Is it safe to wear chest waders in a boat?

[geologist]

I am going fishing next week. I will be solo in my little boat (see below). I will be lake fishing, air temperature 5-9C.

My question is: Is it safe to wear chest waders in a boat?

I get wet launching and in these temperatures that's a bad thing. I have both neoprene and PVC chest waders and always wear a wader belt with them (tight!). I will also be wearing a PFD. In winter a Mustang MC1535 floater jacket with beavertail and in summer a good vest PFD.

If the danger of wearing them is great then another option is to wear them during launching or recovery and then take them off while fishing.

What do you fishermen and hunters do?

The boat is a 14' Lund SSV. I have a rescue ladder mounted on the starboard side of the transom so I think that I will be able to get back into the boat very quickly should I go overboard while it is not underway.

Any opinions or advice will be greatly appreciated.

https://i.imgur.com/1wOlBvel.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/O2NFNaRl.jpg

[Beachcomber]

I wear neoprene boot foot chest waders in my boat every weekend for duck hunting. I also wear a life jacket while travelling or setting up and wading in sketchy channels while also hanging on to the punt. I don't see any alternative to doing this. If you fall in you should float given neutral buoyancy but current is another matter and that could complicate things. The problem I see is getting out of the water and back in to your boat once you are in. Waders full of water will be heavy. I have a knife on my wader strap on the view that if I ever really got in the shit I would cut them off. Not a theory I have had to test yet though.

[Downtown]

Wait for a nice warm day in Summer, have a couple of able bodied rescue swimmers on hand then intentionally fall overboard near the Boat Launch with your gear on.
This will give you the answer your looking for for sure. Some very fit 70year old could rescue themselves, some overconfident 20 year olds would drown.

Be sure, be safe, cold Water can be unforgiving !

Cheers

[Surrey Boy]

Are you tethered to the boat? Waders or not, if you get tossed from your boat in anything but perfect calm, it won't likely float toward you.

Once you've got positive bouyancy and a secure line to your boat, waders or not are a small matter.

I used to sail small craft in rough weather and the only time I was scared in the water was when the boat and I got separated.

[jvezina]

Nice boat! I think you’d be okay I wear waders in my boat when duck hunting.

[180grainer]

Surely you can use hip waders? Then take them off while using the boat. Even chest waders. Your boat looks stable enough after launch to take them off. Have a set of gumboots there or whatever. Why won't that work? If you can't do that, wear a good life jacket and hit a tight fetal position when hitting the water. If you can lock the air in your waders, it may help you float. Never tried it, don't know if it would work, would lose the waders for gumboots right after launch.

[VLD43]

Lots of guys wear waders when drifting rivers for steelhead. In my experience with neoprene waders, I can tell you that your bouyance level goes up. As long as the Neos fit fairly snug which most do, it's almost like wearing half a survival suit. If you are going to wear PVC waders, I would definitely be wearing a belt around them. If you fall in with those, it could be a different story and possible fatal. With either wader I would also wear a good inflatable type life jacket or vest like a Mustang.

[scoutlt1]

I've heard lots of different opinions on this over the years.

Yes neoprene floats, and no, wearing waders in calm (no current) water wont drag you to the bottom. Yes, I guess air could get trapped in your waders helping with floatation. Never tried it, but I'm thinking climbing back into the boat after falling into cold water with waders on would be tough?? Falling into the water with current (river) wearing waders, no belt, and no pfd would be very bad.

Personally, when the water/weather is cold I just throw on some gumboots to launch the boat and stay dry, then change them out when I'm in the boat. If I were to fall in I'd rather swim around/climb back into the boat with the least amount of gear on as possible....and I find waders constrictive and don't really like wearing gumboots.

Just my two cents...

[Ubertuber]

If I was planning on staying in the the boat after launching, I'd take off the waders. It only takes a minute.
A good PFD, a personal tether, and an engine tether would be musts for me.

[3than]

There’s quite a few youtube videos showing waders actually helping rather then sinking you. Neoprene with a belt should be completely fine in the event of an accident. Air pockets build up in your legs and the neoprene adds to buoyancy. Many guys run boats with waders on.

[Ride Red]

Been using waders in boats for years. With saying this, I only wear waders when heading duck hunting or salmon/steelhead fishing as I’m in/out of the boat multiple times. In my fly fishing boat I only use my Muck boots as waders really aren’t needed. If wearing waders, use a pfd and don’t take a chance.

[Arctic Lake]

Sorry for derailing your thread geologist but that’s a nice looking boat you have there !
Arctic Lake



I am going fishing next week. I will be solo in my little boat (see below). I will be lake fishing, air temperature 5-9C.

My question is: Is it safe to wear chest waders in a boat?

I get wet launching and in these temperatures that's a bad thing. I have both neoprene and PVC chest waders and always wear a wader belt with them (tight!). I will also be wearing a PFD. In winter a Mustang MC1535 floater jacket with beavertail and in summer a good vest PFD.

If the danger of wearing them is great then another option is to wear them during launching or recovery and then take them off while fishing.

What do you fishermen and hunters do?

The boat is a 14' Lund SSV. I have a rescue ladder mounted on the starboard side of the transom so I think that I will be able to get back into the boat very quickly should I go overboard while it is not underway.

