Boating Professionals

Check your Knowledge

1. Wearing a loose fitting or the wrong size of life jacket will keep you safe and meet legal requirements.

  1. True
  2. False

b. False

Life jackets must be used per any requirements on the approval label and in its owner's manual to meet the legal requirements. Furthermore, a loose fitting life jacket may slip off of a person in the water and create a dangerous or fatal situation.

2. You are about to launch your boat with three friends and discover only two life jackets onboard. What
is the best course of action?

  1. Insist those who do not swim well wear life jackets and head out on the water.
  2. As law enforcement officers rarely patrol the lake, head out on the water.
  3. Check the boat ramp for a life jacket loaner station before going home to get another life jacket.

c. Check the boat ramp for a life jacket loaner station before going home to get another life jacket.

A growing number of boat launches and marinas have a life jacket loaner station. The loaner stations are stocked with various sizes of life jackets for boaters to use should they find themselves short on life jackets. There is no cost for using the life jackets, simply return them when your trip is complete.

3. You are purchasing a new life jacket and notice several icons that you don't recognize. What is the
best course of action?

  1. Check the attached hang tag and owner's manual for more information about the life jacket.
  2. Purchase the cheapest life jacket. The icons do not matter because you will never need the life jacket.

a. Check the boat ramp for a life jacket loaner station before going home to get another life jacket.

A growing number of boat launches and marinas have a life jacket loaner station. The loaner stations are stocked with various sizes of life jackets for boaters to use should they find themselves short on life jackets. There is no cost for using the life jackets, simply return them when your trip is complete.

4. When comparing live jackets, you notice that they have an icon of a person with the number 50, 70, 100, or 150 next to the person. What is important to understand about this number?

  1. It indicates the minimum weight of the intended wearer to ensure the life jacket fits correctly.
  2. Higher numbers indicate the life jacket has greater flotation, turning ability, and stability in the water.

b. Higher numbers indicate the life jacket has greater flotation, turning ability, and stability in the water.

When reading the label on a life jacket or deciding which one to wear, it is important to be familiar with the different performance levels.

Performance Level Devices:

  • Level 50 -  intended for use by those who are competent swimmers and who are near to bank or shore, or who have help and a means of rescue close at hand.
  • Level 70 - intended for use by those who have help or a means of rescues close at hand, or who are near bank or shore.  These devices have minimal bulk, but cannot be expected to keep the user safe for a long period of time in disturbed water.
  • Level 100 -  intended or those who may have to wait for rescues, but are likely to do so in sheltered water.  The device should not be used in rough water.
  • Level 150 - intended for general application or for use with foul weather clothing.  It will turn an unconscious person into a safe position and requires no subsequent action by the user to maintain this position.
  • Level 275 - intended primarily for offshore use under extreme conditions.

5. True or false, the best life jacket is always the most expensive one you can purchase?

  1. True
  2. False

b. False

False; as long as the life jacket is approved for the activity which you intend to use it for, the best life jacket is the one you WILL WEAR! Always try on a number of life jackets, adjust them properly, and pick the one that fits you the best. If the life jacket is not comfortable, there is a good chance you will not wear it. The best life jacket is the one you will wear regardless of price!

6. A person onboard a boat less than 16 feet on a small inland lake is not required to have a life jacket
with them.

  1. True. Life jackets are not required when boating on small shallow inland lakes.
  2. False. The location of the boat is in not relevant in this situation. No person may use a recreational vessel unless at least one wearable PFD is on board for each person onboard.

b. False. The location of the boat is in not relevant in this situation. No person may use a recreational vessel unless at least one wearable PFD is on board for each person onboard.

Federal rules specify:
No person may use a recreational vessel unless -
(1) At least one wearable PFD is on board for each person;
(2) Each PFD is used in accordance with any requirements on the approval label; and
(3) Each PFD is used in accordance with any requirements in its owner's manual, if the approval label makes reference to such a manual.

7. A person is using a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) on a small inland lake and is told by a fellow paddler
that life jackets are not necessary because a SUP is not a boat. Is this a correct statement?

  1. Yes, the statement is true, a SUP is not a boat, and a life jacket is not required.
  2. No, the statement is incorrect in this situation, and a life jacket is required

b. No, the statement is incorrect in this situation, and a life jacket is required

The US Coast Guard considers a SUP a vessel when it is not used in a surf zone or swimming area. When being used outside of these two areas, the person onboard the SUP must abide by all the boating regulations that apply to other paddlers.

8. You are going boating with a friend who has a 21-foot center console boat with a T-top. When you arrive, he gives you a safety briefing and shows you all the life jackets are stored in a zipped compartment under the T-top. What might be an important safety consideration in this scenario?

  1. This is an excellent location to store life jackets because they are stored in a well-ventilated and easily reachable place.
  2. This may not be an ideal location to store life jackets in all situations. If people are thrown off the boat, the life jackets could be impossible to reach by people in the water.

b. This may not be an ideal location to store life jackets in all situations. If people are thrown off the boat, the life jackets could be impossible to reach by people in the water.

Federal rules state, "No person may use a recreational boat unless each wearable PFD required is readily accessible." People are often thrown off boats unexpectedly, and a life jacket stored in a securely sealed compartment under a T-top is of no use to a person swimming outside the boat. Consider wearing the life jacket or moving it to a more accessible location in an emergency.

9. The US Coast Guard boards you for a routine safety inspection. You have six passengers onboard, and all have properly fitting life jackets in good condition. However, four of the six life jackets were purchased several years ago and have the old-style legacy labels. Will you receive a ticket from the boarding officer because four of your life jackets are not in serviceable condition?

  1. No, my life jackets are in full compliance with the law.
  2. Yes, I can expect to receive a ticket because I do not have a Type I, II, III for each person onboard.

a. No, my life jackets are in full compliance with the law.

Life jackets with legacy labels still meet the legal requirements as long as they are in serviceable condition, of an appropriate size and fit for the intended wearer, as marked on the approval label, and legibly marked with its approval number.

10. How can you tell if a life jacket is approved for use onboard a personal watercraft?

  1. All life jackets approved by the US Coast Guard must be approved for use on boats and personal watercraft.
  2. If a life jacket is not approved for use on personal watercraft, there will be an icon or statement on its label indicating it is not approved.

b. If a life jacket is not approved for use on personal watercraft, there will be an icon or statement on its label indicating it is not approved.

Every life jacket must be used in accordance with any requirements or restrictions on the approval label and used in accordance with any requirements in its owner's manual if the approval label refers to such a manual.