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Anytime anyone goes boating,
there's a chance to fall overboard. A PFD (Personal
floatation device) is designed to keep your head above water
and to help you remain in a position which permits proper
breathing. An average adult only needs artificial
buoyancy of 7 to 12 pounds to remain afloat and virtually all
approved personal floatation devices provide this amount of
floatation. Don't take a chance you need to know the
facts about your lifejacket.
When buying a life jacket, always check the labels to make
sure it has been approved by the Australian Standards - it
must be well designed, fit well and it must be in good
condition to meet safety requirements.
A lifejacket is perhaps the most important safety item you
will ever buy. Seafarers in
ever increasing numbers are acknowledging the benefits of
inflatable personal floatation devices. They are
lightweight, compact and comfortable to wear and will be worn
willingly when conventional types are often donned
reluctantly. Every year a
large number of fatal boating incidents occur in Australian
waters, many of them preventable. In 80% of the
incidents that have occurred over the past three years, those
deceased were not wearing a personal floatation device (PFD)
at the time of the incident. Evidence suggests that some
of these deaths may have been avoided if the individual had
been wearing a personal floatation device (State Coroner's
Office 2003).
Choosing a lifejacket or
buoyancy aid can be quite daunting. With so many
different choices and variations available, it is difficult to
know where to start. We hope that the information in
this website will help you decide which type is best suited to
your requirements. There are
many reasons why you should choose a Crewsaver Air Only
Lifejacket. Here are the 12 most important.
1. Crewsaver Lifejackets have separate hardwearing outer
covers to protect the inflation chamber.
2. Adjustable back straps ensure that the Lifejacket fits
nearly all body types and sizes. They also prevent
rubbing on the legs when bending and pull the collar of the
Lifejacket down to prevent snagging when on board.
3. To promote a faster turning motion, each Lifejacket has a
bias on the inflator, (one side is slightly bigger than the
other). 4. We use only the
highest quality 50mm nylon webbing on harnesses. For
non-harness versions we use high quality 40mm polyester for
all webbing. 5. Adjustable
double thigh/crutch straps are supplied free of charge with
all Crewfit Lifejackets. 6.
All Lifejackets are test inflated TWICE before leaving the
factory. 7. Inflation
chambers can withstand double inflation without bursting,
though this is not recommended! Double inflation may occur
when the Lifejacket has been orally inflated, perhaps in
preparation for an evacuation situation and then when in the
water inflated again using the cylinder.
8. Superior grade anti-magnetic stainless steel components are
used on harness versions. 9.
Easy to re-arm and re-pack with re-arming packs readily
available from stockists. 10.
Free CD with all Lifejackets giving full instructions on use
and servicing, etc. 11. Full
factory repair service is also available.
12. On the harness version the shoulder straps are concealed
between outer cover and inflation chamber.
|
Yachting Monthly in conjunction
with the Sea Safety Department
voted Crewsaver Plus jackets as No. 1 Product. |
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| We put 14
auto-inflating lifejackets through their toughest
test, using simulated seas to find out which are
worth staking your life on - literally.
Toby Hodges and Carl Richardson report. |
| The Crewsaver Plus comes
with a light sprayhood and thigh straps as
standard. The optional adjustable harness is
a must, making for a remarkably secure,
comfortable fit in and out of the water.
There is a facility for adjusting the harness to
fit wearers of different heights. In the water
the Plus was our top performer holding the
wearer's whole body confidently high in the water.
The inflated bladder left the wearer's neck and
head free to move around, a major factor in
keeping calm and aware in the water. The
jacket's design also directed water away from the
face. Rather than fitting integrally, the
sprayhood stows in a separate belt-mounted pack.
This is more complicated than pulling a hood from
behind but our testers still found it easy to use. |
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