Where to store life vests

[Coastalrunner]

I got my 28TE today, gave her a good clean and bean to stow the essentials.

I normally carry at least 6 vests, 4 offshore. I noticed storage for them is limited. As a matter of fact I don't know where to put them.

Where do others store there vests?

[Tree]

I keep mine in the hanging locker while we are not using them. We have slim fit style ones with auto inflate. The ones Albin supply are kept in the starboard side locker next to the drying locker.

[Pitou]

The stowage of life vests and other equipment is always a compromise. I carry four Type I vests and two Mustang inflatables.

On the 28, one Type I went on each of the pilot house chairs / one went on the helm seat and one for the companion seat. The other two were stowed neatly below in the quarter berth. The two inflatables were stowed in a box below deck beneath the starboard cockpit hatch on my engine box model. These were used for running around in the RIB. There is a lot of room down there if you remove the Albin drop in plastic box. When more guests were aboard a couple of Type 3's would be temporarily added to the collection.

Each of my Type I's have a whistle and a strobe attached / the admiral had a pair of perscription RX swim goggles made and those are stowed in a small bag to her vest.

Hopefully no one ever needs this equipment!

[Russell]

You can store them where you like but when you are using the boat they need to be readily available. I remember several years back reading a complaint by someone that received a ticket from the Coast Guard because their vests were zipped up inside one of those storage containers specifically sold for and labeled Life Vests. I usually have ours sitting on the V-berth and have been inspected with no problem.

[joe.baar]

We bent three battens of 3/8" x 1" hemlock baseboard material, across the overhead to give about 2-3" room, just enough for inflatables. About 6 will fit across the cabin top that way. One hot summer day we did have one vest self-inflate, but that was the only issue.

If I remember right, inflatable vests need to be worn if you expect the Coast Guard to include them in your inventory. My crew and guests always refused to wear them, so I ended up with several of those "Life Vests" containers taking up cabin space.

Like everything else the Coast Guard is authorized to inspect, life vests are a profit center, and the rules for whether or not they generate a fine appear to depend largely upon how the OIC's day has been going. Washington State's many ferries mostly stow their vests out of sight under the seats and I never heard of them getting dinged for that. I'd imagine that lifting a seat cushion to get to the vests would be just as difficult as unzipping a cloth box, but I don't think I'd argue that face to face with an armed person who could lock me up.

[Cape Codder]

We have a total of 6 inflatable PFD's, 2 Hydrostatic, and 4 others, plus another 8 "orange" type 2's. The type 2's are stored under the dining seating. 4 on one side, 4 on the other. They are rarely brought out except when we have a large crowd.
The 2 Mustang Hydrostatics won't deploy unless submerged 4" or manually triggered. They are worn after stepping aboard, by my wife and I.
The other 4 inflatables are belt pack types. Easy to stores, and manually activated.