buoyant, it’s

reliable and requires little attention, and the

pockets come in handy. It’s not meant to be

presented as the “best” life jacket. Instead, I’d

like you to consider the features it possesses

and the customizations I’ve made, in the hope

that you might benefi t from them in your

personal boating situation. —Kevin Falvey

REFLECTIVE

PATCHES This vest

came with them factory-

installed, but compa-

nies like ACR make

adhesive refl ectors you

should consider adding

to any life jacket not

equipped with them.

Apply them high on

the shoulders and neck

to ensure they catch a

searchlight beam when

you are in the water.

WHISTLE No matter

how loud you can yell,

you can’t yell for long

before losing your

voice. A whistle allows

an exhausted person to

make a loud noise. This

one easily attached

to the top strap of my

life jacket.

BEACON I keep

my personal locator

beacon (PLB) strapped

to the life jacket I am

wearing. Many of these

fl oat, but unlike a full-

size EPIRB, they must

be held so the antenna

faces the sky. So, even

if I become exhausted,

fastening my beacon in

this fashion ensures it

will continue to send

its rescue signal — and

its strobe light will

continue to be seen.

LIGHT Shown is a

strobe light that is

absolutely blinding. But

even a less powerful,

basic life-jacket light

will exponentially

increase your chances

of being spotted. The

batteries for these are a

special long-lasting type.

IDENTIFICATION

Writing the names of

crew in waterproof

marker ensures that

each crewmember can

grab the correct jacket

in an emergency. The

boat’s name is marked

on life jackets, and

everything else that

might fl oat free in a

sinking and provide

a clue to rescuers

searching for me.

WATER Emergency

water packets available

from camping-supply

companies ensure I

can stay hydrated at

least for a time. This

means I can stay more

alert and be more

readily able to make

the best decisions to

help rescuers fi nd me

and my crew.

SUNSCREEN It’s not

silly to protect your face

from the burning rays

while fl oating in a life

jacket. Coated as such,

my crew and I would be

in better physical con-

dition — and thus better

able to assist in our own

rescue — than if we did

not have it.

FOOD l also load the

life jacket’s pockets

with a couple of energy

bars and some Life

Savers to suck on. At

the risk of sounding

repetitive, consuming

these may help me to

better help myself.

LINE I keep a 12-foot-

long length of ¼-inch

nylon coiled in one

pocket to tie myself

and my crewmembers

together so we do not

drift apart. Staying

together is better for

morale and also makes

a bigger target for

rescuers to spot.

QUICK TIP
Pre-fi t and pre-adjust life-jacket straps for each mem-
ber of your crew. That way, if they are not wearing their
life jacket when an emergency strikes, it can be put on
more quickly. Every second counts!

PHOTO: JON WHITTLE

CUSTOMIZING

A LIFE JACKET

Add accessories and safety items to refl ect

how you boat.