Advice on buoyancy aid

[Stevenm]

Hi just ordered an inflatable kayak now looking for a buoyancy aid

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated

 

[andibs]

If your just going on flat slow moving water or lakes you want something rated at about 70 kn. Decathlon do their own brand but a bit bulky. Delta Ranger is a good comfortable make and you can usually big them up on a fairly frequent basis on eBay. Yak and Palm are also established ba manufacturers.

Make sure you get the correct size

Andy

 

[Wayne]

Try and keep the clean line principle. Not too many pockets and straps. Do not buy a technical pdf with cows tails etc unless your going to get the training to use them safely.

Dont use your new purchase as a seat rinse with clean water if your going on the sea. Practice climbing in your canoe with it on and practice swimming wearing it.

 

[jmagee]

Great advice there. If you can buy a new one as you don't know if used ones have been abused. Try them on in a shop and get one that fits and is comfy!

 

[wales1]

Watch the newton rating. Most mid range have a buoyancy rating of 50 newton, decent ones like palm kaikoura are 60 newton. The higher the newton force, the more buoyancy....you do notice the difference when bobbing about

Steve

 

[mrcharly]

Watch the newton rating. Most mid range have a buoyancy rating of 50 newton, decent ones like palm kaikoura are 60 newton. The higher the newton force, the more buoyancy....you do notice the difference when bobbing about

Steve

Good advice and don't assume that high newton is for big people, small for little. Sometimes big people have natural buoyancy and skinny people have negative buoyancy - when I was in my 20s I used to sink and needed a higher newton rating vest.

 

[santaman2000]

Good advice and don't assume that high newton is for big people, small for little. Sometimes big people have natural buoyancy and skinny people have negative buoyancy - when I was in my 20s I used to sink and needed a higher newton rating vest.

Yeah. The fatter I get, the better I float.

 

[birchwood]

I have a Yak kallista and a Crewsaver kasmira both 50N ,both have a small pocket.
I have added a small camera pouch onto the waist strap at the side for my waterproof camera and a few odds and ends.
Make sure that yours has enough adjustment so it fits when you are wearing a tshirt in summer and all your waterproofs in winter.

 

[SCOMAN]

Get one with retro-reflective tape front and back that won't be obscured in use and has a whistle attached.

 

[Wayne]

If you have `painters', ropes attached to the fore and aft of the canoe for swim lines and mooring etc. Then you should carry a rescue knife. Another debate to be had is do you have the knife attached to the BA on the outside or in a pocket?

 

[andibs]

If you have `painters', ropes attached to the fore and aft of the canoe for swim lines and mooring etc. Then you should carry a rescue knife. Another debate to be had is do you have the knife attached to the BA on the outside or in a pocket?

Outside on left shoulder for me so I can reach it with either hand quick. Fixed blade.

Andy

 

[johntarmac]

Bear in mind if your inflatable comes with a seat that has a low back support this will invariably push the BA up the back of your head which is uncomfortable and irritating and chafe your armpits.

If possible try sitting in a similar seat to the one in your kayak with it on before you buy.

 

[Stevenm]

Thanks for all the advice

 

[rancid badger]

Has anyone mentioned trying the thing on for fit? B.A. sizing is notoriously ambiguous with a lot of variation between makers and its a really good idea to make sure they fit you comfortably before actually buying, especially online.

The rangers are good, as are a lot of the yak offerings, mines a palm symbiant, more of a kayaking design I think and now over 8 years old and really needing replacement but it still keeps me bobbing nice and high and hasn't fallen to bits yet, so.........

Which inflatable have you bought by the way?

best wishes

Steve

 

[John Fenna]

I got so fed up with BAs that did not suit me that I made my own ... the Mk2 was excellent.
As a coach and White Water paddler I wanted lots of pockets for quick access to notebooks, bits of tat, rescue kit etc, plus adjustability to fit over winter clothing, drysuit etc as well as summer-wear (next to nothing in bulk) ... and bits of kit to keep me comfy and safe while my mates shot off downstream trying to catch my canoe after I blew it on a big rapid...ie 1st Aid and a brew kit...
It is all well and good having a clean and slick BA and all the safety gear in your boat but if and when you get a real trashing and your boat and all your kit is disappearing down the gorge to the Falls of Doom and you are sitting bashed, battered and bemused on a little beach then having the basics on your person counts for a lot...
Bill Mason used to reckon that one of the benefits of having a Cedar canoe was that you could use it's shattered remains as firewood to dry your kit and yourself before the long walk home after a bad trashing ...
I ended up with 3 patch front pockets - shaped and sized so as not to interfere with getting back into my boat after a merry little swim - 2 flat internal, zipped pockets, a strobe patch and two pockets on the back, the lower one accessible from the side. All the pockets were mesh for instant draining...
The adjustment was with side straps and shoulder staps with clean ends - so the tape could pull through if it got snagged and thereby not end up holding me underwater for longer than I can hold my breath.
One rescue knife (fixed blade) was on my left shoulder ready to be grabbed with either hand and a back up (one hand opening folder) was in a pocket. All the pocket kit - including knives - was on lanyards so that if the velcro fastening burst open I would not lose anything. And yes - I would prefer to be trapped on a trashing stopper with the razor sharp knife open and whirling around me if I drop it .... I might get a few nasty, even life threatening, cuts as I try to recover the blade... but at least I still have the chance of recovering the knife to cut the rope I am snagged in that is holding me in the water longer than I can hold my breath... I would rather trust my buddies 1st Aid skills than drown.
I went for a superior buoyancy (never did calculate the Newtons - but it was a lot more than commercial BAs) so that I would float high, and fitted quick release (and snag release) leg loops as well as a waist belt ... so that the BA sat well and I would not slide out if someone tried dragging my senseless body out of a rapid..
There was a bit more foam in the front to increase the odds that I floated face up... heavier items (such as hydration bags) were carried in the back pockets...
The buoyancy Aid was comfortable to wear and never got in the way on, in or under the water or on the bank during rescues.
Manufacturing cost precluded going commercial with my design...

 

[Janne]

Hi just ordered an inflatable kayak now looking for a buoyancy aid

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated

Have you thought of getting one of those collar type with a CO2 cartridge?
Type Spinlock inflatable or Mustang Survival?
Check online.

When I am fishing in the Lofotens I wear a survival suit, but have a couple of Mustang survival loose in the boat, one of them with a mobile in a w.t. Pelican case attached.
In case a whale tries to play with the boat and it sinks, they will self inflate and I have something extra to hold on. Plus a phone.