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Testing PFD Rescue Belts

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First
Thoughts on rescue PFD rescue belt webbing.

Some time ago it was brought to my attention that the rescue belt layout changed on Kokatat's rescue capable personal flotation device with the switch from the Ronin Pro to the Maximus Prime. On both PFDs there is webbing which holds rescue belt in place. On the left it's the red webbing which keeps the rescue ring in the center of the back of the PFD. On the right we see the Ronin Pro, where the black webbing used to limit rescue belt movment is all the way out to the shoulders of the PFD. I asked a designer about this, and apparently the European market requested it to be changed to the center because it keeps the rescue line centered while swimming attached to the rescue belt, aka "live bait" swimming. Europeans do a lot more "live bait" swimming than we do.

 

How do the narrower, movement limiting straps affect the ability to release the rescue belt when the load is off center to the person wearing the PFD? There is one situation that easily comes to mind where this change might come into play: towing a kayak filled with water, and in the process broaching sideways. The water filled kayak continues downstream, and the angle of pull changes from the back, rotating 90° to the side. Is the rescue belt prone to folding over on itself at the limiting webbing, causing too much friction to release?

In the field this is impossible to test safely. I setup a test on dry land, using a Maximus Prime and an Astral Green Jacket, which has a free range of motion similar to the Ronin Pro. Both were strapped tightly to a Yakima bike rack, using a deflated sleeping pad to add to the bulk of the "person". This setup has more give and flex than a person in a kayak, so the results in real life will be more dramatic. I see a 30°-40° advantage with the "free range" rescue belt. Personally I wouldn't use a Maximus Prime or similar PFD to tow a kayak, and beware of having the rope or anchor pull from the side in any kind of rescue situation.








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