Specifications

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
• Wearablelifejacketsmustbereadilyaccessible
• Youshouldbeabletoputthemoninareasonableamountof
timeinanemergency(vesselsinking,onfire,etc)
• Theyshouldnotbestowedinplasticbags,inlockedorclosed
compartments,orhaveothergearstowedontopofthem
• ThrowabledevicesmustbeimmediatelyavailableforuseThey
shouldbeonthemaindeckwithinarm’sreach,hangingona
lifeline,orothereasilyreachedlocation

• USCoastGuard-approvedinflatablelifejacketsareauthorized
forusebypersons16yearsofageandolder(checkthelabel)
• Inflatablelifejacketsrequireregularmaintenanceandattentionto
theconditionoftheinflator
• Theymusthaveafullcylinderandallstatusindicatorsonthe
inflatormustbegreenorthedeviceisserviceableanddoes
satisfythelegalrequirementforthewearablelifejacket
carriagerequirement
• Inflatablelifejacketsaremorecomfortable,encouragingregular
useThebestlifejacketsareonestheuserwillwear

Onavesselthatisunderway,childrenunder13yearsofagemust
wearanappropriateUSCoastGuard-approvedlifejacketunlessthey
are1)belowdeck,or2)withinanenclosed
cabinIfastatehasestablishedachildlife
jacketwearrequirementthatdiffersfrom
theCoastGuardrequirement,thestate
requirementwillbeapplicableonwaters
subjecttothatstate’sjurisdiction
Children’slifejacketsareapprovedfor
specificweightcategoriesCheckthe“User
Weight”onthelabelandforanapproval
statementthatwillreadsomethinglike:
Approved for use on recreational boats and uninspected commercial
vessels not carrying passengers for hire by persons weighing “less
than 30, lbs.,” “30 to 50 lbs.,” “less than 50 lbs.,” or “50 to 90 lbs.”

TheUSCoastGuardrecommends–andmanystatesrequire–
wearinglifejacketswhenengagedinthefollowingactivities:
• Waterskiingandothertowedactivities(useatypedesignedfor
waterskiing)
• OperatingaPersonalWatercraft,orPWC(useatypedesigned
forwaterskiingorPWCuse)
• Whitewaterboatingactivities
• Sailboarding
Checkwithyourstateboatingagencyforthelawsthatapply
Federallawdoesnotrequirelifejacketuseonracingshells,rowing
sculls,racingcanoes,andracingkayaks;statelawsvary,however
Checkwithyourstateboatingagency
NotethatifyouareboatinginanareaunderthejurisdictionoftheUS
ArmyCorpsofEngineers,orafederal,state,orlocalparkauthority,
otherrulesmayalsoapply
The U.S. Coast Guard recommends that you always wear a life jacket
while underway on a boat and require passengers to do the same.

Thefivetypesoflifejacketsarebasedonthreekindsofflotationand
canbecharacterizedasfollows:

• Themostreliable
• ComeinAdult,Youth,Child,andInfantsizes
• Designedforswimmersandnon-swimmers
• Comeinwearableandthrowablestyles
• Specialdesignsavailableforwatersports

• Themostcompact
• Lightweightandcomfortable
• Sizedonlyforadults
• Onlyrecommendedforswimmers
• Wearablestylesonly
• Somehavethebestin-waterperformance
