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Life jacket for windsurfing?
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low_flyin_joe



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 11:39 am    Post subject: Life jacket for windsurfing? Reply with quote

Hey,

I have been looking around for lifejackets to use while windsurfing with a waist harness, but I really haven't had much luck. The harness provides some buoyancy, but I would rather dodge the fine for not wearing one, plus my club requires me to wear one.

What is everybody here using? I know some people use kayaking ones, but is there a specific live jacket meant for windsurfing, or a preferred brand or model?

Thanks
Joe
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scargo



Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 394

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hundreds of pdfs out there, you'll have to narrow down your criteria.

I sail all winter, often alone, so I wanted one with pockets for a cell phone, extra line, etc. And that brought me to Kokatat, the OutFIT Tour model. I wear a seat harness, but the pdf rides pretty high and has adjustable shoulder straps so would probably work fine with a waist harness. Although outwardly it seems bulkier than a waterski-type jacket, it's actually not because there's no stuff under the armpits. So it doesn't restrict my movement at all. It's adjustable every which way, so I can change it depending on how much stuff I have on underneath or how warm I want to be.
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mchaco1



Joined: 08 Sep 2010
Posts: 645

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My trick is that I is a kayaking jacket,but I use an x-small (and im xl sized) with the straps loose it fits on my chest but only comes down to the bottom of my ribs so it doesn't interfere with the harness

Last edited by mchaco1 on Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't always wear a lifejacket but when I do I prefer a Kokatat. Wink
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Last edited by d0uglass on Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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gpadmos



Joined: 09 Jul 2009
Posts: 55

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Neil Pryde, Dakine, ProMotion and others all make floatation devices designed for use with waist harnesses. Most are marketed towards kiting, so target your search criteria to include kiting.

If local regulations are an issue, the tough part will be finding one that is Coast Guard approved, though I bet the ranger/sheriff isn't going to be checking tags.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.bigwinds.com/kite/category/59/product/1282

this works very well.

this also is very good::

http://stores.wetsuit.com/-strse-Accessories-cln-Wind-fdsh-Kite-Vests-%26-PFDs/Categories.bok


neither will have a Coast Guard stamp of approval, but anything I have ever seen that I would be likely to wear doesn't either

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mark



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 181

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been using the Neil Pryde high hook for a few years and really like it. I wear a seat harness which is below the harness hook hole. However the hole looks as though it is the right height for a waist harness. For more information go to http://www.neilpryde.com/accessories/vests/vest.html

Mark
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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The ProMotion "kite vest" rules! No loss of range of motion, comfortable enough to forget you're wearing it, won't get in the way of any harness, and pretty decent buoyancy, although not CG approved. Not bad looking, either!

Promotion www.wetsuit.com

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isobras



Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Posts: 439

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't count on the police or your club not checking tags for CG approval. The law was doing that some places even 20 years before today's flood of non-approved float/armor vests hit the market.

Mike \OO/
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Bluejaytoo



Joined: 21 Apr 2012
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can attest to that. I have actually been pulled over on the water for wearing flotation that was not CG approved. It was a chest harness that looked very much like an ordinary PFD, just thinner. They chased me down in their boat, made me stop and take off the harness, and hand it to them. Then they escorted me to the shore, where they wrote me the ticket. A couple years ago I was in Hatteras and tried to buy a new seat harness. I got a bit annoyed when all the shop guys kept telling me that no one wears seat harnesses anymore, and that any new waist harness will work fine with a PFD. It's very difficult to try to explain how things are here in Pennsylvania, where PFDs are required and kayaks all have to be registered.

Having said all that, I wear a high-back kayak PFD with big arm holes, with a seat harness.
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