GROUP TEST LIFEJACKETS

We all have lifejackets on board, but do you know what yours is actually like to use? We tested 10 of the latest to find out...

Have you ever jumped into the water wearing your own lifejacket, and could you find your hood, light, and recovery becket? It’s easy to choose a lifejacket based on cost or comfort, but it’s what happens when it is inflated that is crucial.

All lifejackets are built to ISO standards that set minimum required performance – ISO 12402-3 for lifejackets, ISO 12401 for deck harnesses – as well as standards for hoods and lights, there have been big design developments that are a huge step change for safety, and many lifejackets go well beyond the basic standard.

Cruising sailors typically sail away from busy waters or sailing club safety boats, often solo, in poor weather or at night, and frequently offshore. In anyone’s books, this constitutes a high degree of exposure. For this, your lifejacket really needs to have a spray hood to prevent secondary drowning, a harness to clip your tether too, a decent light and a whistle. Space to include an AIS MOB beacon or PLB can also increase your chances if you do go over the side. We set about testing lifejackets that meet these criteria.

WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT

All the lifejackets we tested had a buoyancy of between 150N and 190N and came with automatic inflation, light, hood, harness attachment point and crotch strap as standard. We wanted to find out how well they inflated, righted a casualty and how much freeboard they offered, the latter two of which are part of the ISO standard testing, and whether they worked equally well for men and women. We also wanted to see what impact their claimed design innovations really have, particularly those with innovative harness attachment points, and to test these in a real-world setting.

HOW WE TESTED THEM

To test the lifejackets we headed to the RNLI training pool in Poole where we could recreate deep, cold and rough water in a controlled environment. Ali Wood and YM Editor Theo Stocker were the testers so we could see how the figures compared for different weights and sizes of crew.

We jumped into the water from a height of one metre and timed how long it took for the lifejacket to fully inflate. We then recreated the ISO standard tests – for rotation times, the ‘casualty’ wears a fully inflated lifejacket over swimming clothes, and is held horizontal and face-down in the water with their legs on the surface. We then timed how long it took for their legs to swing under them and the lifejacket to turn them fully onto their back. For the freeboard test, the casualty floated near the side of the pool and we measured the height of their mouth above the water.

Finally, we put on full oilskins and turned on the wind and wave machines to find out how effective the hood was at keeping spray out of our faces, as well as how well we could see, hear, move about and aid in our own recovery.

We also spent time out sailing, wearing all of the lifejackets to see how comfortable they were for longer periods, and how easy the harnesses were to adjust and set up. Finally, we jumped in the water with the lifejackets that have harness release systems to test these from a boat in open water.