what happens if you fall overboard hit your head on the way over the side and are out to it in the water..hmmmm

go for either the stormy jacket that zips off to the vest excellent quality will last you for years or go for the story pfd yolk great product and they stand by their product have had other self inflating vest that dont cut the mustard

Yeah i have always carried the cheapest life jackets i could buy, but with my boat rebuild nearly finished, ive decided to to buy the auto inflate PFD's.

I will be going out wider and with more newbies than before, and figure the few extra bucks will be well worth spending . JMO .

That is always the debate, weather or not you go auto or manual. As a sailor, the manual inflate ones are popular as in some ocean races you can get pretty wet and there are stories when they have inflated just due to the wearer getting too wet, on the other hand, if you were to cop a knock to the head and went in the water you would want an automatic one.

In an Aircraft, they are all manual inflate just in case you are submurged, and i guess the same principals apply if you are on a boat with a cabin.

Personally, i have a manual inflate jacket for sailing offshore, and for my tinny, but have the old foam type in the dive boat, but it is a centre console.

There is risk you take with either option but personally, i go with the manual inflate ones.

 I went the auto inflate on for my tinnie the:

spinlock-deckvest-lite

I love it wear it all day long and feel a lot safer for it.   Knock on the head is what freaks me out, and there are easy enough to deflate if stuck under the hull.   Iv been soaked in mine and makes no difference but have jumped in to see how it works and I bobbed around nicley.

Thanks for the advice,

Went manual in the end, guys in Whitworth said it doesnt take much water to set off automatic, which wouldn't be good, hence went manual.

Cheers, 

Joycey

may need it to save your life one day