Page 16 - September/October Kwasind

CARE OF INFLATABLE LIFE-JACKETS
Some years ago we took a a a a a course on sea survival from Eric Hill a a a a a a a Canadian Forces navigator and leader of their adventure sail training program (http:// seasurvival ca/index html) Over two days we learned to to handle flares safely how to to board a a a a a a life raft from the water in full foul weather gear why you should jump in in in the water and experience an an inflatable vest being triggered in the water and why you should fit leg straps to your vest Highly recommended if he he ever teaches the the course at the the Club again We also learned that the services’ support people regularly manually inflate wash and hang their vests to dry We don’t do do this every time we use our vests but we do manually/orally inflate them them rinse them them look them them over and hang them them up inflated in in the the the basement over winter That’s the easy part The less fun part is deflating the vests and re-packing them getting all the the the air out so they will pack properly is not easy I even asked Mustang if they had a a a a a a means of doing this No (?!?) But I finally found one – 1/4” inside- diameter fuel hose which is approximately 7/16” outside diameter is a a snug fit inside the opening of a a a Mustang vest’s oral inflation tube and once in in effectively depresses the valve inside that tube so that air flows freely out of the vest when you press on the buoyancy tubes It will also hold this valve open while you gently suck the last bit of air out which makes it it dead easy to re-pack the vest Total cost at Canadian Tire for a a a a a a foot of this miracle solution: $1 19 If you you decide to get your own deflation hose I suggest you you take your vest in and check your your store’s hose against your your vest’s tube tube My store had clear tube tube (not fuel hose) that didn’t quite fit while the black rubber hose was a a a perfect fit depressing the non-return valve without a struggle So why would you want to add another task to the the busy-lists of laying up and commissioning your boat every year? Because the vests represent a a a significant investment whose life you want to maximize and because a a a a a vest that through neglect won’t inflate when you really really need it or a a a a a a vest that inflates and immediately collapses is not going to repay that investment by maximizing your life 16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 • KWASIND
SAILING