Boat sunk at Greentree this morning.....

[Wingman]

Not sure if a float coat is even classified as a pfd. Check it to see. Type 3 (inflatables) must be worn to be legal. Type 1-2 don't have to be.

[chevy01234]

Not sure if a float coat is even classified as a pfd. Check it to see. Type 5 (inflatables) must be worn to be legal. Type 1-3 don't have to be.

It is a type III coast guard approved pfd so I guess it doesn't have to be worn to be legal. Interesting.

[kris Schaumburg]

LA went to a law where the driver of a tiller handle vessel 16ft or less must actually be wearing the PDF. Seems like a pretty good rule for the smaller tiller vessels. I think it made a lot of crawfisherman move to 17 ft skiffs though.

[duckhunterdoc]

Thank goodness everyone, including the dog, is OK!
Let me try to put the "floating waders" to rest.
Neoprene, all by itself, will float. A bucket made of neoprene (waders) will not float.
The neoprene your waders are made of is just like the neoprene a wetsuit (which is intended to absorb water and let your body heat warm the thin layer of trapped water to act as an insulator in moderately cool water. A drysuit is made of the type with a waterproof finish on the outside like your waders, but is sealed with very tight wrist, ankle, and neck openings.) is made of, with one small difference. The outer skin is waterproof. The inner side of your waders is not waterproof and will absorb water. There are air bubbles in the material, but not nearly enough to provide the buoyance required to float you if the waders fill up. You may float, but like someone else mentioned, you'll be upside down, assuming your feet came up before the boots are completely full.
A long time ago, I spent the better part of 4 years as a Navy rescue swimmer, wearing wetsuits, drysuits, and swimsuits,and I have seen this all put to the test under controlled conditions, during training provided by Uncle Sam.
Again, thank God everyone is OK. See above, I've seen several, and boating accidents/water rescues are no joke especially when the temps are down.

Most informative argument yet to "prove" waders "off" is the best way...not sure if I Neoprened a Bucket and watched it Float that it would still change opinions....so why have we not outlawed waders and Bellyboats...seems like that would be a no-brainer...check boating regs for Bammer and Arizona...and here is one more....http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/Hunters%20Safety.pdf

[kris Schaumburg]

i really was trying to be nice on this one since the OP ended up living, but unless you are being sarcastic, that linked post completely contradicts the arguement that waders will drown you. To the contrary it indicates what many of us already new, waders are amazingly bouyant and neoprene is one of the best materials for trapping a warm insulated layer of water near the body (ie wetsuit). If you are in fairly decent shape and don't panic, I would think waders would probably increase your survival time 400-500% easily. The majority of body heat that will be zapped out of you is coming from your core down through your gunch (gator, give me the medical term for that?). Waders act just like a 3/4 wetsuit. Judging by most of the photos you guys post of yourselves, i don't think i could push under by tying a 20 lb weight belt to you (ie the average poster to this board probably isn't competing for lowest body fat). I have no idea of most of you guy's prowess in the water, and unlike an earlier poster i was never a navy swimmer, I did show off my sexy pecs as a lifeguard for most of high school and college, and i probably spend almost every weekend and holiday on or in the water. Here is a little personal experience, nonswimmers float just like the rest of us, what kills them is the panic (I think law dawg has almost died from inhaling stuff at a couple panic shows, but not sure it was water, Alec?). If you want to take something off to increase your bouyancy, I would suggest one of the other 5 layers on your upper body, but definitely not your waders. conversly you are probably much better off just putting on a good type 1 life jacket. People drown with pfd's on all the time, if you are going to wear a life jacket spend the extra $12.78 and get a nice type 1. You might have to drop from crown down to dickel for a weekend, but in the event you need to use it, it will most likely be worth it. The bucket arguement doesn't really HOLD WATER (geez i am really enjoying writing this) unless you are in a swift current whereby the additional drag created MIGHT negate the beneficial factors of the waders. 5 ft or 5,000 ft doesn't really matter, object is to stay afloat /face up with the number #1 priority at this time of year being to stay warm. And to the guys proposing swimming pool tests, it is supposed to be 30 this weekend, you are free to drive down here we'll open some oysters have a beer and wade out into the lake till we can't touch, I'll wear waders you don't get anything to insulate you, first one to come out loses, what you got as a wager? hell I can't dive in October without a 3/4 1mm wetsuit, you better be a damn polar bear.

