|
Post by kanaskat on Nov 4, 2009 18:35:02 GMT -8
Sometime in the 1970's my parents took me for at trip to visit relatives on Whidbey Island via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry. I recall looking up as we went up the stairs from the auto deck and seeing a large bin full of life vests. They looked odd to me. They were very square in shape, not rounded like the kapoks we had on our boat. I asked my dad and he said they were filled with cork.
If WSF still had some cork life vests in use in the 70s what boat might it have been? Could it have been the Vashon or one of the Steel Es?
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Nov 4, 2009 20:18:42 GMT -8
Sometime in the 1970's my parents took me for at trip to visit relatives on Whidbey Island via the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry. I recall looking up as we went up the stairs from the auto deck and seeing a large bin full of life vests. They looked odd to me. They were very square in shape, not rounded like the kapoks we had on our boat. I asked my dad and he said they were filled with cork. If WSF still had some cork life vests in use in the 70s what boat might it have been? Could it have been the Vashon or one of the Steel Es? Could have been either. Barnacle has in his collection a life vest from the Vashon that has inspection stamps from the Coast Guard on it from 1930 when she went into service up to 1980--her entire career.
|
|
|
Post by kanaskat on Nov 4, 2009 21:39:37 GMT -8
EG
Thanks! I know I took at least one trip on the Vashon. Did it have a slatted bin above the stairs to hold life vests?
|
|
FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,948
|
Post by FNS on Nov 15, 2009 4:14:48 GMT -8
EG Thanks! I know I took at least one trip on the Vashon. Did it have a slatted bin above the stairs to hold life vests? Some were fastened to the side bulkheads by holders on the Main Deck. The rest were in bins on the Saloon Deck aboard the VASHON as seen below in my layout and marked by "LP". There were no bins fastened to the overheads on the Main Deck aboard this ferry. The bins in the shelters were all wood and had wooden lids on the tops. In the Saloon Deck cabin, the bins had wooden sides, went from the deck all the way up to the overhead, and had fabric cover openings as you see on the dotted lines. Yes, the fabric was cut around that bench on the starboard side and the vests were laid on the bench as well as the deck. This was her configuration before her galley received a major renovation in 1978.
|
|
|
Post by Freeland on Nov 15, 2009 9:32:25 GMT -8
They use to have photo on how to put a lifejacket on. I think it was the newer Kopoks kind. The person modeling the life jacket was the marine photographer Joe Williamson. My friend Bill Bailey would comment about Joe being in the picture. )
|
|
FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,948
|
Post by FNS on Nov 15, 2009 13:54:40 GMT -8
They use to have photo on how to put a lifejacket on. I think it was the newer Kopoks kind. The person modeling the life jacket was the marine photographer Joe Williamson. My friend Bill Bailey would comment about Joe being in the picture. ) Here is Joe Williamson himself. This is on page 193 in the book "PACIFIC STEAMBOATS". I've seen these instructions myself during my ferry ridings in the 1960s and 1970s.
|
|
|
Post by Barnacle on Nov 25, 2009 5:02:11 GMT -8
They use to have photo on how to put a lifejacket on. I think it was the newer Kopoks kind. The person modeling the life jacket was the marine photographer Joe Williamson. My friend Bill Bailey would comment about Joe being in the picture. ) And for those keeping score, the "newer" kapok lifejackets are almost all gone from the boats. The Mark IIs never had them. I would estimate that there are no more than 30 of the old kapok jackets left on the average boat, and you'd have to know where to look for them. I miss the old jackets... they were a LOT more comfortable!
|
|
|
Post by kanaskat on Nov 25, 2009 22:56:40 GMT -8
Thanks for the info everybody!
I had a hard time believing I saw cork life vests in the 70's. Now you are making me feel old with kapoks bordering on the obsolescent.
|
|