PFD and lights for a SUP?

[BSLNoel]

I'm not too happy about this being considered a vessel, mainly for storage reasons.  It's a surfboard and I want to utilize the front of it.  I don't want a PFD up there all of the time.  I don't want to carry one out to the beach (really shallow bay in the Gulf of Mexico) when I'm letting my son push around my wife on the board.  I don't want to have 2 PFDs on it when my son (who is already wearing one) and my wife pile on to go up river to a sandbar. 

I just think there are tons of applications where the board IS being used as a flotation device.  I understand there are others where it's used more as a boat too.  In my original post I was using it as a boat, and for those times I will abide by the rules.

[PonoBill]

I'm all for RATIONAL regulations. A light on your board at night is rational. A PFD attached to the nose with no leash is NOT. $389 fine on the Columbia is you don't have a PFD and whistle. But it's all OK if you tie those to the front leash plug and go out in the middle of mighty Columbia in 50 degree water, flowing at 5 mph with the wind blowing at 45 kts with no leash.

The PFD requirement as it stands is bureaucratic nonsense. A light at night is not.

[Easy Rider]

^^^ This man speaks the truth! 


I have convinced the Police and Fire Dept. (who patrol our river here) that a leash and whistle are all you need.
They were both my idea - and were glad when I proposed a whistle as well as a leash. 

Fox 40 makes an incredibly loud an tiny whistle - I keep it either in my trunks pocket or attache to my hydration pack.

A leash on moving water is a no brainer - and in reality it should be a no brainer on all water.

[pdxmike]

The pfd issue resurfaces every few weeks here, as new people find out that they're required.  And each time, someone new asks why a pfd should be required if you're leashed to your board, especially when that provides far more safety than a pfd attached to a board that can get away from you.  

And it's still the question that has never been answered convincingly.  Just about everyone here uses leashes voluntarily, and I bet everyone paddling at night would carry a light even if there were no requirement.  There are also lots of people here who also wear pfds for safety, and would continue to even without a requirement.  But nobody would ever strap a pfd onto their board for safety reasons.  They only do it to meet the requirement.  

I saw dozens of people on rental SUPs in Seattle last weekend, all with their el-cheapo pfds strapped to their boards.  Some had leashes, some not.  It looked ridiculous--they serve no purpose other than to meet the law.  What are they going to do if they need flotation--pull themselves back to their board with their leash, then get on the board and put on the pfd?  

I wish local jurisdictions here could act like they do in Easy Rider's case, and make their own policies based on common sense.  Instead, they simply enforce the Coast Guard rule (as I assume they must, legally) even if they agree it makes no sense.  And the leash-versus-pfd question never gets answered.

[hbsteve]

Today I was told that paddlers in Newport Harbor have been stopped & given a warning for not having a pfd.  I always wear a leash.  I certainly have passed Harbor Patrol, waves exchanged, without being stopped.  Has anyone here been stopped?

[SUP616]

I exchanged pleasantries with the county sheriff last week about 1/4 mile out in Lake Michigan.  Calm day, wearing leash and whistle, no PDF.  they basically told me to enjoy the beautiful morning.  With that being said, I think i might invest in one of the waist belt PFDs just to error on the side of caution when I'm out on the "big lake".   

[PonoBill]

I had a little discussion yesterday with the cop who gave me a ticket a few weeks ago. I said "tell me this, say you're on a boat in the columbia all by yourself. The boat sinks. would you be happier to have a SUP board leashed to your ankle or a PFD around your waist". Took some prying, but he admitted he'd rather have the board to be on than be bobbing in 50 degree water (actually the river is pretty warm now, but what the heck).

And so would anyone who isn't a complete moron.

[pdxmike]

I did an open water swim race in Seattle last weekend.  For safety, the course was lined with kayaks and especially lifeguards on paddleboards.  It's ironic that paddleboards are used as a rescue device/vehicle, but count as nothing when leashed to a paddler's ankle.  It's also ironic that if the lifeguards had carried paddles, they could have been cited for not having pfds on board. 

I noticed that all the lifeguards chose paddleboards--none were riding pfds.   

[PaddleAnything]

One person's rational regulation and another person's reality regarding safety are all dependent on the situation.  One regulation across all environments and users rarely passes the common sense test in every case and  falls far short of the intended purpose of the reg. 

In some places, leashes are a hazard and the light requirement is enforced for purely bureaucratic  reasons but I always wear a pfd when paddling.  Since spring, there have been 3 to 4 drownings a month within 20 miles of my home.  In all but two cases, pfds were not being worn and would have changed the outcome.  People wading in the lake that don't know how to swim or diving off a boat are not required by these regulations to wear a pfd.  Go figure

If sup is going to go inland as the hype would have us believe, pfd use among sup paddlers will need to become as common as pfd use in whitewater today.  Death and injury in whitewater has been well documented and if for no other reason, a pfd helps to keep your lifeless body on the surface and provides something to grab on to by the swiftwater body recovery team.  It is one thing for a surfer or paddler to pick up a sup and go because of the background experience in water.  It is very different for some dude in Ohio to rent a sup and head to the lake or river without any understanding of the environment or his/her skills in it. 

In my world, I'll take comfort in a pfd, helmet, knife, cold weather gear and maybe a throw rope for water sports all depending on the enviroment.  The light and whistle aren't going to do me very much good. 

I have a vested interest in my safety while on the water and really don't need the assistance of law enforcement or a legislator. 

[1tuberider]

Paddlieanything

I totally believe in not going unless you can self rescue. 

I can't agree with the pfd requirement as the board attached is the best pfd unless, one becomes unconscious or incapable of floating a pfd will keep you face up.  That is why I am for a pfd for most areas other than a surf zone.  Its not any good unless its on.

The light is a limited visibility safety devise.  At nite boating is a whole different story.  High speeds which some do has caused great harm and death.  Its really hard to read the water at nite with all the lites so I boat a lot slower in limited visibility than during lit conditions.  A round white lite is required on a small vessel during limited visibility yet there have been to many accidents of bigger vessels properly lit by more than just a round lite, by others driving to fast. 

Around here nite paddleing would be a bit dangerous.  Not due to crowded conditions but more so because of harsh conditions and big fish.  If I were to enjoy a nite paddle the conditions would have to be just right and I would have a round white lite, a whistle and a pfd, possibly a hand held gps and vhf would also be on board and someone would know when to expect me back and where I am going to be. A bit more than required but all necessary for personal safety. 

I have a vested interest in my safety while on the water and really don't need the assistance of law enforcement or a legislator. 

Hopefully we will never need le but I am sure glad they are there to help.

[bean]

Whenever I have a brush with "the law", I always follow my arguments with this phrase.

And so would anyone who isn't a complete moron.

[Wilverine]

I paddle on a big lake and haven't been approached by the "law" yet; I carry a pfd strapped to my board just in case.  The leash makes sense to me now.  As you can see from this picture the lake is pretty big (this pic is about the center of the largest part of the lake and is in the middle of my 8.63 mile route.)  This is just after sunrise.  I have a light that clips to the brim of my cap that I have on prior to sun up.  Don't know if that would be any good in the eyes of the law but it makes me feel a little better thinking other boaters can see me.
Will

[Blue Sloth]

Around here nite paddleing would be a bit dangerous.  Not due to crowded conditions but more so because of harsh conditions and big fish. 

Big fish? Leaping onto the board? Bumping the board from below? 

[PonoBill]

I'd love to hear of a situation where a PFD attached to a SUP is of any use at all other than keeping you from being fined. That would take some creative writing.

[Alkasazi]

maybe when you stumble and land face-first on it....