With my 68-year old knees becoming increasingly wonky each season, requiring a series of gel injections every 6 months, and given the kinda low gunnel's of my boat, in addition to having a crewman go overboard offshore two seasons ago, I believe it's past time to get proactive on the safety front.
I do like to fish in quite rough conditions, (which does tend to keep the riff-raff off me), plus I sometimes enjoy the occasional solo trip to the grounds, so I really have put off for far too long getting some form of overboard protection for my own welfare.
After a ton of research into the various species of inflatable gear, I've gone all-out and selected a USCG-approved Mustang Survival suspenders-type preserver. This model is pretty much top of the line, with both a hydrostatic auto-inflate trigger and a manual pull tab, should the hydro switch fail. I am told that this particular model is the one the USCG themselve use, so I think my choice is a solid one. Its also one of the more expensive models, but really, who the heck cares?
I did look into the less pricey "fanny-pack" inflatables, as well as the manual deploying suspender and full jacket versions, from a few different makers. But I do believe this one will give me the best shot at making it back onboard, should I fall out of the boat.
It's pretty comfortable to wear, even over a heavy sweater, so it should be a short familiarization curve. At the very least it will give me a greater confidence that should I go into the drink on a bad day, either my crew will fish me out (I hope I'm not wrong about that!). Or if alone I can make it back to the boat's swim platform under my own power. At least that's the plan, anyways. Like Kevin/Longcast said on our last fluke trip of 2023, "safety first." I agree.
I do like to fish in quite rough conditions, (which does tend to keep the riff-raff off me), plus I sometimes enjoy the occasional solo trip to the grounds, so I really have put off for far too long getting some form of overboard protection for my own welfare.
After a ton of research into the various species of inflatable gear, I've gone all-out and selected a USCG-approved Mustang Survival suspenders-type preserver. This model is pretty much top of the line, with both a hydrostatic auto-inflate trigger and a manual pull tab, should the hydro switch fail. I am told that this particular model is the one the USCG themselve use, so I think my choice is a solid one. Its also one of the more expensive models, but really, who the heck cares?
I did look into the less pricey "fanny-pack" inflatables, as well as the manual deploying suspender and full jacket versions, from a few different makers. But I do believe this one will give me the best shot at making it back onboard, should I fall out of the boat.
It's pretty comfortable to wear, even over a heavy sweater, so it should be a short familiarization curve. At the very least it will give me a greater confidence that should I go into the drink on a bad day, either my crew will fish me out (I hope I'm not wrong about that!). Or if alone I can make it back to the boat's swim platform under my own power. At least that's the plan, anyways. Like Kevin/Longcast said on our last fluke trip of 2023, "safety first." I agree.
