Buoyancy Aids & Lifejackets

Lifejacket, buoyancy aid or impact vest? 

The RYA recommends that you wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid unless you’re sure you don’t need to. Choosing and wearing the right type for your activity can make all the difference to your comfort and safety on the water.  

There are three main types of personal buoyancy: lifejackets, buoyancy aids and impact buoyancy aids or vests. Each of these are designed with specific activities in mind and offer different buoyancy levels, functionality and safety features.  

Whatever you choose, make sure that it fits well and is in good condition. 

Buoyancy aids 

Buoyancy aids are suitable for activities such as dinghy sailing or windsurfing where you are likely to end up in the water and where help is nearby. Inherent foam buoyancy will help keep you afloat while you tread water or swim – or if you use the ‘float to live’ technique. A buoyancy aid won’t turn you face up if you are unconscious. 

Impact vests and impact buoyancy aids 

For personal watercraft, winging or foiling, you should choose an impact buoyancy aid or impact vest. Make sure it’s specifically designed to be impact resistant and has integrated buoyancy of at least 50 Newtons. This will help protect your torso from impact at higher speed or from contact with foils, as well as helping to keep you afloat. 

Lifejackets

Lifejackets are designed for use on boats where you wouldn’t normally expect to end up in the water, such as on a yacht, motor cruiser, open powerboat or tender. If you are unconscious, a lifejacket will help to turn you the right way up with your mouth and nose clear of the water.

There are further considerations when choosing a personal floatation device if you’re not able to actively participate in your own recovery. Learn more about this in our Sailability safety guidance.

Understanding buoyancy levels and safety standards 

When you buy, or borrow, a lifejacket or buoyancy aid, it’s helpful to understand buoyancy levels and related safety standards.  

Any new lifejacket or buoyancy aid sold in the UK or in Europe must meet International Standards Organisation (ISO) standard ISO 12402. They might also carry the CE mark relating to standards EN 393 to 399.  

If you’re buying an impact vest or impact buoyancy aid, it should offer a minimum buoyancy rating of 50 Newtons, conforming to ISO 12402-5 or EN 393.  Impact buoyancy aids for personal watercraft should also be specifically designed to be impact resistant, with a zip and multiple buckles. If you fall off at speed, the impact can burst open the zip, so the buckles will help keep it on. Many impact buoyancy aids will also have a strongpoint attachment for your kill cord. If not, the safest place to attach the kill cord is around one of the webbing belts. 

Importantly, if you choose a buoyancy aid complying with EN 393 or ISO 12402-5 it should be inherently buoyant (e.g. foam buoyancy) and not require inflation before use. 

Children’s buoyancy aids have equivalent buoyancy ratings to adults’ buoyancy aids, but with reduced buoyancy to suit their smaller size. It's essential that children wear the correct size buoyancy aid.  Don’t buy one that is too big thinking they will grow into it. If a buoyancy aid is too loose, they could slip out of it. Many children’s buoyancy aids have adjustable crotch straps to help prevent the buoyancy aid riding up. Crotch straps should always be secured and not left loose or undone.

Level 50 buoyancy aids

Applicable standards: ISO 12402-5 or EN393

Level 50 buoyancy aids are intended for use by people who are water confident and participating in water sports near to the shore or bank and where help is nearby. While designed for ease of movement, they won’t provide sufficient buoyancy to protect you if you are unable to help yourself. 

Level 100 buoyancy aids

Applicable standards: ISO 12402-4 or EN395

Level 100 buoyancy aids are designed for use where you might need to wait for rescue but are likely to be in sheltered water. They are not suitable for rough conditions.

Level 150 lifejackets

Applicable standards: ISO 12404-3 or EN396

Level 150 lifejackets are intended for use in coastal and offshore waters. This type of lifejacket is designed to turn you onto your back with your mouth and nose clear of the water if you are unconscious. Bear in mind that wearing waterproof or bulky clothing can affect the lifejacket’s performance. 

Level 275 lifejackets

Applicable standards: ISO 12404-2 or EN399

Level 275 lifejackets are intended for use offshore in more extreme conditions and for when heavy clothing, or clothing that traps air, might affect the self-righting capacity of other lifejackets. They are, however, very bulky when inflated and could hamper your movement when getting into a liferaft.

