Lifejackets and personal flotation devices: wear it, don't just carry it

Frank is sixty-seven and has boated on the river most of his life. His lifejackets live in a plastic bin under the bow seat. He bought them when his kids were small, and the kids are in their forties now. Frank has never worn one on a calm day. He's a strong swimmer, he says, so what's the point?

So here's the question. Is having lifejackets aboard enough, and do Frank's even still count?

Start with the law. The Small Vessel Regulations say you carry a Canadian-approved lifejacket or personal flotation device of an appropriate size for each person on board. Transport Canada says a device that's ripped or in poor condition is no longer considered approved. The fine for coming up short is two hundred dollars, plus a hundred for each additional missing device. That's general information, not legal advice.

What's the difference between the two? Transport Canada says lifejackets come only in red, orange or yellow. Personal flotation devices are made for constant wear, but they're less buoyant and less able to turn you face up. Either way, look for an approval label from Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, or Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Inflatables have their own rules. Under the Small Vessel Regulations, anyone under sixteen needs a device that isn't inflatable, and so does anyone on a personal watercraft. Transport Canada adds anyone under thirty-six point three kilograms, that's eighty pounds. And an inflatable only counts as your required device if you're wearing it in an open boat. Folded in a bin, it doesn't count.

Fit matters as much as the label. For a child, Transport Canada says the device should be snug, shouldn't ride up over the chin or ears, and should leave less than seven point six centimetres, about three inches, between the shoulders and the device. Look for a big collar and a crotch strap. And on a paddleboard, a leash is not a lifejacket.

Why wear it? Transport Canada's guide says about ninety percent of people who drown while boating weren't wearing one. It says about ninety-four percent of Canadian boaters who drown were in water under twenty degrees Celsius. And it warns that putting one on once you're in the water is very hard. For water under fifteen degrees, choose a device with thermal protection.

On the water. Think of the boats you pass on a sunny afternoon among the islands: a family in a runabout, two friends in a canoe. That's the everyday boat. And if you ever take a boat through a Seaway lock, the Seaway's own guide says everyone aboard must wear one.

Let's change one fact. Frank's granddaughter, who's six, comes along. An adult jacket from the bin won't do. She needs her own, sized for her, and not an inflatable. Snug, collar up, crotch strap done, and she wears it the whole time she's aboard.

The mistake boaters make is treating lifejackets like a spare tire, something you dig out once trouble starts. On the water, the device that helps you is the one you already have on.

Here's the rule, in one breath. One approved device of the right size for every person aboard, in good shape, and the best place for it is on you.

This week, do a lifejacket check. Look for the approval label, rips and worn straps, and make sure there's one of the right size for everyone who rides with you. Then try yours on and do up every buckle. Next time, the rest of the equipment list, by boat length and type.