There are some things in life that should never take a back seat, and safety is one of them. The Great Lakes can be unpredictable, so it’s best to be prepared for anything. Here are some of our favorite safety products we thought you’d like to consider for your future boating trips.
Crewsaver ISO Ocean Over 24-Hour
The Great Lakes can be unforgiving at times, so it’s best to keep a life raft aboard, especially on those stormy days. With that said, you’ll find Crewsaver’s ISO Ocean Over 24-Hour to be the perfect fit for such unfortunate occasions. This Crewsaver life raft is approved to ISO 9650-1 standards and even comes with an extended three-year service period in case you run into any problems.
The Crewsaver ISO Ocean Over 24-Hour is easy to transport and gives you a choice of weatherproof valise or a sleek, light container with side handles. This impressively high-quality raft is flexible, long-lasting, and abrasion-resistant. With an innovative design, it has a high volume of water pocket to ensure maximum stability and a semi-rigid boarding ramp for quick and safe boarding during emergencies. The life raft features a tough polyurethane coated nylon canopy along with a simple zip closed canopy door. There are also interior and exterior lifelines to extra safety in rough weather.
The raft also sports an external strobe light that’ll help search and rescue teams find you. You’ll also find an internal LED light so you won’t be left in the dark while inside either. In case help takes a while to arrive, you’ll also have emergency ration packs available for under or over 24 hours.
www.crewsaver.com
Easy Up Swim Handles
Sometimes it’s difficult to feel dignified when you have to resort to crawling on your hands and knees to get out of the water and into your boat. Well, with Easy Up Swim Handles, you can say goodbye to those awkward struggles since the handles provide an easy and safe way of getting in and out. Composed of polished stainless steel, they attach directly to your boat’s swim platform with easily installed receptacles that hold and lock into place. Not only do these handles make it more convenient, but they also make it safer for younger and older swimmers.
The Easy Up Swim Handles come in two different styles. The first is the “P” style which can be used on all platform sizes, and the second is the “U” style which is usually used on larger platforms. No matter which one you go with, you can count on it making life easier while still looking sleek and graceful as you’re anchored out on the Great Lakes. Then, when you’re done swimming for the day and are ready to head back, you can simply leave them locked into place or you can choose to remove the handles and store them on your boat.
www.easyupswimhandles.com
Full Throttle Little Dippers
Kids can often be the toughest customers when it comes to shopping for life jackets, often struggling and refusing to put them on because they can be bulky and uncomfortable. However, with Full Throttle’s new Little Dipper line of USCG-approved life jacket, your kids will practically be begging you to wear them on and offshore.
The little dippers sport bright colors and fun designs that appeal to kids. What’s more, they’re comfy with a great range of movement whether they’re swimming in the water or hanging out on the boat. The cool thing about this nifty life vests is that they come in four fun designs that will appeal to both boys and girls. They’ve got the ballerina, sports hero, cheerleader, and pirate designs. Since they’re easy and fun to wear, kids can build their confidence while playing in the water or learning to swim with you.
Parents also appreciate the ease and speed of donning the Little Dippers since there’s just a single, adjustable snap buckle. Additionally, the snap buckle is placed on the child’s back to keep them from accidentally unfastening it. These life jackets are made for 30- to 50-pound children and are composed of the same premium quality materials and high standards found in all Full Throttle products.
www.fullthrottlewatersports.com
Onyx A/M-24 ALL CLEAR Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life
This new life jacket from Onyx sets the bar even higher when it comes to comfort and range of motion. The Onyx A/M-24 ALL CLEAR Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life Jacket is lightweight and low profile, and it’s a perfect fit for Great Lakes boaters. It’s so lightweight and comfortable you’ll forget you have it on, until you need it.
This automatic inflatable life jacket inflates once immersed in the water or when you pull the “inflate” handle. It’s also equipped with a valve for oral inflation to use as a backup or if you want additional inflation. One of the key features to this Automatic/Manual life jacket is that it can be converted to manual only inflation for the times when you want the convenience of kayaking, canoeing, or fly-fishing activities where you have a good chance getting wet or ending up in the water. If this happens, you can just pull the inflation cord so the vest will inflate and keep you safely floating when you are immersed in water.
An additional key feature is the ALL CLEAR viewing window for an at-a-glance look at making sure the life jacket is properly armed and ready to use. Green means good to go and red means you need to re-arm.
www.onyxoutdoor.com
Orion Flares from Wolf’s Marine
Nothing communicates an emergency situation—or is more universally recognized—than a marine signal flare. When people see them out on the water, they know something is up and help is usually not too far behind. Orion Flares available at Wolf’s Marine provide one of the best ways to draw attention to you and your boat when you need assistance. They don’t require any special training, are easy to use, and they can be stored safely and conveniently until you need them.
