Hi Wongaga

Do any of the Stormy range of Jackets, Vests or yokes appeal to you in either their recreational www.stormylifejackets.com.au/product-category/recreational/sailing/ or commercial range www.stormylifejackets.com.au/product-category/commercial/

Stormy are a Tasmanian company who have a shop in Hobart and and seem to be able to customize as required if a standard item doesn't suit you

They have a pretty good following down here but i am not sure how things are on the mainland

Regards Don

Take note of any latches buckles etc.
I couldnt fasten my harness/life jacket one night with cold numb hands so make sure its a simple opperation.

For offshore sailing Spinlock of Crewsaver are really the only two decent options in Oz.
I find the Stormy yokes pull down on your neck after a long time.
My preference is the Spinlock but it's much or a muchness

Hi Wongaga,
I have the Crewsaver Ergo 190, auto as below, which is now about 2 Christmases old.
The buckles are really good to use, don't bite you, and the jacket itself can be made snug fitting and very comfortable to wear, to the point where the inbuilt crotch harness doesn't get used often (yeah I know) . I also have a stormy yoke that is still in service, with built in harness, but it's feels heavy, and as ergonomic as a combi and so has spent most of it's life in the cupboard. Previous jacket to that was a Stormy Vest, my second favourite, but I wouldn't do full offshore with it, not compared to the Crewsaver.
I like the soft harness connection, and plan to take it for a swim this summer before giving it a rearm and service.
My only criticism would be some of the mesh panels are starting to rub wear, but that's only because its been used.

When its too stuffed, I'd by another tomorrow.

SandS said..
what ever you choose , make sure you always have crotch strap fitted . To use a LJ without one is useless

Yep, good one. I am 100% aware of that and should have included it in my list.

The other issue I rate highly is proper attachment points for PLB and lights (if not already built in).

PLB's wont work unless they are held with the antenna vertical and clear of the water. I won't manage that for very long, as I tire and my body temperature drops in cold water. So it's essential that the PFD attachment point does it, and holds the light so that it is visible, and not right in front of my face.

Sent you a pm!

I'm still pondering, but the Crewsaver Ergofit 190N does look good. One issue that was raised by a mate is possible conflict between spray hood and PLB antenna, if it is fixed to the bladder. Anyone had to deal with this? I have posted on Cruiser's Forum about PLB mounting but haven't had too many sensible replies.

Ideally I could float around immobile or unconscious (or of course dead!) with the PLB nicely attached with its antenna out pointing at the sky and updating the RCC, while the strobe flashed away and the hood kept me from ingesting water.

One thing that surprises and disappoints me is the abysmal support from the dealers. With Stormy and the Crewsaver distributor, I found it hard to get past the women who answered the phone. No problem with them being women, but they could not answer many of my questions and sounded like they were reading from the blurb.

And forget Adventure Safety regarding the Spinlocks - you have to make an appointment to see them, and as of today after three unresponded phone requests they are sitting a firm last.

Is it too much to expect proper support for a not-inexpensive piece of life-saving gear? Might as well buy it through eBay!

Cheers, Graeme

Thumbs up for the spinlock. Had these with auto inflate and light plus I added the auto AIS transmitters. Made it easier to relax and sleep below when I knew the crew on deck had these on when doing ocean passages. Also had double lanyards (one short, one long).