Backtow lifejackets

The Problem BackTow Solves

When a sailor falls overboard on a tether, a conventional harness drags them face-down, with their head driven into the water as the boat continues moving. This makes breathing and communication almost impossible and can reduce survival time to just a few minutes, even if the person is still attached to the boat.​

How BackTow Technology Works

BackTow is a patented harness system built into TeamO inflatable lifejackets that changes where and how you are towed in the water. After the lifejacket inflates, the wearer pulls a large, easy-to-grab BackTow handle on the right-hand bladder, which releases the front attachment and re-routes the load to a strong strop at the back of the jacket.​

This action automatically rotates the person into a face‑up, seated position in the water, with legs trailing behind and head turned away from the oncoming water. The BackTow strop then acts as a rigid A‑frame lifting point, allowing crew to clip on a halyard and winch the casualty out of the water with far less effort and reduced risk of injury.​

Key Safety Benefits on the Water

BackTow directly addresses the real-world man overboard scenarios that offshore and coastal sailors worry about most. Its main benefits include:

• Keeping airways clear by towing the wearer face-up and slightly upright, supporting breathing and reducing the risk of drowning while still tethered.​

• Maintaining attachment to the boat, so you are not forced to choose between unclipping to breathe and staying connected to the vessel.

• Creating a built-in recovery point that makes hoisting a person back on board faster and more controlled, even for a smaller crew member using a winch.​

• Improving communication with the crew because the wearer can face the boat, keep their mouth clear of the water, and signal or talk during recovery.​

• 
  

Why Choose TeamO Lifejackets

TeamO is a specialist British manufacturer focused on solving the specific failure modes of traditional lifejacket and harness systems rather than just adding more features. Their BackTow-equipped PFDs combine this safety innovation with the things sailors expect from a premium lifejacket: integrated deck harness, automatic inflation, SOLAS-approved light, whistle, sprayhood options, and ergonomic designs that are comfortable enough to wear all day.

Unlike generic inflatable lifejackets, TeamO’s range (including Coastal 170N, Offshore/Ocean 170–275N and Hi-Lift models) is built around BackTow as a core safety system, not an afterthought. For sailors who routinely clip on—offshore racers, shorthanded cruisers, delivery skippers, and night-watch crew—this makes TeamO one of the very few options that explicitly tackles the “tethered and overboard” risk rather than just the “overboard” part.

Perfect Use Cases

TeamO BackTow lifejackets are particularly well suited to:

• Offshore and coastal passages where crew are routinely clipped on at night or in rough weather.

• Short-handed crews, where the ability to safely tow a casualty alongside while slowing the yacht and organising recovery is critical.​

• Racing yachts, where past accidents involving tethered crew have driven a higher standard of personal safety equipment.

For skippers who want their crew to stay attached, stay breathing, and be recoverable in a controlled way, TeamO’s BackTow lifejackets offer a distinctive, engineered answer to a known and documented problem on modern sailing yachts.​

Find out more

For more information about TeamO BackTow lifejackets, where to see them in person, or the nearest stockists in your area, please contact us. We can help you identify the best TeamO model for your type of boating, advise on likely lead times, and point you towards local or online retailers currently supplying these products. If any promotions, discounts, or special offers are available through participating dealers at the time of your enquiry, we will be happy to let you know so you can get the best value when you buy.