Flares come in several forms, but the most popular are the handheld, aerial, and aerial cartridge types. The handheld is the most common and one of the easiest to use. The handheld aerials are also popular and have a distinct advantage since they can shoot up to 450 feet into the air. Then, if you want to reach altitudes of up to 500 feet, there are the aerial cartridges which can be fired with a 12-gauge flare gun. The higher the flare, the more likely people will see it and send for help. As one of those necessary items on a vessel, flares are invaluable in the event of an emergency. You can find handheld, aerial and aerial cartridge flares at Wolf’s Marine.
www.wolfsmarine.com
Outward Hound Granby Life Jacket
No Great Lakes boating trip is complete without your furry friend tagging along. We get it. Just be sure to take your dog’s safety into account as well when preparing for your day out on the lake. That’s where the Outward Hound Granby Life Jacket comes in—it sports high visibility colors and multiple reflective strips, making it easy to spot your pooch while he’s playing and in the case of emergency situations. You’ll also find that the doggie life jacket boasts some easy-grab handles quick-release buckles and outstanding flotation. The durable ripstop material stands up to repeated use and dries quickly once your dog is on board or playing on the beach. Additionally, you can count on your pet’s comfort because the full foam coverage and front neck float also provide a plush fit for water fun in the sun.
Some of our favorite features of this life jacket include the top grab handle for easy rescue and the front floats that keep your pup's head above water. The reflective accents and bright colors for high visibility are also super convenient for keeping track of your dog. Then the adjustable straps and the neoprene belly band ensure your pup has a secure and comfortable fit.
www.outwardhound.com
Stanley Waterproof LED Rechargeable Spotlight
An important item to have on board during all of your Great Lakes exploits is a flashlight. Lights can be indispensable when it comes to emergency situations at night. Stanley Tools has the perfect product for this—their Waterproof LED Rechargeable Spotlight. This 5-watt waterproof spotlight is ideal for boating on the Great Lakes and comes in especially handy during power outage situations. Not to mention that it can also be submerged in up to 6 feet of water without getting damaged, and it also floats if you happen to drop it in the water.
This spotlight’s ultra-bright LED gets up to 520 lumens and boasts about 14 hours of run time, so you won’t have to worry about it not shining bright enough or running out of battery. The waterproof housing can also handle anything you throw at it since it’s strong and durable. You’ll find it to be one of those must-bring items for every boating trip.
www.stanleytools.com
ThrowRaft TD2401
No matter how big and fancy your boat is, it’s always a good idea to have an emergency inflatable raft on board. You can rest assured that if you run into any problems, you can count on the ThrowRaft TD2401. This raft can be inflated manually with the pull tab or automatically by fully submerging it under water. It inflates quickly but not violently, gently filling itself with compressed air in a controlled manner.
Once you’ve got the TD2401 inflated, it gives you a sturdy and buoyant surface that’s easy to maneuver. With an impressive weight of only 2.2 pounds, you can also throw the raft from a packed or inflated position. When it’s packed it measures in at about 11 by 4 inches—that’s five times smaller than a square cushion. The TD 2401’s compact size makes it so that it can fit almost anywhere on your vessel. Then, when it’s fully inflated, it measures in at 22 by 21 inches. It sports SOLAS reflective tape so you can achieve maximum visibility in search and rescue situations. The device is also reusable and can be easily repacked and recharged using the standard PFD re-arming kit. The TD2401 is made in the USA and meets all recreational carriage requirements.
www.throwraft.com
West Marine Ultimate Sail Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket
Every Great Lakes boater knows how rough and unforgiving the lakes can be during stormy weather. Things can get pretty nasty out there, and no matter how advanced a swimmer you are, you should always have a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) aboard. With that in mind, West Marine’s Ultimate Sail Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket is a top choice for boaters like us. This life vest provides some extreme buoyancy for the extreme conditions that can manifest themselves from time to time on the Great Lakes. Plus, the new Halkey Roberts IF Hydro mechanism is smaller and sleeker than ever, giving the vest a reduced profile.
Made with application in mind, the screw-in cylinder insertion eliminates the risk of bayonet breakage when arming the vest, and the U-Flex Chassis design with the exploding zipper closure system is more open and accommodating for the higher collars found on most foul weather sailing gear. This provides you with the proper comfort for all-day wear, and you can perform all your usual actions in the regular range of motion without the vest ever getting in the way. The Marine Ultimate Sail Automatic Inflatable Life Jacket is the perfect PFD to wear for safety on the Great Lakes.
www.westmarine.com
Yacht Preserver
The Yacht Preserver is an inflatable bag made from strong, durable military-grade urethane, and it has several applications for boats on the Great Lakes. The first issue it can help with is emergency flooding. If the exhaust boot or risers fail from your engine to your exhaust thru hull, you can put the Yacht Preserver into the thru-hull and inflate it with the supplied CO2 cartridge. The bag will inflate and seal off the exhaust hole, giving you time to contact the Coast Guard or other marine service for assistance. It can also be used on multi-exhaust thru-hulls, oblong or circular exhausts. Additionally, you can insert Yacht Preserver into blown-out port windows or even hull breeches depending upon the severity.
You can also use the Yacht Preserver for maintenance by inserting it into the exhaust thru-hull and inflating it. Once it’s water-tight, you can remove the exhaust boots and risers from the engines for service. This allows you the ability to perform necessary service work without an expensive haul out.
Lastly, you can also install the Yacht Preserver into your exhaust thru hulls for winter storage. By doing this, it’ll prevent animals and rodents from getting into your vessel through your exhausts during the off-season.
www.yachtpreserver.com
