Orange "Skier down" flags...

I was talking with someone in Missouri the other day and he told that their law has changed in that you cannot use a flag that suction cups to the side of the boat because the operator or observer has to raise the flag.
Kansas law states that the operator or observer has to raise the flag as well, but does not speak specifically to the suction cup issue.

My question is this, most all , if not all, of us have to use these flags, what does everyone do to make this more convenient, I have seen the power flag, but 695 seems a bit high to raise a flag.
I wondered if there was a good flag holder available perhaps.

Thanks

As far as I know we don't have to have these in Louisiana but I've always thought it would be nice if the states that required them had legal provisions for something like a yellow 360 degree strobe or a rotating beacon. This would make it nice because it would just be a matter of mounting one and connecting a switch to it.

Flag buddy?

http://www.flagbuddy.com/

We got one on a recommend here and dollar for dollar it's the best money we've ever spent on the boat (cheap and very useful).

Check out http://www.qualitymarinesupply.com/#c9131 they have flags with aluminum poles with foam handles as well as tower mounts. Also west marine has a tower mount from Kwik tek.

Or you can do like we do, I attatched the flag to a 4ft. baboo pole, like the kind you would hold up a household plant. Now the observer just has to hold it and it shows way up high. This is how we do it with no money to spend....(ghetto)

"raising the flag" is an insteresting issue. I currently have a flag holder mounted to my tower and leave the flag up when I am pulling someone. I have never had a problem with the water patrol. Reading the Missouri boater regulations last year I noticed before 11am you can use a mirror instead of a third person and are not required to use the flag.

Is the suction cup allowable if you are swimming off your boat? or is someone required to hold the flag? I will stick with leaving it up until it becomes a problem with the water patrol.

I am from IL but the person who we purchased our Bu from is in MO and he stated that the flag needs to be held up by an observer whenever someone is in the water. When the rider is up flag goes down. I however never had a problem from the 5'0 with my flag using suction cup on Lake Springfield in IL

Leaving the flag up all the time is one of my biggest pet peeves!

To me, its like crying wolf!

When someone has their flag up and I am driving I am scanning the water for a downed skier. When I can't find a downed rider I stop my boat and look for them because I don't want to hit them. By having the flag up all the time, I no longer pay the same attention to finding the downed rider I would otherwise... Just find a hot chick to ride in the boat and operate the flag... much easier, although not always cheaper or more reliable...

I think the intention of the MO law is to have the observer run the flag while moving, perhaps not while stopped and swimming, but I certainly wouldn't try to out guess the law makers!

Flagbuddy looks good! Thanks!

yea i hate when people just leave the flag up, it defeats the purpose.

ive seen billet holders that clamp on your tower. my tower has one welded onto it. I put it up there when we are swimming
I dont have a link for you but i know ive seen them online before

We don't have a flag law in ky but i think its a good idea. We don't even need a spotter as long as you have a mirror. Heck if your 18 you don't need to take any course! Makes me feel real safe after reading about other state's laws!

We just stick the flag into a binding when stopped, stays real good. Observer holds it when a riders down unless we're done then we'll "boot it" while bringing in the rider and such.

It too pisses me of when people drive with the flag up, makes me paranoid there's someone in the water.

We do the same thing, stick the flag in a binding when we are just floating. But while riding, when did raising a flag become such a chore? I have one buddy who doesn't even own a flag because he thinks its dumb. And yes, he has been ticketed.

I really wish everyone needed to be licensed. I think it would really help with injuries and accidents....like HUGE. especially since most of the time the people just didnt know any better. Its like, if you could just drive a car without a license, there would definitely be those people without licenses turning in the wrong lanes and just gumming up the works with the little basic things.

Well, I apologize for being a jerk. Most of the time you don't even notice the flag being help up b/c if we are all honest by the end of the day the flag gets held up about chest high. It seems a bit rediculus to be to have one person try to hold a flag up in a boat full of people with a tower, board racks, speakers, etc. My thought is to clearly alert other riders someone is in the water. Thus, the flag needs to be held above the other people/objects in your boat. And if you slow down to look/ckeck for people in the water isnt that a good thing?

Solution: This next year I will have someone raise and lower the flag if the person can stay up for more than 2 min. If I'm teaching a beginner and they are down half the time I will probibly leave the flag up in the holder.

My thoughts on this may change over time but I fell this is a good solution for the areas I boat.

The following is from the Missouri Boater Safety Regs:

A flag indicating a "skier down/person in the water" is required equipment for a motorboat (other than a PWC) towing a person behind on water skis, inner tubes, sleds, or similar devices. This flag is to be displayed when the person is in the water before or after being towed on water skis or similar devices or when a swimmer leaves the confines of the vessel. Displaying the flag is required from 11:00 a.m. to sunset and is in effect only on the Mississippi River, Missouri River, and the lakes of this state.

Skier-Down Flag

A rectangular red or bright orange flag, at least 12 inches x 12 inches


The color of the flag must be either red or bright orange.
The flag must be square in design and measure at least 12 inches on each side.
When displayed, the flag must be visible for 360 degrees.
All vessel operators in the vicinity of a displayed skier-down flag are required to operate at idle speed if closer than 50 yards to the vessel displaying the flag. It is suggested, when operating in the vicinity of a displayed skier-down flag, that operators immediately start scanning the water for the downed skier.
All vessel operators are encouraged to maneuver away from the area in which a skier-down flag is being displayed.
This flag is to be displayed only when the skier (or person being towed on inner tubes, sleds, etc.) is in the water before or after being towed. Once the skier is up and being towed, the flag must be lowered. The flag must be raised again when the skier falls or stops skiing and enters the water in order to return to the motorboat.
PWCs and moored or anchored motorboats are exempt from displaying the skier-down flag.

11am?

and I wonder if "lakes of the state" means state lakes, and not Corps lakes?

Yall have some crazy laws out there... Sounds like it would get really annoying.

Last summer we were out on Hayden Lake in Idaho and the police boat pulled up and stopped us... said that he pulled us over because he thought we had our flag mounted in the "up" position (meaning it was not being held by a person.)... funny thing is that he realized when he pulled up that my friend had on an bright orange hunting hat ... so he just laughed about it and chatted with us for a bit.. cool guy. But... appearently in ID you can't mount it... needs to be in someones hand.

I live on a private lake in MO and we have to have the flag up whenever someone is in the water or being pulled by the boat. We are not supposed to put the flag down when someone is being pulled.

Window mount flag buddy ordered! Thanks!