PFD's
 

Guys with the warm weather there will be more people out on the water with more chances of accidents. If you don't already routinely wear your PFD's while running the boat, I'd like to personally urge you to do so. I had a near miss in Oct. '09 and swore I'd try to encourage everyone I could to wear their PFD's. I preach to all the guys at our camp about it every year. I grew up with a pool and lifeguarded in my late teens, but it doesn't matter how well you can swim. If you're thrown out and hit your head or the boat hits you swimming it won't matter. So spend some $, buy a comfortable PFD and WEAR it while underway.

Great advise
It only takes one boater not paying attention to turn your good day into a tragic one

And don't be fool enough to believe that it won't or cannot happen to you

Yes, its a hard habit go keep up but it just takes one time.

You know, I always find it strange that fishing guides never have their clients in life jackets. Hit one underwater object and someone is thrown out and hits their head on the way into the water could turn into a drowning. You would think it would be a must for insurance reasons and just plain common sense. Every charter I have taken I wasn't even offered one, but I asked for one anyway.

AMEN!!

Good advise. I personally had two cousins die while boating. One fell out of the boat and hit his head and drowned. His five year old son was in the boat alone for a hour, before someone saw him. The other sank his boat and drowned while swimming to shore. He grew up swimming in that lake. It only takes a second.

What was the "near miss"?

yeahp
 

good advise, it doesn't take much, one little lapse in attention and anything could happen, almost had another boat run over me at rockafeller refuge a year or so ago, if i wouldn't have seen him coming through and reacted he would have passed right over the top of us, he turned at the last second coming through the cement structure wide open, i turned away from him, sure wish i would know if the wardens caught up to them and gave them a ticket

I "grew up" a lot when I had my first baby 4 years ago. I started wearing life jackets all the time in the winter months when headed to the camp. I had even purchased me a $150 float coat so I had no excuses. I wore it religiously.

One October afternoon me and a buddy decide to make a pm bowhunt. We dock in the basin and head down river towards our camp. I drop him at the camp to hunt near there and I head about a half mile down, float coat on, kill switch attached.

Sat on stand, saw nothing, walked out. By the time I get back to the boat I'm sweating pretty good so I just lay my bow on top of the float coat in the bottom of my buddies tiller handle boat(15 ft alum flat with 50hp). I take off to go get him, no PFD or kill switch.

Get half way down the canal and the wind catches the float coat with my bow on top and takes it over the side. I lunge to grab the bow and when I do the handle cuts and dumps me out dead center in the middle of the GA Cut. I'm wearing a sweater, jeans and lacrosse rubber boots. Doesn't seem like much, swimming in those lacrosse boots, but its nearly impossible. Then the boat whips right around and comes at me. For the first minute all I do is dive and try and evade the boat as it keeps circling and passing directly over me. Finally the boat starts whipping out down stream and I try and swim toward the bank. Couldn't get anywhere, the Lacrosse boots prevent you from straightening out your feet so you get no kick.

The only thing that saved my life is I got to a point where it hit me that I probably wasn't gonna make it out of this. All I could do was think about my wife who was pregnant with my second baby at the time and out of state on work. There was no way I was gonna let someone tell her I had drowned.

I stopped kicking my feet and went underwater and did the american crawl, coming up for air as needed. A few times I almost didn't make it up for air. When I hit the bank I passed out. Then I had to retrieve the boat which ended up about a 600 yards further down river. It was still in gear and going in circles at the bank, slowing when it would hit the shallows and kick up mud. I managed to grab on and jump in.

When I made it back to camp about 2 hours late my buddy thought I had killed a deer. Then he realized I was shaking, soaking wet and my camo face paint was all wiped off. I could barely speak and was vomiting. He drove us back and the shock finally wore off about an hour later and I was able to tell him exactly what happened.

The stars were perfectly aligned for me to die that day. I thought about all the little decisions that i made, and had any one of them go the other way and that doesn't happen.

Sorry so long, but if it saves somebodies life it's worth it. Something bad will happen when you least expect it.

Wow!! That's definitely a life changing experience! You just never know! That's the point.

Thanks for sharing your story, glad you made it out alive.

