Life Vest, What Are You Using?

For years I used a cheapo vest I got at Walmart, finally got tired of it riding up my back and it was too hot on a warm day. I recently tried a Stohlquist Fisherman High Back Life Jacket in a Eddyline Calypso kayak in a river trip and it was comfortable (the vest was comfortable, the Calypso was not so much and it dumped me in the river when I turned to look behind me. The Calypso made me realize how much I love my PA!). I need to try it in my Pro Angler but I don't know if the high back of that PFD will clear the high seat of the PA.
What are you using?

The absolute best PFD are the inflatable type - we offer a couple of colors - they retail for $123.99
Order from any HObie dealer toll free 1800hobie49 or click the dealer finder: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/dealers/search/

I have the same Stohlquist Fisherman in yellow.

When it is adjusted properly it is very comfortable for yakking. It was designed for casting a casting rod, spinning rod or one handed flyrod. For
those activities, it is an excellen pfd. It is comfortable in our Oasis and my Freedom Hawks with the high back chairs.

However, I for the most part cast with the two handed fly rods and most of our Spey/Switch rod casts involve moving our hands and arms with the rod gripped by two hands in front of our chest and back. This has caused comfort problems with every semi rigid pfd I have owned or borrowed.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, my son, grandson and I went out for our annual striped bass fishing day while the women hit the malls on black Friday. I took my Stohlquist with me to help impress on the grandson to wear his PFD like his Dad and GrandDad.

I had one of my two handed Switch Rods, and I couldn't do the casts as needed. I ended using a back up standard spinning rod.

As a result my son and DIL bought me a self inflating PFD from Cabela's. It fits well and does not impact with my two handed casting.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/ ... t104399280

Interesting that jbernier posted his reply re the Hobie self inflating while I was posting my reply.

That would be an excellent choice.

The down side is, if I wore any self inflating PFD while wading and fly fishing, it would inflate if I got into deeper water and got the sensor wet. That would not be good. I have an self inflating fly fishing vest?PFD for water where I might take an unplanned dip in the water. For really fast and treacherous water, I have a set of Wm Joseph Fly Fishing Waders with a built in pfd type vest. I can blow it up incase of small slips and it has the pull tag if I fell and got into really deep fast water.

My family was concerned about where most of us fall out or trip/slip with our yaks, at the launch site or by a dock or on the shore. If you hit your head in those areas in a fall you might not recover if you don't have a self inflating PFD or one of the semi rigid PFD's like our Stholquists.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

Our Inflatable PFD's are not the auto style - they are manual - so they will only inflate if triggered by the user.

Which is great... if you don't have a boom... if so... I prefer the Stohlquist ones that Hobie sells as well. Mine isn't Hobie branded, but they're the same thing. For most of my use, I don't need a PFD for when I'm conscious, it's when the unforeseen happens that I want something to keep me afloat.

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I have the same Stohlquist one. Very comfortable.

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2011 HPA
2006 Wildy Ride 135
2019 Hobie Compass
2020 Hobie Outback

Answers.com > Wiki Answers > Categories > Cars & Vehicles > Miscellaneous Vehicles > Boats and Watercraft > How likely are paddlers in small crafts to drown when compared to operators in other vessels?

According to statistics, paddlers in small crafts such as canoes, kayaks, and rafts are more than twice as likely to drown as individuals operating other types of vessels.

http://www.boat-ed.com/or/course/p6-5_canoeing.htm


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_likely_ar ... z1mJZcht6G

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

I wonder what the stats would be if you eliminate data from river (which includes whitewater) kayak/canoes incidents? Not as dramatic for the kayaker I would guess.

I don't know the exact numbers, but in Canada, more people die in small boats like kayaks and canoes, than in motorboats, or larger sailboats etc. It's a BIG difference. Exposure to the water seems to be the common factor. Drinking is often a big factor in those deaths too. And the deaths are rarely white water rafting etc. It's almost always small lakes where you'd think someone should be very safe. It's been about 15 years since I remember someone dying from a whitewater incident in my area, and we have several deaths every year from canoe misadventures.

Personally, I think those inflatable life jackets should only be used by people on the larger boats. The Police wear them around here on their motorboats. If you're on anything with a Hobie name on it, the safest thing to wear is a traditional life jacket. There are plenty of styles to get comfortable on the variety of seats, trapezes, etc.

That's just my opinion, and I don't mean to say that I'm right, and someone else is wrong.

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When we got in yakking a couple of years ago, one of our younger female relatives, a yakker and her husband, sent a recap of the UK, Australia, NZ and Canada re deaths in the small boats, canoes, rafts and yaks.

Alcohol and not wearing PFDs were involved as suspected in many of the stats. What was surprising was how many of these deaths happened in what most people thought were safe waters, close to the shore, pier or launch site.
Cold water temps were often a factor but not all ways.

Here in N California, we have several yakking deaths each year along the N coast and in the Bay. Inexperience yakkers of course have a high %, but experience yakkers either get too relaxed and into bad situations.

Hypothermia and dehydration can lead to bad events on dry land, and their negative impact on our bodies, CNS and circulatory systems are probably multiplied in cold water/weather on the water and how fast things can change here weather and tide wise.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

I got a Stohlquist Piseas when I purchased my PA. The front pockets are different from the fisherman, but I believe the cut of the back is identical. It works great with the PA seat. Very comfortable when worn over anything from a t-shirt to a drytop.

for the guys that have the Stohlquist fisherman type vest or Piseas type vest is the vest comfortable even though the bottom rear part of the vest will not clear the top part of the PA seat?

I don't have a PA, and I'm sure you've already tried this, but just in case you haven't, is there a way to adjust the vest? My shoulder straps can shorten a little bit, and it still remains comfortable.

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The Sholquist fisherman vest is made to fit snug with several adjustment straps so there is zero ride up when sitting down