Life vests for others in the boat?

(helinut) · (helinut) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 05-02-2007, 1:09 PM

Heya,

I'm getting my first boat so of course I do not have anything to go with it yet. My question is, what kind of life vests are you carrying on the boat? Do you have a few specific "nice" vests for your typical watersports and make up the remainder with orange vests? Do you have all nice vests and can't stand the orange type?

Found some good deals on vests at Costco. $36 each for decent quality vests.

Ideas?

Shawn

(24_ssv) · (24_ssv) **Join Date: Mar 2007** 05-02-2007, 1:18 PM

A few nice vests for wakeboarding and the remainder are orange ones. Unless people are going to wear them, the orange ones will be fine.

(jv210) · (jv210) **Join Date: Feb 2006** 05-02-2007, 1:18 PM

I have a few good vests, some non approved vests, and the rest are the orange ones. no need to spend the money, because they wont be used anyways.

(mastercraft1995)

Most states require kids 12 and under to wear life jackets. So if you are going to have kids ever once in awhile make sure you get the nice ones from Costco. Costco vest for adult riding, all sizes. Then the rest are cheap coast guard approved vests.

(helinut) · (helinut) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 05-02-2007, 1:23 PM

Most states require kids 12 and under to wear life jackets. So if you are going to have kids ever once in awhile make sure you get the nice ones from Costco. Costco vest for adult riding, all sizes. Then the rest are cheap coast guard approved vests.

Yup, this is exactly what I was thinking of doing.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Shawn

(super_air) · (super_air) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 05-02-2007, 1:27 PM

Different strokes for different folks,I only buy/use the good ones. I usually always have a full boat at one time or another so they all get used. Orange ones are not allowed on my boat, I have standards you know.

(jaytique) · (jaytique) **Join Date: Feb 2007** 05-02-2007, 1:31 PM

well i don't like wasting money on things I won't use. So I have a few nice wakeboard vests, the rest are all orange vests

(yosquire) · (yosquire) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 05-02-2007, 1:44 PM

> well i don't like wasting money on things I won't use.

haha... famous last words..

j/k

(timmyb) · (timmyb) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 05-02-2007, 1:48 PM

Go with a few orange vests (3 maybe) and make sure you get a variety of sizes of good vests. I hate to admit this...I was at Super Wal-mart yesterday and they have the orange vests for $5 each. I had just bought a pack of 3 from another place for $30 so they will be going back.

(helinut) · (helinut) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 05-02-2007, 2:00 PM

On my way to Walmart! :-)

(kmcginty) · (kmcginty) **Join Date: Sep 2005** 05-02-2007, 2:04 PM

We have done a little of everything.

Good vests for us to use.
A fair amount of these types for guests and what not

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Mens_4_Buckle_Vest&cname=Vests-/-Life-Jackets&r=view&i=11922&aID=8

and plenty of orange ones cause you can never have too many vests when the patrol pulls over your full boat

(srh00z) · (srh00z) **Join Date: Jun 2003** 05-02-2007, 2:18 PM

Mine are about half and half, I have some decent Neoprene vests from Sams that are USCG approved, some cheaper vests from Wal-Mart and the like, and a few Non-USCG's that people bring with them. I always have one USCG vest for everyone in the boat, even if we have the non-USCG vests in the boat.

(bcrider) · (bcrider) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 05-02-2007, 3:23 PM

I got 8 lifejackets that are used on airplanes, the type that is under your seat. There great cause they are package so small that 8 take up zero room in the boat. Cops can't complain about it, if there good enough for a 747 I can have them on my boat.

(bftskir) · (bftskir) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 05-02-2007, 3:39 PM

thats funny dave i say the same thing about stewardesses

(zipe) · (zipe) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-02-2007, 3:39 PM

You as the boat owner of course are responsible for having enough Type 3 Coats Guard Approved vests on board for every but on the boat. This is NOT your guest's responsibility (Dave, I would verify that they are USCG Type 3, otherwise they CAN complain, and fine you!...if they are, let me know where I can get some!)

I have four orange vests stuffed under the seat, plus I usually have a decent neoprene vest in SM, MED, LG & XL for guests that do not have a vest, then my personal vest.

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 05-02-2007, 5:04 PM

Ummm...if you are buying a new boat they should throw them in along with a throwable cushion.

(jetskiprosx) · (jetskiprosx) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 05-02-2007, 5:49 PM

When we bought our boat we bought 3 neo jacket and 8 orange ones. As the years have gone by we keep buying one or two each year at Costco, so now we have 6 or 7 neo jackets and only 4 orange ones.

(xaggie) · (xaggie) **Join Date: Nov 2002** 05-02-2007, 6:55 PM

Thats right Peter on our lake (possibly all of Texas) you are required to have a Type 4 throwable device as well as CG Approved jackets for everyone. I've ended up with Patrick through random people just leaving me jackets, or buying them and letting me "use" them. Nothing wrong with the Orange cheapies though, they get the job done.

(trx1noob) · (trx1noob) **Join Date: Sep 2006** 05-02-2007, 7:05 PM

hit up nate(cbk) i believe on the forums here. nice to support one of our own. He's got some smoking good deals on last years vests(some priced same or lower then costco vests) and has free shipping to boot. call him up, he's a class act guy to deal with. has a bunch of gear to go with your new boat as well. I've bought 2 surf boards, handles and other goodies from him as well and every thing has been exactly as i was told it would be. ryan his numbers are below
Nate Singleton

Mobile 423-612-1699

Office 423-224-2135

Fax 423-245-3134
www.centurionofkingsport.com

(cbk) · (cbk) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 05-02-2007, 7:19 PM

Ryan - Thanks for the referral...Your guide pads came in today and I will ship in the morning.

(helinut) · (helinut) **Join Date: Apr 2007** 05-02-2007, 7:55 PM

Sent you a PM on some stuff Nate.

Thanks,

Shawn

(hemihauler) · (hemihauler) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 05-02-2007, 7:59 PM

DWC has LF vests for 34 and watsons for 49

http://boardersmall.com/xcart/home.php?cat=359

Plus great guys to deal with.

(bcrider) · (bcrider) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 05-02-2007, 10:09 PM

Shawn K. From what I see when I look up type III life jackets they are exactly that. I pulled one out of my boat and checked it out. They even have the CO2 cartridge so you just pull the tabs to self inflate and have a flash becon on them. Like I said before they are FCC life jackets so they have to be coast guard approved. I have 8 in the boat plus 4 regular approved life jackets. I never have more then 6 on my boat so I have more then enough.
Safety first but up here you rarely see the po po out on the water and if you do once a rider is in the water they won't come near you. Not like in Florida when I was down there last year at the wakeboard camp. Those guys stopped us while we were running.

(jimzgirly) · (jimzgirly) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 05-02-2007, 10:33 PM

Where I am we are cool with enough vest for the capacity of the boat which is 12. So we have the orange USCG approved that were given when we bought the boat and then the neo vest for children and us+family for boarding. I can't see spending $30+ for a neo vest when you can get the same support and life saving device from an orange vest for less than half the price. Most of the time for us all people on the boat have their neo vest and the oranges are for the po po pull over.

(peter_c) · (peter_c) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 05-02-2007, 10:45 PM

I just bought an orange one for my dive kayak to shove into the deep abyss (Don't need it since I wear a drysuit and have an inflatable wing when out on the ocean). It was expensive at $7.95

Worth probably $3.95.

They also require you to have a fire extinguisher that is current, along with a bailing bucket.