150N to 275N Automatic Life Jackets

The automatic inflatable lifejacket, essential for going to sea

The automatic lifejacket is a mandatory piece of equipment when going to sea. This type of lifejacket is automatically activated once you are in the water. The automatic life jacket will save your life. It is mandatory to wear a lifejacket when you go to sea. Beyond buoyancy, the advantage of inflatable lifejackets over foam lifejackets is their small size. However, there are several types of inflatable lifejackets and you should make your choice with the knowledge of the facts.

The different types of inflatable vests

Before choosing your inflatable vest, it is essential to check its buoyancy, because not all automatic vests are equal. Depending on how far you are from the coast or from a "shelter" (a place where you can anchor or dock), you will need to wear a different lifejacket.

Inflatable life jackets are intended to be lightweight and discreet, giving you maximum mobility and safety for your boating activity. Their compact design allows you to easily wear them over your foul weather gear or wetsuit all day. The vest can be equipped with a harness. A harness will provide a secure attachment point to your inflatable vest, allowing you to use a strap to attach a secure point.

The automatic vest is assigned a type by the coast guard or navigation, just like non-inflatable vests, but they also have a performance type and designation indicating whether they must be worn to be counted in the vessel's life jacket inventory. Their location on board must be known to all occupants of the boat.

Newton Buoyancy and Release Systems

Knowing how inflatable lifejackets are rated will help you determine which type is best for you:

• Between 0 and 2 nautical miles, you'll need to be equipped with a minimum 50 Newton vest
• Between 2 and 6 nautical miles, you should be equipped with a 100 Newton vest minimum
• Beyond the 6 nautical mile mark, a minimum 150 Newtonvest is mandatory
• Note that for children under 30 kg, a vest of at least 100 Newtons is mandatory, in all circumstances.

Beyond this number of Newtons, you can choose between a lifejacket with automatic release or a manual release. The disadvantage of the manual release is that it will not work if you are unconscious when you fall into the water.

Among the automatic inflatable lifejackets, there are still two families: those with cellulose pellet release, and those with hydrostatic release. For the first one, it is a pellet which, by disintegrating, triggers the vest. For the second, it is the water pressure that triggers the vest (an immersion under 10cm of water is enough). The advantage of the hydrostatic vest is that it has no risk of being triggered if you receive water projections during the maneuvers. Of course, all this comes at a price and the most expensive models will be hydrostatic vests.

Find a selection of inflatable vests of specialized brands on Nautisports. com

As you can see, the choice of the most suitable inflatable vest depends on the distance you are away from the coast, but also on your practice and your budget. In any case, the perfect inflatable vest for your next safe outing is on Nautisports.com.