Comment inserted below:

"Gordon" wrote in message
...

"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
Graeme Cook wrote in
:

However, if I ever have to abandon ship then I would don my wetsuit
plus a PFD.


http://www.mustangsurvival.com/produ...p?id=420&mc=85

Why do offshore boaters always "make do" with home-made gear when their
own
lives and the lives of the families they love are at risk? Why do they
think THEY can survive with some crappy wetsuit or other
it-will-be-enough,
when the guy in the fishing vessel in the SAME WATERS knows the only
thing
that will save his ass is a proper survival suit made to keep him warm,
safe and afloat for days, if necessary? Why do boaters think they're
gonna
be saved in minutes, not days or weeks?

Hope I have time to get into mine before going over the side.....

This suit has a harness to attach the CG helo cable to. No sense
endangering the rescue diver unless you are unconcious.

Survival isn't about the other corners you've all cut in the boat.
There
are no second chances.....

How much are the kids and wife worth? Is a few hundred for their suit
too
much? How absurd.....

How long will your Mustang keep you warm in 50 deg F water (typical for
PNW summer water)? I don't see data on the web site mentioned.

You didn't look very hard, did you? It's there on the wesite, you have to
click on the link for the Product Resources, Manuals & Publications. Here is
a quote from the manual:

"When tested ..., the OC8001 and OC8001 HR exceeded 0.96 Immersed Clo in
stirred water. This level of immersion protection provides approximately ten
hours of survival time in 32º F water temperatures."

There is further information including a graph from which you can
extrapolate that in 50 deg F water your survival time would be many days,
long enough that food and water would become the problems. There are
further explanations including the information that, as this is a dry suit,
you can wear layers of clothing inside the suit, enhancing further the
protection provided by the survival suit.
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca