Buoyancy Aid

From Wikipaddle

Buoyancy aids are a specialist form of Personal Flotation Device (PFD) used most commonly by Kayakers and Canoeists. They are designed as a flotation aid, rather than a life-saving device and have several key differences to other PFD's and life-jackets.

Canoeing and Kayaking buoyancy aids are designed with mobility in mind. A buoyancy aid that doesn't fit properly can restrict a paddler's range of movement, which could cause them to to tire or prevent them from paddling properly. They typically have front and back foam buoyancy, with none or very little around the sides to allow for more arm movements.

Types of Buoyancy Aid

All Canoeing/Kayaking buoyancy aids are made with a foam-core, instead of being inflatable like some life jackets. This removes the possibility of them bursting (or not being activated in the case of an incapacitated paddler). The foam used is typically closed cell PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), although some manufacturers are now starting to use less toxic and more recyclable materials. Older designs used vertically aligned ribs of foam all around the body, more modern designs typically feature front and rear slabs of foam, with the sides left clear to allow unrestricted rotation and arm movement. Most buoyancy aids are one of three basic designs:

• Over the head "Vest", where the one-piece vest is pulled on over the head.
• Front Zip "Jacket", where the buoyancy aid is worn like a regular jacket, zipped up at the front. This design limits the front-buoyancy as it requires two separate blocks of foam and a gap for the zip.
• Side Zip is a combination of the other two, with a zip on the side rather than along the front. The added gap in one side makes it easier to get the vest on, and means that the front buoyancy can be one whole piece.

All buoyancy aids include some form of straps for tightening the buoyancy aid, preventing it from coming off in the water. Many white water designs feature multiple straps on the shoulders and waist to ensure the buoyancy aid can not be swept off in fast water or when swimming down drops. They may also include pockets for storing equipment and a range of safety and rescue features. Some lower quality buoyancy aids only offer a belt, and these are often poor fitting and may be designed for generic water sports rather than specifically for Canoeing/Kayaking and so these are not recommended.

There is a large variety of designs to fit every figure and purpose. It is important to have a buoyancy aid that fits comfortably, allowing freedom of movement. It is also important that it is suitable for the chosen discipline and the grade of water being paddled. Each discipline has different requirements and although one buoyancy aid can be used for multiple disciplines, there are several factors to consider which type to choose.

Canoe Polo and Slalom

These are designed with high manoeuvrability as a key feature, often at the expense of buoyancy. Minimalistic designs which tend to hug the body tightly and are commonly well cut around the arms aim to allow the wearer complete freedom of motion (something important to both Slalom and Polo paddlers, as well as Playboaters). These vests may not be fully suitable for other purposes, such as whitewater paddling where additional buoyancy is required due to the higher flow of water.

Sea and Touring

Buoyancy aids for sea and long distance touring often feature several large pockets for storing essential equipment and many also accomodate hydration packs on the back. They have to be comfortable to wear whilst paddling for long distances, and so typically have very low cut sides to allow the arms free movement. More recently they are being designed more and more like whitewater vests, with low cut fronts to allow the paddler to lean forward easily.

Whitewater

Whitewater buoyancy aids are designed to provide enough buoyancy in fast whitewater rivers, should the paddler capsize and take a swim. They are often more bulky than Slalom/Polo vests, due to the higher speed and volume of the water, but are usually cut short at the front to counter this and allow the paddler to lean further forward. They will always have shoulder and side straps to ensure they are not swept off a swimmer in fast rapids or down drops.

They typically feature one or two pockets to store basic essentials such as a Rescue Knife, Carabiner and tow-line. Many often also feature Harnesses for doing Live Bait Rescues, but these are often used without proper training and can become more of a danger to both the rescuer and the swimmer if used incorrectly.

(See the Harnesses section below and the Live Bait Rescue page for advice.)

