PFDs - resources for cruising sailors

BoatSafe.com Semi-Annual Safety Checklist

[Site]

School

Brief list of safety questions about your gear, including PFD′s, fire equipment, fuel systems, ground tackle, safety equipment, stoves, electrical system, bilge pumps, through-hulls, and batteries.

[Nautical Know How, Inc., Stuart, FL, USA]
- Read the checklist

Maintaining Inflatable PFD's

[Offline]

Brief How-To By Warren Miller

Inflatable PFD′s are Coast Guard approved, light, and reliable. Tips on selecting and maintaining a vest. 3 pages with a list of vendors.

[Sail Magazine, December 2000]
- Order the Sail Magazine back issue

The Bare Essentials

[Offline]

Thorough Overview By John Rousmaniere

Looking at boat injury statistics helps us choose essential safety equipment. Rousmaniere talks about how to get the stuff that really works. 4 pages with photos.

[Practical Sailor, 1 October 2004]
- Preview the Practical Sailor back issue

Safety Equipment - PFD's

[Site]

Personal resource list By Bill Dietrich

Grab bag of facts and commentary to help choose and maintain your PFD′s, jacklines, fire extinguishers, fume alarms, EPIRB′s, MOB alarms, harnesses and other safety equipment. Contains excerpts from hard-to-find bulletin board and newsgroup postings, as well as links to useful sites and vendor pages.

[Bill Dietrich, USA]
- Thoughts about safety gear

Maintaining Safety Gear

[Article]

Brief How-To By Tom Wood
Maintaining Safety Gear

PFD′s, EPIRB′s, liferafts and other safety equipment have to be functional. Tips on the paperwork, location, testing, spares, and maintenance needed to keep them in working order.

[SailNet, 22 December 2001]
- Maintenance of safety equipment

The Cruising Safety Gear forum

[Site]

Non-commercial forum

A discussion board and photo gallery for cruising sailors and wannabes focused on offshore safety gear.

[Cruisers Forum, Buskerud, Norway]
- The offshore safety forum

Tips for maintaining inflatable PFD's

[Vendor]

Membership organization Tips for maintaining inflatable PFD's

Detailed recommendations for looking after the inflatable PFD′s on your boat from the governing body of U.S. sailing.

[US Sailing, Portsmouth, RI, USA]
- Read the man-overboard tips

Maintaining inflatable PFD's

[Offline]

Brief how-to Maintaining inflatable PFD's

Regular maintenance will make sure you have PFD buoyancy when you need it

[Cruising World, December 2001]
- Order the Cruising World back issue

Belt-style Inflatable PFD's

[Offline]

Comparative Tests

Seven units from Mustang, Seapro, Stearns, Sospenders, and West Marine are rated for ease of donning, comfort/fit on deck, comfort/fit in the water, re-arming/repacking, and buoyancy. Ratings range from Excellent down to Fair. 5 pages with photos and table of specs and ratings.

[Practical Sailor, 15 January 2005]
- The belt-style PFD tests