Helly Hansen buoyancy aids recalled after manufacturing safety failure

If you have a Helly Hansen buoyancy aid on board, check the style code and sewn-in waist label before the next sail. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has recalled several models because a manufacturing failure may leave them with too little buoyancy and turning momentum to bring the wearer face up in the water, a failure mode that turns a routine dinghy bit of kit into a drowning risk.

The affected products are the 33818 SPORT II in XXS, sized for 30 to 40 kg, plus the 33811 Comfort Compact 50N, 34258 Rider Kayak Vest and 34240 Rider Foil Race in all sizes and all serial numbers. The recall covers items made in China and identified under product safety alert 2605-0143. OPSS said the products did not meet Regulation 2016/425 or the Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018. Helly Hansen said no incidents or injuries had been reported.

The action is straightforward: stop using the recalled buoyancy aid immediately. Helly Hansen says owners can destroy the item or contact recall@hellyhansen.com to arrange a return, with a refund or online credit available. If you destroy it yourself, cut across the shoulder seam connecting the front and back panels, then send a photo of the destroyed garment with customer details to the recall address. Customer care is available Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 CET.

For Sailing DIY readers, this is the kind of recall that should trigger a quick preseason kit check across every buoyancy aid in the locker, not just the Helly Hansen one on the notice. Look for the exact style code, confirm the fit still matches body weight and use, and inspect the seams, straps, buckles and shoulder join for wear, distortion or any sign the panel structure has been compromised. A buoyancy aid that looks clean on the outside can still fail where it matters most, especially if the webbing, foam or stitching has taken years of UV, salt and abuse.

This is also not Helly Hansen’s first buoyancy-aid recall. The company listed a separate July 2025 action for Navigare Comfort, Navigare Scan, Junior Safe+ and Kid Safe+ models for the same kind of drowning risk, again with no incidents or injuries reported. Taken together, the two recalls are a blunt reminder that flotation gear is not fit-and-forget hardware. If the waist label shows one of the affected codes, pull it from service now, because the whole point of a buoyancy aid is what happens when you end up in the water, not how tidy it looks in the locker.