Hi,
Just a note on auto inflatables. Most are activated by a button filled with a with white water soluble substance. Over time this substance becomes hard an insoluble and won't activate the plunger. I learned this the easy way when my vest fell overboard and didn't inflate. Aside for checking whether you have air leak in the vest, you should replace the button yearly. Note that the date of manufacturer is on the button. It should be in the current year. The evil empire frequently sells out of date buttons, especially at the beginning of the season. They also avoid selling the buttons alone with out the cartridge. They also won't sell competing brands of re arming kits, certainly an ethical safety question. The newer inflatables sometimes have different inflating systems, avoiding this problem.
Replacing the CO2 cartridge is problematical.
I've been using them for about 10 years and I won't sail without wearing one, even in daylight with a crew.
Harvey Rosenberg C-27TR #6023, 1985, M-18, Stony Point NY
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Received: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 03:14:16 PM EDT
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To: [email protected]
Subject: catalina27-talk: autoinflatable PFDs
