Life vests?

[CP3]

I was reading another thread and it got me thinking

How many guys out there are using comp vest (non uscg approved), and have you ever been caught using it.

How illegal is it? big ticket?

[Razzman]

I don't think anyone really looks. The wife uses a non-cg approved as it's the only one comfortable for her. Floats her just fine.

[chpthril]

The only thing on my boat are USCG Approved because i'll be the one to get cought

[Coach]

We all have USCG when we ride. Not because we might get a ticket but because you might see a patrol boat every few trips out. I think there are only one or two boats who patrol a huge stretch of the Colorado river where we are so it is very rare to see them. If we do have a guy go down hard and were to knock themselves out we want to get to them and see them face up in the water. With a lack of emergency service that are close we take a few more precautions.

[Tequilasun]

I was reading another thread and it got me thinking

How many guys out there are using comp vest (non uscg approved), and have you ever been caught using it.

How illegal is it? big ticket?

I've never been asked if my vests were legal.

For me, I prefer to sacrifice a bit of comfort to gain a bit of safety.

Most the Non-CGA vests I've seen float people fine while they are alert, but who knows if they were knocked out. People used to wear those little yellow banana
Ski belts too, so who knows.

[Domsz06]

I have three Non one's, been pulled over and asked about the # on the boat, not the type. They never have checked me. I got the ticket for not having enough(I was one short) so I prefer to wear the comfy non approved one's, but when we tube we all wear the approved one's!

[evil0ne]

I don't think anyone really looks. The wife uses a non-cg approved as it's the only one comfortable for her. Floats her just fine.

Please forgive me, but it is just too easy...

Are you sure she needs a vest to float, women have built in flotation devices.

[evil0ne]

I have three Non one's, been pulled over and asked about the # on the boat, not the type. They never have checked me. I got the ticket for not having enough(I was one short) so I prefer to wear the comfy non approved one's, but when we tube we all wear the approved one's!

I'm not good enough to notice a lack of mobility but if people want to wear them by all means wear them. In the time it takes for a properly equipped boat to retrieve a rider (Driver + Spotter) the Non vests will still be floating the person. 3 hours later that might not be the case but for 60 seconds that person will still be at the surface and even CGA vests will not always flip a person.

[Domsz06]

that's how I feel about it evil one, even when I have knocked myself out in one my friends still were able to pull me up and out with no prob.

[Domsz06]

it's not the mobility, but the comfort. I love my nonuscga one's, and don't reallylike the others. Maybe if I bought a nice approced one I would like it, but I like the thin streamlined feel.

[wannabewakeboarder]

Coast Guard Approved all the way, better safe than sorry

[wannabewakeboarder]

Ya know wakeobard mag just did an issue on vests, if you get their email letter you'll have already got it.

Sign up for it at wakeobardingmag.com or if you already get there magazine you probably don't need it.

[Lucky 275]

In TN, you can wakeboard with nonuscga, but you need a USCGA in the boat. The nonuscga doesn't count towards your total # life vests.

[wannabewakeboarder]

Thats a good rule, you must have one...I wounder what the law is in MO

[Razzman]

Just for the record i do have around 10 USCG vests in an 8 person boat so that's no a problem. The wife uses a non-approved because no matter what vest she tries they all ride up around her head and greatly restrict mobility. And we've tried them all, believe me! Boat shows, shops, borrowed. None fit her until she found her O'neill Womens Outlaw.