Tom
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2005
- Posts
- 51,898
PFDs or Personal Floatation Devices are literally a life saver.
There are various kinds of PFD, all explained in the Federal Requirements and Safety Tips for Recreational Boats, a little boring, but nevertheless important. I've unashamedly copied extracts from these requirements
, something I don't normally do. But, given that they're in the public domain and paid for by our tax dollars, I feel that this is a valid exception. Individual states may have their own requirements (click here for ABCs of California state boating law and here for the full text of California state boating law.) Usually state laws follow the Federal guidelines.
Type I: Intended for offshore use. Effective in open, rough waters. It is designed to turn most unconscious wearers to a face-up position.
Type II: Intended for calm, inland waters, or where there is a good chance of rescue.
Type III: Good for conscious wearers in calm, inland waters.
Type IV: Also known as a "throwable", is intended for inland waterways where heavy boat traffic is present and help is always present. As the name suggests, it is intended to be thrown to the person in the water.
Type V: A special use device that the recreational boater will rarely encounter.
I see so many folks who don't wear PFDs when they really should. We all think that we won't fall overboard or, if we do, we can get back to the boat easily and safely. But it doesn't take much in the way of current or tide to make it really tough to get back on board.
Most folks really can't survive too long in the water. If fatigue doesn't get us, hympothermia will. Either of these conditions will render us incapacitated in the water and drowning will inevitably occur. I can't think of a worse way to die, especially when it's so avoidable.
One sure way to increase our chances of survival is to wear a PFD. They provide buoyancy, will negate the effects of fatigue, and will keep you afloat and alive until help arrives.
I hear folks complain that PFDs are "uncomfortable to wear", but staying alive is a much better proposition than the alternative.
When simply walking out on the bow of a boat to set an anchor or throw a line to another vessel while in the protected waters of a marina or the California Delta, an inflatable PFD such as SOSpenders or Mustang will work just fine. Just give some thought to the need for automatic vs manual inflation. As my other half (and Captain) often says, "If you're unconscious in the water, you can't pull the tab on a manually inflated PFD". That thought is enough for me to wear an automatically inflated PFD when I go fishing.
Federal requirements for recreational vessels:
All recreational vessels must carry one wearable PFD (type I, II, III or V) for each person aboard and they must be readily accessible.
Vessels 16 feet or longer (except canoes and kayaks) must also carry one throwable (type IV) PFD.
PFDs are required to be "US Coast Guard approved" and labeled as such.
Note that California law requires operators/riders on a PWC to wear a type I, II, III or V PFD. California law also requires that persons aged 11 years or less wear a PFD while the vessel is underway, unless the person is in an enclosed cabin.
Check out this this REFERENCE GUIDE TO STATE BOATING LAWS.
There are various kinds of PFD, all explained in the Federal Requirements and Safety Tips for Recreational Boats, a little boring, but nevertheless important. I've unashamedly copied extracts from these requirements
, something I don't normally do. But, given that they're in the public domain and paid for by our tax dollars, I feel that this is a valid exception. Individual states may have their own requirements (click here for ABCs of California state boating law and here for the full text of California state boating law.) Usually state laws follow the Federal guidelines.Type I: Intended for offshore use. Effective in open, rough waters. It is designed to turn most unconscious wearers to a face-up position.
Type II: Intended for calm, inland waters, or where there is a good chance of rescue.
Type III: Good for conscious wearers in calm, inland waters.
Type IV: Also known as a "throwable", is intended for inland waterways where heavy boat traffic is present and help is always present. As the name suggests, it is intended to be thrown to the person in the water.
Type V: A special use device that the recreational boater will rarely encounter.
I see so many folks who don't wear PFDs when they really should. We all think that we won't fall overboard or, if we do, we can get back to the boat easily and safely. But it doesn't take much in the way of current or tide to make it really tough to get back on board.
Most folks really can't survive too long in the water. If fatigue doesn't get us, hympothermia will. Either of these conditions will render us incapacitated in the water and drowning will inevitably occur. I can't think of a worse way to die, especially when it's so avoidable.
One sure way to increase our chances of survival is to wear a PFD. They provide buoyancy, will negate the effects of fatigue, and will keep you afloat and alive until help arrives.
I hear folks complain that PFDs are "uncomfortable to wear", but staying alive is a much better proposition than the alternative.
When simply walking out on the bow of a boat to set an anchor or throw a line to another vessel while in the protected waters of a marina or the California Delta, an inflatable PFD such as SOSpenders or Mustang will work just fine. Just give some thought to the need for automatic vs manual inflation. As my other half (and Captain) often says, "If you're unconscious in the water, you can't pull the tab on a manually inflated PFD". That thought is enough for me to wear an automatically inflated PFD when I go fishing.
Federal requirements for recreational vessels:
All recreational vessels must carry one wearable PFD (type I, II, III or V) for each person aboard and they must be readily accessible.
Vessels 16 feet or longer (except canoes and kayaks) must also carry one throwable (type IV) PFD.
PFDs are required to be "US Coast Guard approved" and labeled as such.
Note that California law requires operators/riders on a PWC to wear a type I, II, III or V PFD. California law also requires that persons aged 11 years or less wear a PFD while the vessel is underway, unless the person is in an enclosed cabin.
Check out this this REFERENCE GUIDE TO STATE BOATING LAWS.
