I got in the habit of just throwing my PFD over my steering wheel when not being worn. I kept my boat in storage with my PFD draped loosely over the steering wheel.
I came to my storage last weekend and found that my PFD had gone off automatically and the device was inflated tight up around my steering wheel. I don't know if the roof of my storage leaked or if the device went off because my bobbin was from 2007?
I found out this morning that the inflated PFD had held my jack plate blinker switch (located on my steering column) in the up direction and burned up the relay in the jackplate pump???
The guy at Bass Pro Shop, where I bought my re-charge kit, said that you need to store your PFD outside your boat and that you need to change the bobbin every couple of years.
I just wanted to share because this will be an expensive lesson learned....

Isn't owning a boat great! Can't tell you how much maintenance I have been doing the last two weeks! All in good measurements though so glad to take care of it before anything becomes a worse problem!

I was told a long time ago to never store your inflatable PFD where moisture can get to it. They are bad about being set off when the moisture is really high of a while.

I have been considering getting two of these. Would you recommend a MANUAL PFD versus the Automatic since moisture can trigger these things.

Would heavy dew and a moving boat trigger one while Im cruising?

I only buy Mustang's with H.I.T.

I hang mine indoors in a closet with the ditch bag and electronics for the boat.

Joe

What is H.I.T.?

I have had a SOSPENDERS brand auto inflate vest for about 5-6 years with no problems. Store it with my tackle in the garage and have never had an unexpected discharge. I do test it about every 12-18 months, submerge it in the lake just before loading up. And it still makes me leap back when it inflates/explodes.

That is when I replace the bobbin & cylinder. And my underwear.

The one I use every day while on patrol, went off IN MY TRUCK!!!!! No the windows weren't left open and no moisture in the cab. Don't know what happened.

The heat set mine off last summer, I bring it in the house now.

Automatic all the way.
If you were to fall out of the boat and thump your head hard enough to either knock you out or cause you to loose your senses for a bit, who is going to pull the cord on your vest while your sinking?

If you keep up with the maintenance of your vest and change out the bobbin once they are expired you will not have any problems. You can store them in your boat around heat and humidity and they will be just fine.

If you never change out the bobbin to save just a few bucks, then expect things like mentioned above to happen. And when it happens, be sure to put on your shocked face as if you didn't know what that experation date on your bobbin was for

My SOSpender blew a few years ago when I left it in one of my rod compartments.

OK, lesson learned!

What shocked me the most was the cost of a new gas cylinder and bobbin...almost $30!!!!!

Same, Same! Take'm inside.

I never understand the logic of testing an autoinflate PFD. After you test it and replace the bobbin & cylinder how do you know those new one's are going to work. That's my fear of these things not going off when they aren't supposed to but going off when needed. I have one but trust it about as far as I can throw it!

So I guess you don't have a car equiped with air bags. How do you know they will go off when you need them?

So I guess you don't use any tubeless tires. How do you know that they will hold their air?

....... and so on

But you will not trust an automatic PFD?