Boating season will be here soon and this is a great time to give your Inflatable PFD a check up. If you are lucky enough to get to enjoy the water year round you can do this too!

Mustang Survival recommend you do some preventative maintenance to be sure your inflatable is in full working order. Use the oral inflation tube (behind the cover) to blow up the PFD to capacity and leave it sitting out over night. When you get up in the morning the inflated cell should be just as firm. If not, it might be time to get a new one.

If you are using an automatically inflating PFD that uses a bobbin (a small dissolving tablet) you should probably replace the bobbin at the end of every season to prevent an inadvertent inflation. They are very inexpensive and have a shelf life of around 3 years. Full maintenance details are included in your Owner’s Manual.

When you own an inflatable PFD you should check it between outings to make sure that it is in good working condition when you take it on a trip. Just take a few seconds to check the green indicator in the safety inspection window, ensure the PFD is free of rips, tears or holes, and that the Velcro™ or SecureZip™ closures are fully closed.

If the unexpected happens and you end up in the water with an inflated PFD, rest assured, it is completely reusable. Once you have let it dry and removed the air from it, you’ll need a re-arm kit, which are available from most marine stores. For a manual version you’ll only need a CO2 cylinder, for an automatic version you’ll also need a new bobbin, or new hydrostatic inflator. It is a simple process and the kits include everything you need. Instructions on how to re-arm your PFD are included in your manual, with the re-arm kit, and there instructional videos available on our website.