Have you ever seen final destination?

Do this^^^^^^^^!!!!!

No. but I just googled the plot.

Now your just scarring folk!

Thanks for your story.....ill be taking your advise to heart. Again, thank you

Ironically, I had a good friend drown not even a mile away from where this happened to me. But being 20 and bullet proof at the time it didn't change my ways. Add 10 years and a family who depends on you and it makes you view life in a much different way.

In memory of a good ol' boy Leonce "Cas" Boudreaux.

I wouldn't think of running without my PFD on Toledo, but never wear it on Big Lake.

Need to get in the habit of wearing it all the time. Spent the money and bought a HIT inflatable and love it.

Which one and where did you get it?


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Wife and I wear our PFD's always. Bought the Cabelas self inflatable, very comfortable to wear. The habit I had to get used to was the kill switch. Would forget to attach it.

I purchased and wear a Mustang inflatable when I'm running, so comfortable and light you forget you have it on.

That's it I'm getting one. Thanks for sharing. Going solo without is really stupid and something I have been doing.

I got mine from Academy. It was $250.

There are differences in the inflatables. The HIT takes both water and pressure of being in the water to inflate it. The others may inflate due to moisture from what I understand.

That's what I was wondering. I thinking bout buying a cheaper one from there but was concerned bout the quality. I bought a extrasport life jacket from academy last night but for not much more I can get an inflatable.


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I think it is worth the money if you wear it. I fish a lot by myself and need to wear it ALL the time.

It is very comfortable

The only reason you fish by yourself is you don't make phone calls anymore. I have forgiving you for not being able to net the biggest fish I would caught in my life. LOL


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I been hiding at Toledo.

I have two auto inflatables... One is a older West Marine one, which is very comfortable... Just picked up another from Cabelas (on sale a month or so ago) for passengers... Never had any issues with them "going off" due to a splash or rainwater...

Never leave home without them, mine stays clipped to the kill switch while on the water... Another great thing is they dont take up much space at all...

Hydro

I like the idea of the auto inflatable life jackets but I don't think I would ever use one. I just wouldn't want to trust a mechanical device when it come to my life. It's always scared me away for that reason. What if that ONE time you're thrown out the boat it doesn't inflate!

from inflatablepfd.com

How do you recommend storing an inflatable life vest



Almost every time I hear someones life vest went off prematurely I give them the same advise.

1) Never store your inflatable in a floor cubby on your boat. Water likes to get in these areas and it gets humid.

2) Don't leave your inflatable in your car. Cars can get very hot and humid, causing the vests to inflate.

3) If you can, bring your inflatable inside the home with you.

4) As a precaution, when storing your inflatable for the off season, remove the CO2 canister. That way if the bobbin goes bad, you don't waste the canister.

Thanks for the story. Everyone be careful on the water.

Thanks for all the great stories, I had to learn from a but chewin after I pull up on boat crash in Shark Bayou this past fall.
Long story short, come around a corner see a boat way up in the marsh grass, three kids mother and father standing there, were all wet and muddy. They were comin around the corner, all had life vest on, father, (driver of the boat) was not wearing kill switch lanyard Swerved to miss another boat probably going too fast all were thrown out the boat. The boat circled missin them all, and ran aground. One little boy was in shock. Helped them get going again, had to pull the boat from the grass.
Followed them in to the Ramp at the point, when mother got out the boat walkin to truck with kids, she fell her leg buckled, nearly compound fracture. Her leg was broke the whole time she did not even know.

When we left the scene a good friend from Carencro chewed me good, for not wearing my PFD and killl switch lanyard, but he wore his the whole time we were running.

From that day this fall my boat will not move with anyone in it with out kill switch and PFD, and I am trying real hard to convince others to do the same.

No need to die doing something ya love.

I run a 40 hp tiller handle on a 20 ft hull. I leave my lifejacket hooked to killswitch and hanging on tiller by ignition. That way you you just slip jacket on before you start engine.

Thanks I'm gonna check West Marine out.


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My inflatable stays with me. Just a habit of wearing them every time out from tournaments. Running tiller I'm required, Running Jetski Im required, so I do it in my bass boat aswell.