New York Safe Boating - 2020 - 14

EQUIPMENT

4
Carriage Requirements

To protect yourself and your passengers, there is certain
safety equipment that the law requires you to carry on
your boat. The equipment we will discuss will satisfy
both state and federal safety requirements for boats. But
more importantly, having the equipment we cover in this
section, and using it properly, may be vital to survival in an
emergency. See the checklist on page 83 to find out what
you need to carry on your boat.

Every pleasure boat floating or sailing in New York State
waters must carry at least one wearable US Coast Guard
Approved PFD, for each person on board. This applies to all
boats, including canoes, kayaks and rowboats. In addition,
boats 16 feet and greater in length also must carry a Type IV
throwable PFD.

US Coast Guard Approval

Types of Personal
Flotation Devices

Throughout this chapter we will
reference safety equipment that is
"US Coast Guard Approved". The
purpose of approval is to confirm that
the safety equipment has been tested
and been found to meet the regulatory
requirements relating to performance,
construction and materials used at the
time of manufacture. Each approved device will be marked
by a label, or a stamp. This mark must be visible and
readable in order for the piece to be considered US Coast
Guard Approved.

Off-Shore Life Jacket
(Type I PFD)
Effective for all waters, this type of
PFD provides the most buoyancy.
They are designed to turn unconscious wearers in the water to a face-up position. There are
two sizes: adult, with 22 lbs of buoyancy; and the children's
size with 11 lbs of buoyancy. If you are going boating in areas
where rescue may be delayed, this is the PFD to have.

Near-Shore Buoyant Vest (Type II PFD)

It is no longer required to
use type coding on a PFD.
Current PFD that have
Type I-V on their labels
will be legal to sell and
wear for the useful life of
the jacket. New labels are
based on an internationally
accepted standard and use
a combination of text and
graphics.

The near-shore buoyant vest is
intended for calm, inland water,
where there is a good chance of a
quick rescue. This type of PFD may
turn some wearers over to a face-up
position, but the turning action is not
as pronounced nor as effective as
the Type I device. The adult vest
provides 15.5 lbs. of buoyancy, and
the child's vest 7 lbs.

Personal Floation
Device (PFD)

Flotation Aid (Type III PFD)
Good for calm, inland water, where
there is a good chance for immediate rescue. These are designed for
special recreational activities such as
water skiing. The Type III provides
the same buoyancy as the Type II, but
without any turning ability, so wearers must place themselves
in the face up position. They come in many colors and
styles, and in general, are the most comfortable type of PFDs
available. There are PFD specifically designed for various
activities such as waterskiing, fishing and hunting.

Buoyancy is the force that
counteracts the gravitational forces
on a person in water. Most of
us don't have enough natural
buoyancy to keep afloat, so if
we fall in the water, we'll sink. In
order to stay afloat, we need a
personal floatation device, or
PFD. PFDs provide additional
buoyancy and used correctly,
can keep a person afloat for hours. The
person using a properly sized PFD will be able to keep their
head above water to breathe without the exertion of treading
water. This can be the difference between life and death in
an emergency. Life jackets, life vests, and throwable floatation
devices are all versions of PFDs.

Throwable Devices

(Type IV Flotation Devices)
These PFDs are designed to be thrown to a person in the
water, and grasped and held until rescued. These devices
14

New York Safe Boating - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of New York Safe Boating - 2020