Life Jacket Laws

[sweetwater]

I was thinking that if you fell in with one on and it inflated like it should, wouldn`t it not be usable again until you re armed it? Then you would have to have another pfd for you after you got back in the boat. So you probably need the same number of pfds as inflatables in the boat. KB1.

I hadn't thought of this either but it makes perfect sense to me.

[diversified]

Not sure, but i may have a answer. My step daughter works for the COE at lake Cumberland and i ask her this question. She is one of the people that promotes the use of PFD and safety. Her response is, when the law was made the theory was that while in the water that you could put on a vest and get it buckled, however, when a inflatable expands it is so tight and buoyant that it is nearly impossible to put it on while in the water.

[dac]

Not all auto-inflatables must be worn at all times to count as a life jacket. Some auto inflatables state that on recreational vessels they are a Type II, and do not have to be worn to count. They also state that on commercial vessels, they are a type 5 and must be worn at all times to count. This is the case with my Mustange auto inflatable. Read the label to know for sure.