Any opinions or advice will be greatly appreciated.

https://i.imgur.com/1wOlBvel.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/O2NFNaRl.jpg

[geologist]

Sorry for derailing your thread geologist but that’s a nice looking boat you have there !
Arctic Lake

No problemo :-)

https://i.imgur.com/CH2Hz02l.jpg

[Jagermeister]

Buoyancy from the waist down will have a tendency to submerge your head. Wear a PFD for sure.

[mastercaster]

Do neoprene waders still exist? lol

I would think you should be able to launch any boat with just knee high boots on,,,at least with the boats I use. That being said, if you are wearing a life jacket with your waders on in the boat and you have a ladder to assist getting back in I can't see how you would ever have a problem wearing them in your boat if that's your choice.

Personally I much prefer rain gear instead of waders in a boat when it's pissing out while lake fishing but I have worn waders plenty of times in a boat when traveling to go duck hunting, even though we don't hunt from the boat.

[MichelD]

Lots of guys wear waders when drifting rivers for steelhead. In my experience with neoprene waders, I can tell you that your bouyance level goes up. As long as the Neos fit fairly snug which most do, it's almost like wearing half a survival suit. If you are going to wear PVC waders, I would definitely be wearing a belt around them. If you fall in with those, it could be a different story and possible fatal. With either wader I would also wear a good inflatable type life jacket or vest like a Mustang.

This. A tight belt and a PFD.

[adriaticum]

Waders with waste belt tightened, wear a PFD and be able to swim and you should be ok.
If you can't swim, you have no business being on a boat.

[Ed George]

Not without a wader belt! I have had a tumble in the river and only got wet above the belt.

[geologist]

Waders with waste belt tightened, wear a PFD and be able to swim and you should be ok.
If you can't swim, you have no business being on a boat.
Yes I swim, always wear a tight wader belt with chest waders and have experience working with boats, inflatables and canoes in very cold water.

I find that when the wind is blowing onshore when I launch, the boat comes in and I have to get wet (in shorts) to push the boat off my trailer and then get it tied off.

I'm going to go to the Jade boat launch at Cultus Lake, it has little docks on either side so hopefully it;ll be easier.

Solo sucks.

[Ron.C]

When I was in the military, we had to do a test where we wore combat dress " no equipment" and had to tred water for a certain period of time then swim xxx distance. In another test we had to enter a life raft " allot of people were not capable of doing this without help"

Several guys "who could swim" required assistance and failed simply due to the weight of their cloths and quickly became exhausted.


I mention this because many people assume they can manage in an emergency when in fact they are not prepared or capabale of doing what they think they can.

In regards to waders, yes you will float in neoprene waders. But, throw in current, wind, waves, cold water and you might find self rescue or even rescue with the help of a partner very challenging
or impossible.

My recomendation is to try it under safe and controlled circumstances with help at the ready.

[fuzzybiscuit]

I used to snorkel the Campbell River with neoprene waders and a belt in conjunction with a old school padded life vest. It floated me just fine. Not as good as a full wet suit but I didn't have a fully wet suit and I was a lot tougher back them.

[Surrey Boy]

I used to snorkel the Campbell River with neoprene waders and a belt in conjunction with a old school padded life vest. It floated me just fine. Not as good as a full wet suit but I didn't have a fully wet suit and I was a lot tougher back them.

Please pardon my ignorance, but why would you snorkel Campbell River?

[MRP]

Remember the 1 10 1 rule, hypothermia cannot happen in minutes. Rule number one is why most people die in cold water.


1 - One minute to gain control of your breathing
If you have warning that you may be going into the water, be prepared! Cover your nose and mouth and go in as slowly as possible keeping your head above water. Calm yourself, control your breathing, and then prepare for potential meaningful movement for self-rescue.

10 - You may have 10 minutes of meaningful movement to perpetuate self-rescue.
Without exhausting your self and your body temperature, determine the best manner in which to self-rescue. Get back in or on top of your watercraft If you have not yet gotten into a life jacket do so as quickly as possible. You must keep your airway open.

1 - You may have 1 hour before becoming hypothermic and losing consciousness.
Cause of death from hypothermia is not loss of consciousness it is the heart stopping. Body temperature can drop another 3-5 degrees after you become unconscious before the heart stops. (An important reason to wear the life jacket) With nothing to keep your head above water, should you become incapacitated, you will drown.

https://nationalwatersafetycongress.wildapricot.org/1-10-1

[835]

if you cant wear waders in a boat then everyone with a belly boat or fishcat might get upset.

[fuzzybiscuit]

Please pardon my ignorance, but why would you snorkel Campbell River?

Snorkelling when the river is chalked full of spawning fish is actually a pretty cool experience. People came from all over the world to do it. There used to be more than 1 tour company providing the service back 30 years ago.

[Surrey Boy]

Snorkelling when the river is chalked full of spawning fish is actually a pretty cool experience. People came from all over the world to do it. There used to be more than 1 tour company providing the service back 30 years ago.

Thanks.

I never knew that was popular.

[Edward Teach]

I wouldn't be sticking my face/mouth in the water when the spawners started dying though, snorkel or not.

[silveragent]

You're swimming in dead bodies, eggs and fish cum. Mmmmm yes quite the experience.

[fuzzybiscuit]

What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. I guess we now know who on here voted for Trudeau...

I bet your wives don’t get much face time either...lol!

[steel_ram]

You're swimming in dead bodies, eggs and fish cum. Mmmmm yes quite the experience.

Some people swim in shallow lakes. ewww.:)

During winter I always wear my chest waders in the boat, BUT, always with a pfd.