GL: Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life Vest

[SeaJay]

SeaJay Bayne of Deep South Divers here.  We are a Beaufort, South Carolina 
dive operations company - commercial divers situated at ICW mile 537.

We have years of experience with Stearns equipment - in particular, their 
life vests, floatation devices, and Mustang survival suits.  We wholly 
endorse their products.  Many like/kind products fail in comparison to the 
quality, thoughtfulness, creativity, design, and longevity of their 
products.  We have purchased other similar items made by other manufacturers 
in the past, but been disappointed with the quality, thickness, durability, 
and colorfastness of inferior products.  As we say in the dive business, 
"When the fit hits the shan and your life is on the line, decisions that 
you've made previously in life are the only things that stand between you 
and no-more-you."  These decisions, for us, have usually centered around 
three things - education, experience, and equipment.  We believe that people 
with those three things make their own luck.

For us, Stearns helps us to consider the last of those three attributes 
"buttoned up."  The additional cost of high-quality life support is worth 
it, in our humble opinion.  For us, when it comes to the above triage of 
survival, the "equipment" part should be the simplest available, the most 
traditional available, and the one made of the highest quality materials. 
We don't have patience for the newest, coolest thing out there.  We don't 
have time to be Guinea pigs when our life is on the line.  We want tried, 
true, and tested...  And working.

After all, when it's time to use it, you'd pay just about any price to have 
something that works.  Flash, pizzazz, "new features" and "new technology" 
pales in comparison to "tried and true," "old school," and "it just plain 
works."

Like Phil, we are unaffiliated with Stearns and their products.  We do not 
sell them, and we don't get money for this recommendation - we simply 
believe in their products and recommend them.







----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Bolin" <pwbolin at earthlink.net>
To: "'Ken Tucknott'" <katuck214 at mchsi.com>; "'Great Loop'" 
<great-loop at lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: GL: Automatic/Manual Inflatable Life Vest


> In response to:  "We are getting ready for the up coming boating season, 
> and
> am in need of some advise from the enlightened masses.  We want to 
> purchase
> inflatable life vest"
>
> We just purchased the Stearns 1339 Manual/Automatic Inflatable Life 
> Jacket.
> It fits great and gives good freedom of movement.  It is comfortable.  The
> 1339 can be activated by immersion in water, by pulling lanyard or by oral
> inflation.
>
> We purchased from discountmarinesupplies.com for $139.00/each.  Best price 
> I
> found.  You can see these units on their web site.  My wife and I have one
> now and will use underway on our downeast loop.
>
> No tie to either the lifevest supplier or discount marine.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Phil and Carey Bolin
> Apolonia, 43' Vista
> 804-761-3425
> web page:  http://home.earthlink.net/~pwbolin
> email:  pwbolin at earthlink.net
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