I'm looking for a good kiteboarding pfd that also can be used for wakeboarding and made for a woman. I need some recommendations.

Hi

Here in South Africa we have a Impact/life jacket brand called Farinite it is made by one of the big boat dealerships here. I dont know where you are? It offers great impact absorbtion and flotation but is far less rectrictive than your average Life Jacket/PFD. I have added a link below for you to check out some of the brands avaliable in the States... Enjoy

http://www.caribecatalog.com/store/stor ... b104ee12af

Here is a repost from another forum on this subject:

August 11, 2002
Hello Doug,
Ideally I would say a Coast Guard Type I or possibly Type II

device. A Type I is designed to fairly reliably turn you face up

automatically most of the time. A Type II is designed to do this only for some

people. So if you lose consciousness you have a better chance of

coming through in one piece with a Type I or II device. For more

on this see:



http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/boated/pfd.htm



The problem is that most Type I and II devices that I have been

able to find so far are dangerously bulky for kiteboarding. The neck

floation section can create a nice fulcrum for serious injury. Also

they are generally too bulky for ease of use while kiteboarding.

So for now, you may have to be satisfied with a Type III impact pfd.

Most impact vests are not Coast Guard approved. Some are however

including the Neil Pryde Impact Vest - 5000 Series that is popular in

wakeboarding and to some degree in kiteboarding. This design WILL NOT

automatically float you face up. I used a cumerband type flotation

device very similar to the Bump and Jump device for a couple of years.

Although it won't float you face up automatically and isn't a Coast

Guard approved Type III device, it may do the job for kiteboarders

almost as well. The Bump and Jump device is certainly better

constructed than the model that I used and is worth looking into.


So advice to kiteboarders, bite the bullet, stay warmer, protect your

ribs, etc. and get an impact pfd. Wakeboarders tumbled to this and now

commonly wear them. Lots of pro kiteboarders have busted ribs and may

not have if they had worn an impact PFD. The device you find will probably

be a Type III but hopefully Type II impact designs are in development. I heard that

RipCurl is working on one to address new Australia regs for mandatory

use of a PFD by kiteboarders. When Type II designs come out that are

suitable for kiteboarding, it would be good to upgrade to one.



Rick Iossi



--- In kitesurf@y..., "sierrawells" <dougwells@a...> wrote:

> Any thoughts on a good impact PFD that I should consider? I am a

> newbie and need to purchase a PFD, so I might as well get a good

> impact one. Any drawbacks to an impact PFD vs a standard one? What

> do they cost and what is a good source for buying it?

>

> Thanks

>

> Doug

O'neill is developing a all in one Kite/Wake borad suit called "the Gooru padded" that should be out in 2003. It is basically a wetsuit with Neoprene inserts bulit into the chest and leg area.