Impact buoyancy aids and impact vests

While there are no current standards for the impact protection element of impact buoyancy aids or vests, you should make sure that anything you buy, or use, has a minimum 50 Newton inherent buoyancy. Impact buoyancy aids for personal watercraft should be specifically designed to be impact resistant, with a zip and multiple buckles. Many will also have a strongpoint attachment for your kill cord. If not, the safest place to attach the kill cord is around one of the webbing belts.

Buying a lifejacket

Lifejackets can be automatically or manually inflating. Manual lifejackets are inflated by pulling a cord which pushes a firing pin into a CO2 bottle. Automatic lifejackets are either water or pressure activated. 

When buying a lifejacket, look for features such as a crotch straps, whistle and retroreflective material (for reflecting a light beam back to its source). Some lifejackets also come with a hood and light. Others might have attachment points to fit these as an option.

If you want to be able to attach a safety line to your lifejacket, look for one with an integrated safety line attachment point – often called a D ring or soft D ring. 

If you’re planning on using a personal locator beacon (PLB) or other device, check that it can be fitted within the lifejacket.

Make sure that the lifejacket offers at least 150N buoyancy and that it conforms to ISO 12402-3 or EN396 standards. 

Checking buoyancy aid fit and condition 

Checking buoyancy aid fit

Sold in several sizes from child to XXL, buoyancy aids need to be a snug fit to work properly. A simple test is to try lifting the jacket or vest at the shoulders. If it lifts more than 50mm (two inches) it’s too big. Buoyancy aids are not available for babies or children under 25kg. 

If your buoyancy aid has crotch straps, make sure that they are properly secured and not left loose or undone.

Checking your buoyancy aid’s condition

There are some simple checks that you can do to make sure your buoyancy aid is in good condition. Check that there are no rips in the fabric and that there none of the webbing straps are frayed. You should also check that zips work and that there’s no damage to buckles or clips. 

Foam can compress and deteriorate over time. Feel around the buoyancy aid to check that no bits of foam have broken off. If the foam has become compressed, it may have lost buoyancy. If this is the case, it’s time to replace it. 

Checking your life jacket fit and condition

Fitting your life jacket

The lifejacket collar should be placed over your head and sit comfortably around your neck. Once the straps are free from any twists and tangles you can begin securing them in place with the clips. 

Once the clips are secure, your lifejacket should fit tightly but have enough space between your chest and the jacket to comfortably fit a fist. Next fasten the crotch straps, semi-tight, so you can still move comfortably. If you do end up in the water, the crotch strap can be further tightened to stop the lifejacket from riding up. 

Checking your lifejacket’s condition 

Throughout the season, check your lifejacket regularly for signs of damage to the bladder cover, webbing straps, stitching, clips and buckles. Also make sure any ‘lifed’ parts are in date. If you notice any damage, get it looked at. 

Depending on the type of lifejacket (manual, automatic or hydrostatic) you wear, different components will need checking. 

Screw-in CO2 bottles can often work themselves loose and are a common cause of lifejacket failure. To prevent this, they should be checked for tightness regularly. Many lifejackets now have indicators showing the condition of bottle and trigger mechanisms. 

Make sure you check the CO2 bottle for corrosion. A heavily corroded bottle should always be replaced. Also check any material that has been in contact with a rough cylinder to make sure the fabric isn’t damaged. CO2 bottles are not “lifed” and provided they are free from corrosion and weigh as much as the weight marked on them, they should be ok.

It’s worth thinking about what you will do if your or another crew member’s lifejacket accidentally inflates. You should carry spare lifejackets or rearming kits, or both.  If you carry rearming kits make sure you know how to use them ahead of time. It’s also important to repack lifejackets properly to ensure they work as intended.

Service your lifejacket regularly 

RNLI lifejacket clinics have found that 30% of lifejackets brought in for inspection would not have worked in an emergency. 

Regular servicing will help make sure that your lifejacket works when you need it. RYA, RNLI and MCA all advise servicing your lifejacket at the manufacturer recommended interval by an approved service station.  

For many professional and commercially used lifejackets, annual servicing is a legal requirement.