Chigago Bass Boat Crash and Inflatable Jacket that Didn't

[dartag1829]

Scary boat crash. No Kill Switch hooked up and an inflatable jacket that didn't inflate. Scary stuff.

http://louiestout.com/columns/1851-a...ary-boat-crash

[Phoenix Jim]

Stopped using those inflatables years ago for this very reason

[Bill2e]

Very scary.......the only thing I think inflatables are good for is when you are actually fishing and want extra protection if you fall in...

thankfully they survived......scary how fast it can all change.

[dean c]

Glad those guys are ok...one heck of an impact to do that kind of damage.

[Basscaster]

That Guy( about 25) is one of the Best Smallie Fishermen on the Lake. He won the Big Bass Pro tournament in 2016 out of the Portage harbor and Portage BP. He knew the Lake. I guess that is another reason to have tow insurance if you fish Big Lakes. Glad he is OK !!

[Jimbowie]

He had the kill switch attached to his life vest but not to the "throttle connector"? I thought the motor wouldn't run without being attached.

[11pounder]

He had the kill switch attached to his life vest but not to the "throttle connector"? I thought the motor wouldn't run without being attached.

On my Merc all you have to do is flip the switch up and it'll run without the cord hooked to it.

[chefdlh1972]

Well, there goes my inflatable pfd. Not gonna risk it.

[kadas]

On my Merc all you have to do is flip the switch up and it'll run without the cord hooked to it.

Yes sir--mine is the same way--flip the switch up and it will run

[rangerguyz21]

I think ill re-in-vest in a new pfd tomorrow, too many times I already heard of these not going off when needed,

[jayfaro]

As someone who likes to run hard I only wear the inflatable vest occasionally while striper fishing. When running my rig regardless of how big or how fast I can run I always wear a Mustag Accel100 standard vest speed rated to 100mph. Don't get me wrong the idea of getting thrown is terrifying and I doubt a standard vest like the Mustang will make it any less terrifying but at least I know I will float hopefully face up.

For the guys who live in this area the article said as they were entering the shipping lane they hit the pipe. Was the pipe that close or in the channel?

[GOTTA BIG SACK]

I refuse to wear the auto inflates. It's bad enough for something to happen but I hate to worry if a vest will inflate if need be.

[2500]

Bad deal but take 100 inflatable vest on any given day and 75% will be out of date and not make light of this accident by no way. My vest are updated once out of date, I do jump in to activate and it's quickly inflated. I use my hard vest on tournament days and use the inflatable at night or during practice.

[basscat tyler]

I quit wearing my inflatable also. Too many stories like this

[jigman51]

Stopped using those inflatables years ago for this very reason

I just don't trust those things.

[wildturkey]

Old style for me too. Anything mechanical will fail at some point. Hope I never end up in the water to see how my old style works.

[old373guy]

I went back to a traditional PFD a couple years ago, I always had it in my mind that the inflatable may not work. Thankfully I never had to put it to the test.

[FishnPicker]

Bad deal but take 100 inflatable vest on any given day and 75% will be out of date and not make light of this accident by no way. My vest are updated once out of date, I do jump in to activate and it's quickly inflated. I use my hard vest on tournament days and use the inflatable at night or during practice.

Not to disagree, but just pointing out that this articles states that his inflatable vest was only 3 weeks old and had been inspected by the coast guard as well.

[Junk Fisherman]

This one hits close to home for me since I fish those waters quite often and I have run across Bobby several times on the water. Think I am going to go back to a traditional vest and make sure to always have the kill switch attached. I have always been concerned about waves and never really thought about hitting anything out there since it is wide open and running depths are obvious due to the very clear water. Very scary.

[mike464]

I was in a bad crash last month, was wearing a big mustang BassCat vest, hit the rail, got ejected, went over the side, kill switch cut the motor. The non-inflatable protected my ribs, and popped me upright immediately after I hit the water. I had gone back to the standard lifevest after reading about problems with inflatables last year. Glad I did.