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MANDATORY CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS
The U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada require you to carry
approved flotation devices of the correct size for each person on
board that are legibly marked with an approval number and are in
good and serviceable condition. To be considered serviceable, this
flotation device shall not exhibit deterioration that could diminish
its performance such as broken or deformed hardware, detached
webbing, rotted structural components, air leaks, or nonfunctional
oral inflation tube. Unless worn inflated, this flotation device must
also be properly armed with a full CO
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cylinder, inflation system status
indicator, and an accessible manual inflation lanyard. A flotation
device which is “approved only when worn” or “required to be worn”
must be worn under the specified conditions.
WHY ARE FLOTATION DEVICES REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT?
Drowning is the leading cause of fatalities involving recreational
boating. In over 80 percent of fatal incidents the person was not
wearing flotation, and most of these occurred after falls overboard
or capsize of small boats. An approved flotation device, when worn,
helps raise your head above water in the first critical moments of
immersion. Some devices are designed to keep you face up in the
water, and increase your chances for survival and rescue. Different
body types float differently, and some boating activities require
special features in a flotation device.
