the orange flag thing is killing me!

guys-

trying my hardest to get on the water this weekend for the first time. if anybody has any tips on making an orange ski flag (12" pennant style for good old NJ), please let me know. i cant find the damn things anywhere.

You can get one at any boat store, but it's not pennant style it's square.

Cut up a red shirt.

rene-its pennant style per NJ law. we love to be different.

thanks.

What is this flag deal? Is it required to hold up a flag when a rider is down or something?

David if you are taking it to Lake Hopatcong I would suggest you launch and buy the flag at Lee's Marina. I bought mine there. Sucks that NJ requires an orange flag when people are tubing/wakeboarding, etc.

Also, You might be able to buy that flag at any Home Depot or Lowe's in their boating section. You could even try walmart.

Man that is a silly law. Thats almost as bad as something I ran into in Salt Lake. I was there a few years ago, and noticed that in downtown SLC, you were supposed to hold those organge flags while crossing a cross walk. Yeah, for real! They had little buckets attached to a pole to hold the flags. I was like, you got to be kidding me!

They've started that in parts of WA, mostly suburbs of Seattle. Don't think it's a law but it just perpetuates people walking their dumb ass across the street even slower.

I rode in Scottsdale, AZ and they had the same rule. You'd be supposed how many other boaters get pissed off when you don't use the orange flag. Angry people. If they just learned how to wakeboard, maybe they'd be more chill.
Hey, David, where do you ride in NJ? I often visit the 'rents on weekends and it cuts into my wakeboarding time.

I've gotten them for free at the local boat show- the pig booth... oops, i mean the sheriff booth gives them for free to promote safer boating (which is a good thing)

besides that, they are pretty cheap to begin with and are available at like any boating store. interesting to hear that they have to be pennant style out there. good luck

not all states require a red/orange flag for when the boarder is down or a rope in the water?

i know for a fact that florida, indiana, illinois, wisconsin, and tennessee all do not require the orange flag.

You know, we are having a hard time keeping them in stock in our store...must be a shortage of orange nylon?!
Even Proline was out of them when I called to order. Said it would be a couple of weeks before they could even ship them.
Weird.

The weirdest rule I ever came across was that on Vandalia Lake in IL, you had to wear a cap (either white or a bright colored one) when riding.

Many states don't require the flags. Many states do. everytime I've moved I've had to ask if that particular state does...

couldnt find any at local boat shops. pathetic. had to go to walmart and get a orange t shirt. i installed eyelets and put it on a telscoping tent pole (freaking thing has to be 4 ft above my bimini top). good god.

sue-you can ski in lake hopatcong in nj and in the bays. im sure there are a few more places im leaving out. mango is my nj connection.

Orange or red is ok out here in Cali, but if you're red flag fades to orange you can get a ticket for it. I've had three warnings with the same flag. I just show them my spare, then they go away and then I bring my old one back out again.

(Message edited by grampawakerider on July 21, 2004)

The orange flag is a law in many a states. It's funny to know that some people have still never even heard of it. The purpose is to alert other boats in the area that there is a person in the water in your general area. Really not a bad idea, especially on crowded lakes.

See pages 24-26, or 19-21 depending how you look at it, in this PDF from the USCG for all the different states regulations.

http://www.uscgboating.org/regulations/Nasbla_Ref_Guide_6.pdf