Kevlar suit certs...

[ricochet112]

Why no mention of life jackets? Shouldn't this be as important as our cut suits (especially with the impact material rule)?

[Graham 18ce]

Life jacket was part of the ruling. Re-cert will cover, sleeves, pants, and life jacket.

[ricochet112]

Good. There's suits and jackets out there that need replacing, this will take that uncomfortable task away from the race committee.

[Team 12R]

get a firm price.

Anyone know how much this certification costs?

i bought a used jacket off ebay. it needed impact and recertification. the very friendly guy in AZ told me less than 200 bucks and "i'll also do a little work to make it just like a kneeler jacket". guess what???? when it was done i was billed over 300 bucks.... no recollection of the original (150 to 180 conversation). what would have been a screaming deal cost me far more than a brand new SRP jacket from a fellow racer and very good guy.

i'll never make that mistake again.

[jtower3941]

Trying to get into racing????? All new.

Life Jacket $510
Sleeves 210
Pants 320
Helmet 239
total 1279 before tax and shipping.

Boat $1400 used
Motor 1000 used
Prop 230 used and not tested
Trailer 850 New
Rev sticks 200 wife charge me for labor.
Bail out money from Obama $4109

Just to lighten the discussion. Well not that light???

[ddalton]

Barking up wrong tree

Way back in the 80's...I road raced some m/c's. Every race weekend we had to get bike & all safety apparel safety gear checked .also after a crash anything not ok!!!back to pits!!!!Outboard Racing should be doing the same!!!!!!There needs to be an inspector at each race that has the call on every raceboat & drivers safety gear.He or she would only be checking safety stuff!!! ( not tec.things )..Some of the gear I've seen is not good!!!!& I know everyone else sees it to.WE don"t need anymore tags!!!!WE need to look after our own safety gear!!!!!!We need to have it checked at every race!!!! WE NEED THIS KIND OF INSPECTION!!!!!!!!not all this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DD..........part time inspector CBF

[Jack Stotts]

WE already have to have way too many folks supervising what with turn judges, rescue, inspection, judges stand we have far more folks watching than we have racing. Lets have people shoulder the burden on their own. Be responsible for your gear. Of course it becomes difficult when we forgot to set any standards. I can not understand how we got to this point.

[ddalton]

Still don't get it!!!!

SAFETY is way more important than anything !!!!!!!

MORE THAN points,WEIGHT....FUEL....ETC.!!!!! This is what I am talking.....If we won't come to race with good safe gear then the powers to be will have to babysit us!!!!!WE deserve this new rule,,,Guess we'll need to spare someone to be chief tag checker....LOL ...DD

[Dave M]

So How Much $$

I saw here it said the rule encompasses life jackets as well. So is the cost to recertify your cut suit inclusive of your life jacket as well ? If not the last time i sent mine in to be certified (when it was a rule) it was somewhere around $50. I am sure with inflation and the economy that price has gone up.

Also, is there an option to the manufacturer to NOT clean them as I can do it just as easily and save myself the money ? How does clean relate to them being in working condition ? Maybe brighter in the water so others can see you ??

I agree with Jack, let the racers shoulder the burden. A more simple rule could be handed down immediately being it is a saftey issue..... no rips, broken zippers, or whatever else people seem to think is unsafe.

Being a saftey rule, there is no need for a ballot, only a rule handed down by the policy makers for us racers to abide by. So it could be fixed before your winter nationals if you so choose to do so.........

[stu_racing]

Dave,
I would suggest that you clean the cut suit and life-jacket before you send it away. I've been told to keep your stuff clean because the oil and gas can have damaging effects to the material over a long period of time. If I am correct then this would be the purpose of having it all cleaned upon re-cert.

[D Shafer]

cert rule

I Guess No Certs Could Be The Answer For Most And Next Year Apba Membership Could Be $900.00 For A Season Because Insurance Goes Through The Roof . But Everyone Has 2 Arms So Every One Can Lose One . Ok Every One Has 2 Legs They Can Afford To Lose One. I Have Not Raced For 4 Years All My Equipment Was New The Last Year I Raced . Its Going To Cost Me 50-100 Bucks To Have It Checked Out And Make Sure Its Safe To Race Again But There Could Have Been A Manufacturer Defect Or Dry Rott Over 5 Years I Guess 50-100 Bucks Was Worth 2-4 Cases Of Beer This Season.sorry To Be An A** But The Stock Commisioners Seem To Have Common Sense And Looking Out For The Future Of Our Sport .they Were Voted In To Do A Job And It Sounds To Me Like It Was Done.by The Way The Guys Who Voted This In Also Have To Pay This Fee Not Just Us.

[HRTV]

Trying to get into racing????? All new.

Life Jacket $510
Sleeves 210
Pants 320
Helmet 239
total 1279 before tax and shipping.

Boat $1400 used
Motor 1000 used
Prop 230 used and not tested
Trailer 850 New
Rev sticks 200 wife charge me for labor.
Bail out money from Obama $4109

Just to lighten the discussion. Well not that light???

Average cost of a night in a hospital:

Depending on where the hospital is and the specifics of the care you are receiving it can cost well in excess of $2,000 per day.

[dil/viller]

2 more cents

how does a zipper relate 2 the protective function of the kevlar[pants] what about stretched out suspenders? cuff sippers or velcro? what if the material is faded? how is the vintage of the kevlar tested? all probable additional cost for certification. WHAT DOES KEVLAR PROTECT US FROM? saw a bad crash at the alky nats a few years ago, a piece of wood from one of the boat went through the guy's kevlar and into his leg. so if u can cut the stuff [new] with a knife or pair of scissors and it's sewn with a needle and wood can penetrate it. then r we protected from props/ turning fins/impact[the stuff doesn't stop u from getting bruised]. could it b they r more of a uniform? now be 4 someone pipes up and starts 2 defend someones integrity[again], this 2 cents thought is not 2 rip on any one person , but really when suits were bought there was no mention of a time table as 2 when they would become UNSAFE. common sense , the real issue??

[Graham 18ce]

Anyone one of those accidents would have been worse off with more damage had it not been for the "cut resistant" equipment.
The impact will be the same however the penatration would more than likely have been more severe had it been a pair of jeans or shorts.

The issue i have with re-cert is the material in most cases which is the "cut resistant" material, whether kevlar, spectra, etc... is usually is covered with nylon or other materials in order to protect it from things such as UV. you can check seems and rips in the nylon, however, that doesn't seem to have much impact on wether the "cut resistant" material is still doing it's job.

Again, just my 2 cents, however, we all have the responsiblity to ensure our own safety, and as with life jacket re-cert in the past, we will all pony up and take the hit.

[Fast Jack]

Test Standards

I have been looking into test standards for products made from Kevlar . I found a company that tests Kevlar motorcycle jeans by pulling a rider down a paved drag strip behind a motorcycle, to prove there product will help protect in case of a crash. I thought I would have received a relpy from my post to have the Underwriters Labratories test both new and used material. This would show if there is a need for testing of the cut resistant material. I also found there are other type of Kevlar sleaves and pants available other than the style I typically see at the races. I am looking seriously at a type of long underwear that is 100 % kevlar and has double laver protection in several vital areas.I think these covered with a set of of Nylon climbing or cutting pants may be a good alternative . I noticed both of the companies that produce the products made no no mention of re certification or inspection of their products, one company did offer repair service if ( kevlar pants ) were damaged in a wreck.