Lifejackets & Buoyancy Aids

The single most important safety device for anyone spending time in or around the water.

Sadly Most Boating Fatalities Occur When Lifejackets And Buoyancy Aids Are Not Worn.

That's why it's so important to ensure that when you're out on the water you have the correct lifejackets and buoyancy aids on hand that suit you and the activity you're engaged in.

What do we do?

We only stock lifejackets, buoyancy aids and associated accessories made by manufacturers that we know and trust.

Our staff are factory trained and authorised to service and maintain the following brands of lifejacket:

  • Crewsaver
  • Kru
  • Mullion
  • Ocean Safety
  • Parmaris
  • Seago
  • Seasafe
  • Viking

This means we can quickly carry out inspections and recertification in our dedicated Lerwick facility without having to send the equipment away.

We also hold stocks of genuine spares when repairs are necessary.

What is the the difference between a lifejacket and a buoyancy aid?

A lifejacket will fully support the wearer in the water and work to rotate them into a face position, even if they are unconscious (assuming it has been inflated), see details of the different types below.

A buoyancy aid is designed to provide extra buoyancy that helps reduce fatigue in the water and should only be worn by competent swimmers

The main types of lifejacket

Automatic

These lifejackets automatically inflate when a mechanism triggers the gas cartridge to release CO2 when it gets wet.

Manual

These lifejackets have to be operated by the user- a pull chord needs to be pulled to fire a pin into the gas cartridge to release the CO2 to inflate the lifejacket.

Note that if you are knocked unconscious and fall in to the water this type of lifejacket will not do anything for you!

Choosing the right lifejacket or buoyancy aid

It is vital that you choose the right equipment to suit your activity. The RNLI provides some great information on making that choice, so have look at their pages here to find out what will work for you.

For further information and advice please call us on 01595 690618 or email