[duckhunterdoc]

Not sure which post you are talking about...but I am 100% in agreement with you,Kris...so if you are talking about MY post ,yes a little sarcasm..but I was trying to be Nice to Tdagget as at least he had some good thoughts and "proof" (although I really don't agree) but I appreciate this in a discussion...apparently this has a lot of Mixed opinions, even some links I googled say "take off your waders in a boat" just like some of the Guys on here...No sir I say "wear the NEOPRENE waders...With a Life Jacket...if knocked out it will keep you head up(50-50 chance correct side up)...but even the youtube videos show the guys with no life jacket having no problem keeping their head up(no life jacket)..even with air in the bottom of the boots on one of the videos...I posted several links...I don't think they have been seen by many Duckers...Thanks for adding Kris...I think this is a very important topic

[mharville]

Getting a text saying two of your buddies almost died saturday morning is a sobering moment. Those are two pretty good guys, trying to do the thing they enjoy the right way and it almost killed them. Glad everybody is ok!!!

[mudsucker]

We have the manually operated inflatables now. Going to autos soon. The inflatables are only legal when worn, FYI, unlike regular pfd's that you only have to have in the boat, readily accessible.

I think the man that recently drowned in the RBR had a manual inflatable.

That's dumb. My auto inflatable will float just like one of those $4.00 POS orange ones will. What is the reasoning behind them only legal when worn? I have a Mustang Float Coat too..is it only legal when worn?

Chevy, You mean float on it's own if thrown in water or once inflated? I have no experience with an inflatable so I wondered. Being able to throw a type I or II PFD to a person and them being able to put it on is why it does not have to be worn. We practiced this in deep end of pool for our BST(Basic Safety Training) that we have to go through for Coast Guard Cert. Ask the Oilfield workers on here. They been through it too.

[bottomland84]

Ive taken HUET offshore water survival, and BOSIET Cold water survival, which is were you were a cold water jump suit and use a re breather. Its tough to put on a life vest in a pool much less in the ocean or a river when all hell has broke loose. My advice is to wear a type I or II at all times in a boat. Just because you look funny in them, sure beats looking stylish in your suit and tie in a casket.

[rawalley]

[quote="bottomland84"]Ive taken HUET offshore water survival, and BOSIET Cold water survival, which is were you were a cold water jump suit and use a re breather. Its tough to put on a life vest in a pool much less in the ocean or a river when all hell has broke loose. My advice is to wear a type I or II at all times in a boat. Just because you look funny in them, sure beats looking stylish in your suit and tie in a casket.[/quote]

[chevy01234]

We have the manually operated inflatables now. Going to autos soon. The inflatables are only legal when worn, FYI, unlike regular pfd's that you only have to have in the boat, readily accessible.

I think the man that recently drowned in the RBR had a manual inflatable.

That's dumb. My auto inflatable will float just like one of those $4.00 POS orange ones will. What is the reasoning behind them only legal when worn? I have a Mustang Float Coat too..is it only legal when worn?

Chevy, You mean float on it's own if thrown in water or once inflated? I have no experience with an inflatable so I wondered. Being able to throw a type I or II PFD to a person and them being able to put it on is why it does not have to be worn. We practiced this in deep end of pool for our BST(Basic Safety Training) that we have to go through for Coast Guard Cert. Ask the Oilfield workers on here. They been through it too.

Both. It will float when I throw it in the water as well as when it is inflated manually. It can be put on in the water too albeit may be a little more difficult.

[mudsucker]

Cool. No experience with one as I said. Good to know they float before being deployed!

[chevy01234]

Cool. No experience with one as I said. Good to know they float before being deployed!

The Auto-inflate ones do. They have a hydrostatic disk in them that deploys the life jacket when submersed. A manual one would not automatically float if just thrown out into the water.

[mudsucker]

OH. That is what I guess I was getting at. Manual deploy=sink if thrown in? I understand the hydrostatic release as we use them on our life rafts on the ship but the other may only be useful if worn.

[chevy01234]

OH. That is what I guess I was getting at. Manual deploy=sink if thrown in? I understand the hydrostatic release as we use them on our life rafts on the ship but the other may only be useful if worn.

Yes, a manual inflatable is only useful when worn on a conscious, uninjured person.