Specifications

Buoyancy aids come with a set of specifications detailing their sizing, weight range, and the standards they adhere to. This is often in a table printed onto the inside of the buoyancy aid, or a label on the bag/box. Most companies give the specifications for each of their models on all of their buoyancy aids, to simplify the manufacturing process, so it is important to check the model and size range of your particular buoyancy aid.

Buoyancy aids should detail:

• Chest Size: Usually a range either in Inches or Centimetres.
• Weight Range: Either in Kilograms or Pounds.
• Force Provided: The buoyant force provided by the buoyancy aid.

• For a buoyancy aid to be sold in the European Union, it must be C.E. tested and approved. Canoe and Kayak buoyancy aids are usually "50 Newton Class" flotation aids (CE code 393), which means they will provide a minimum of 50N (Newtons) of buoyant force to a swimmer. Some buoyancy aids class as "100N", these provide more force, enough to flip a swimmer over onto their back, and must include a neck support. These are usually used for children or for inexperienced raft crews on white water.

• In the USA, a buoyancy aid may be approved by the United States Coast Guard (although this is not a requirement). Most Canoeing and Kayaking buoyancy aids class as "Type III Flotation Aids", which means they provide a minimum of 15.5Lbs (pounds) of buoyancy, which is equivalent to ~69 Newtons of force.

Leniency and Fitting

It is recommended that fitting and chest size take priority over weight ranges. A well fitting buoyancy aid that is intended for a weight range a few Kg/Lbs either way will be better than an ill-fitting, loose or tight buoyancy aid within your weight-range.

Ageing

The foam used in Buoyancy aids does degrade with age. Manufacturers add additional foam to ensure that their buoyancy aids will still provide enough force even after years of use. A rough life expectancy is three years of use, although buoyancy aids exposed to polluted water may degrade faster than normally expected.

It is recommended that buoyancy aids exposed to chemical pollution be washed thoroughly in clean water after use, this applies to buoyancy aids used in swimming pools with chlorinated water as well.

Safety And Rescue

Main article: Safety & Rescue

Harnesses

Safety Hazard Harnesses should only be used if you have the appropriate training in how to use them. Read the individual manufacturer's instructions to familiarise yourself with your buoyancy aid.

Many Whitewater buoyancy aids, as well as some Sea Kayak ones, feature a safety harness. These fit around the buoyancy aid below the arms and can be used for Live Bait Rescues or for anchoring a belayer on the bank. They feature quick-release buckles to quickly remove the harness, and these are also designed to release automatically at a certain load/pressure.

Often harnesses have a ring at the back for attaching a rope on a karabiner. This karabiner should be a screwgate type and should be locked off before the rescuer enters the water. Use of a non-locking karabiner can allow it to accidentally clip onto other straps on the buoyancy aid during use, thus preventing the line from coming away when if the harness is released, and as such they should not be used for attaching to a harness.

Most harnesses have a metal friction plate which stops the belt from slipping under high-load situations, however these can also prevent the harness coming off when swimming and as such present more of a hazard than an aid. The belt should be removed from from within the friction plate and only threaded back through if the situation requires an anchored belay.

Improvised harnesses (ropes around the waist, belts, or attaching ropes directly onto the buoyancy aid itself) can present a serious danger to the rescuer as they can not be released or may not be strong enough to withstand the load required. Rescue harnesses are designed specifically for their purpose, with significant research and development invested by companies ensuring their products. If you don't have one, it isn't worth the risk to you to improvise or "make do".

It is recommended that paddlers who have not been on a safety and rescue course should remove the harness from their buoyancy aid (and of course also to attend a course).

See the Live Bait Rescue section of our Bank Rescues page for advice on the proper use of a rescue Harness.

History

Ancient instances of the lifejacket can be traced back to simple blocks of wood or cork used by Norwegian seamen. The modern lifejacket is generally credited to one Captain Ward, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution inspector in the United Kingdom, who, in 1854, created a cork vest to be worn by lifeboat crews for both weather protection and buoyancy.