I have a relative who is 5" 10" and weighs 300 pounds and I have not seen a life preserver that will hold him up if he goes into the drink. Do they even make Coast Guard approved preservers to support that type of weight? He is not allowed on the boat until we find one.
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Life Preserver Capacity
- Thread starter ajschwab
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2003
- RO Number
- 11439
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- 704
Al, heavy people typically float better than skinny ones because fat is much more buoyant than muscle. My best educated guess is that the typical adult life jacket will float him just fine. Getting him back in to the boat will however be much more difficult. FYI these are the buoyancy ratings of the 3 typical life jackets:
Type I – recommended for use in offshore or rough waters where rescue may be delayed; will turn an unconscious person over onto their back; available as inflatable or inherently buoyant personal floatation device; offers 22 lbs. and 34 lbs. of buoyancy.
Type II – classic life jacket recommended for near shore boating activities where there is a chance of quick rescue; many designs and styles available for both children and adults; available as an inflatable, inherently buoyant, or hybrid personal floatation device; offers 7, 11, and 15.5 lbs. of buoyancy.
Type III – floatation aid that is comfortable to wear, and comes in many styles suitable for varied boating activities for both children and adults; for use in calm waters in an area with a good chance of fast rescue; available as an inflatable, inherently buoyant, or hybrid floatation device; offers 9, 10, 11, 15.5 and 22.5 lbs of inherent buoyancy.
It has been my experience (though limited compared to some others here) that the inflatables tend to be toward the higher end of the buoyancy ratings, but read the labels/descriptions as they do differ.
Type I – recommended for use in offshore or rough waters where rescue may be delayed; will turn an unconscious person over onto their back; available as inflatable or inherently buoyant personal floatation device; offers 22 lbs. and 34 lbs. of buoyancy.
Type II – classic life jacket recommended for near shore boating activities where there is a chance of quick rescue; many designs and styles available for both children and adults; available as an inflatable, inherently buoyant, or hybrid personal floatation device; offers 7, 11, and 15.5 lbs. of buoyancy.
Type III – floatation aid that is comfortable to wear, and comes in many styles suitable for varied boating activities for both children and adults; for use in calm waters in an area with a good chance of fast rescue; available as an inflatable, inherently buoyant, or hybrid floatation device; offers 9, 10, 11, 15.5 and 22.5 lbs of inherent buoyancy.
It has been my experience (though limited compared to some others here) that the inflatables tend to be toward the higher end of the buoyancy ratings, but read the labels/descriptions as they do differ.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 3238
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- 4,831
A quick check of the Sterns website shows that the "33 gram inflatables" offer 33 lbs flotation. The 24 gram units offer about 22 lbs.
Keep in mind that you are not standing out of the water, standing on the PFD, but rather most of you is ion the water ( nearly ) floating. It does not take much to keep the head above water, and/or rotate the torso so that the mouth of the wearer is above the water line.
Trust me. 33 lbs flotation makes a big guy float like a cork.
If concerned, put on a vest and jump overboard ( in protected waters, etc... ). It is a good safety exercise and will prove the point nicely. If you -really- want to test it, do this in a pool, as fresh water provides less floatation than brackish/salt.
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In fact, all who have an inflatable really, really should test them out. The auto-inflate types will scare the sheep out of you if unprepared. Best to try one out under controlled, safe conditions prior to exploring new product usage while all else is falling apart.
A good time to do this is end-of-year ( or first of year ) vest maintenance. Don it, jump in, float around a bit then carefully recharge according to mfgr instructions after drying it out.
Keep in mind that you are not standing out of the water, standing on the PFD, but rather most of you is ion the water ( nearly ) floating. It does not take much to keep the head above water, and/or rotate the torso so that the mouth of the wearer is above the water line.
Trust me. 33 lbs flotation makes a big guy float like a cork.
If concerned, put on a vest and jump overboard ( in protected waters, etc... ). It is a good safety exercise and will prove the point nicely. If you -really- want to test it, do this in a pool, as fresh water provides less floatation than brackish/salt.
---
In fact, all who have an inflatable really, really should test them out. The auto-inflate types will scare the sheep out of you if unprepared. Best to try one out under controlled, safe conditions prior to exploring new product usage while all else is falling apart.
A good time to do this is end-of-year ( or first of year ) vest maintenance. Don it, jump in, float around a bit then carefully recharge according to mfgr instructions after drying it out.
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2001
- RO Number
- 3641
- Messages
- 765
The life preserver (PFD) is intended to hold the wearer's head up and out of the water. In water, the body is essentially neutrally bouyant (weighs nothing). How heavy is this guy's head?
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2001
- RO Number
- 5642
- Messages
- 122
In my boating classes one of the most important things I teach is how to tie a bowline knot. If you are unable to get a person out of the water, especially a lone female on a boat, you can get the person in the loop and clete the victim off and call for help. I know my wife would never get me out of the water if I could not get back in the boat. I have had a few "big boned" people on my boat and do not worry.
I wouldn't leave a passenger at the dock for a "what if" situation. How many times has one of your "normal size" passengers fallen overboard by accident? As long as your "larger" size passenger has a correct fitting life jacket on, you and your passenger should feel at ease. Stearns makes a "First Mate" jacket in size 3X and a 4X-7X size. "Full Throttle also makes a ski vest in sizes 3X and 4X-7X as well.