Re: [Paddlewise] How Would You: Change to. . . .PFD

On Sat, 19 Aug 2000, Richard Kemmer wrote:

> PFDs are paradigmatic for paddlers.  The simple assumption is that, if you're
> wearing a PFD, your life is not in danger.  That is a vast oversimplification.

Indeed it is. Does anyone believe it? 

Thus the motivation for the cumbersome "Personal Flotation Device"
monicker. It won't save your life; it's not a "Life Jacket."

> In a personal experience, I once capsized my canoe in a river and had my PFD
> snag in a strainer.  Driven into the strainer by the current, I escaped only
> when a rib snapped, allowing me to roll off a pointed branch and reach the
> surface for air.  Had the PFD snagged two or three inches lower, It would have
> held me underwater and and caused me to drown.

Scary. Of course, had you not been in a PFD, you might have been lower in
the water, and fully enmeshed in the strainer. 

> When the human body floats, only the face remains above water.  A PFD adds
> perhaps two inches of "freeboard" to the body.  

Yours, perhaps. I float vertically with my entire head out of the water.
Or were you talking about an unconscious floater?

> The question is one of
> trade-offs -- are the extra couple inches worth risking other problems?  For
> sea kayakers, who are liklely to capsize in open water off shore and stay with
> their boats, the answer is clearly yes.  But if a good swimmer decides to swim
> for shore, jettisoning the PFD might be a consideration.  And, if paddling a
> small river with deadfalls, the best place for a good swimmer's PFD might be
> on the deck.

Our club paddles lots of small white water rivers with deadfalls. NO ONE
paddles with PFD on the deck.
> 
> Finally, another consideration is the PFD itself.  Many current CG "approved"
> PFDs fail to turn swimmers onto their backs, and many float up around the
> neck, where they make swimming all but impossible and actually impede kayak
> reentry. 

True, USCG Type III vests are only required to float you, not turn your
face to the air. But they don't float up around the neck if they fit
right. You seem to have two issues combined here: turning swimmers on
their back (implies unconscious) and impeding swimming (implies conscious,
active effort). What's good for one may not be good for the other.

> The assumption that a PFD will always save one's life is almost as dangerous
> as not wearing one.  

I really don't think that is true. Read the CG fatality reports,
especially recreational boaters on inland waterways. Most fatalities,
except in serious white water, were not wearing PFDs. Not for any of the
rational reasons you've cited, just ignorance and belief that they didn't
need it. "Hell, I can swim." Famous last words.

> I would enjoy a discussion by experienced paddlers of the
> REAL pluses (and minuses) of PFDs.

I am not aware of any fatalities caused by PFD wearing. Anyone else?

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