life jacket certification

[aerenson]

It is really frustrating that all the best looking life vests are not USCG approved. Is there a big enough safety difference that I should not use one unless it has USCG approval?

[bwana50]

Why risk it for apperances' sake?

[MikeC]

USCG approval certifies the amount of flotation the vest provides. Non-USCG approved vests provide more comfort and flexibility (and style) mostly because they don't provide the same level of flotation.

Is it worth it? That depends on what level of safety you want. I personally wear a non-approved vest for water skiing, as do my kids. However for wakeboarding both of my kids wear approved vests, primarily because the risk of injury is much greater and I like for them to have the extra flotation.

One of the things that an approved vest is supposed to do is roll you over so your face is out of the water. I don't care how much flotation you strap around your chest there is no life jacket that will roll you over with a wakeboard strapped to your feet. But it will help you stay above water if you are injured and on your back. Anyone who remembers the old (USCG approved) orange life jacket that fits like a horse collar and straps loosely around your waist and the (non-USCG approved) ski belt will agree that anything we wear today is much safer than either of those options.

Remember that no matter what you wear for your watersports you are required to have at least one USCG approved life jacket on board for each passenger.

[BigBald]

We have had some non-USCG vests in the past....but, as the vests have gotten more comfortable, we have all gotten USCG approved vests. Just not worth having the extra vest in the boat to stay legal.

We also have found that the vests we have been finding at Costco and Sams are pretty nice. Actually one of my favorites is one that I got at Costco early last summer. It's a XXL...but fits nice and snug on me....more like a stretched out XL in other brands. And they are pretty reasonably priced.

[Hollywood]

One of the things that an approved vest is supposed to do is roll you over so your face is out of the water.

Not true with or without a wakeboard strapped on. Only Offshore race vests are designed to do this, which I guarantee none of you are wearing while wakeboarding or even have one in your boat. The orange ones will "most likely" flip you over too, but nobody is skiing in those either.