Buoyancy Aids and Lifejackets Explained

Choosing the Right Lifejacket/Buoyancy Aid

It is important when buying a buoyancy aid/lifejacket that you pick the correct CE Category to suit your type of activity and experience.

Briefly a buoyancy aid is an aid to swimming, when help is close at hand, the wearer is conscious, can swim or is comfortable enough in the water to wait for assistance and for this reason usually worn in sheltered waters.
Where as a lifejacket may help if the wearer is unconscious or unable to help themselves and is almost always the preferred option for sailing coastal waters/offshore. Again the type of lifejacket worn will be determined by the conditions/ environment and the type of clothing worn and usually provide at least 150 Newtons.

The chart below shows the different categories and provides information on helping you choose.

Lifejackets and Buoyancy Aids are tested and rated to specific European Standards and split into CE categories. These are the universal criteria that define each product and the environment they are suitable for. Crewsaver's range is split into four CE categories: 275N, 150N, 100N and 50N.

Products newly designed, developed and introduced to market will now carry the CE mark and approved to BSEN 12402.

 

CE Category Table

 

Buoyancy Rating
Type	275 Newton Inflatable  Lifejacket	150 Newton Inflatable  Lifejacket	150 Newton Air FOAM Lifejacket	100 Newton FOAM Buoyancy Aid	50 Newton FOAM Buoyancy Aid
Activity	Yachting Sportsboat Powerboat  (including RIBs)	Yachting Sportsboat Powerboat  (including RIBs)		Dinghy Sailing Sportsboat Powerboat  (including RIBs)	Mainly used for active surface watersports such as Dinghy Sailing Canoeing Kite Surfing
Suitability	Swimmers Non-swimmers	Swimmers Non-swimmers		Swimmers and Non-swimmers in Inshore & Coastal waters	Only suitable for competent swimmers
Conditions	A high performance device for offshore and severe conditions, when maximum protection is required or where heavy waterproof clothing is worn.	For use in all but the most severe conditions		They give a reasonable assurance of safety from drowning in relatively calm waters	Sheltered water use where help is close at hand.
Assurance	They give improved assurance of safety from drowning to people who are not capable of helping themselves.	They give reasonable assurance of safety from drowning, to people not fully capable of helping themselves.		They give a reasonable assurance of safety from drowning in relatively calm waters	Sheltered water use where help is close at hand.
Protection	While they cannot be guaranteed to self-right an unconscious user wearing heavy waterproofs, the buoyancy they provide should ensure they will, in the great majority of cases.	May not immediately self-right an unconscious user wearing heavy waterproof clothing. Equivalent performance to previous BSI Approved Lifejackets.		Not guaranteed to self-right and unconscious user wearing waterproof clothing and should not be expected to protect the airway of an unconscious person in rough water.	Only provides support to conscious people who can help themselves.
EN(European Standard) Number	EN 12402-2	EN 12402-3		EN 12402-4	EN 12402-5

 

All Buoyancy Aids and Lifejackets sold by Trident are designed and manufactured to combined British and European standards. All Lifejackets carry the CE symbol which shows that the Lifejacket has been independently assessed and approved to these standards by an authorised test house.

 

These standards are intended to ensure that all Lifejackets sold in this country meet very stringent requirements regarding the design, performance, materials and components used and even give guidelines regarding the information to be provided to the customer about the Lifejacket.

 

Please Note: The information within this table is a guide only. The final purchasing decision and liability thereof is left to the individual.

 

 

Have a look through all of the Buoyancy Aids and Lifejackets we sell -