4. Don’t leave your PFD on board for
long periods when the boat is not
in use.
5. Never dry your PFD on a radiator,
heater, or any other direct heat
source.
6. Put your name on your PFD if you’re
the only wearer.
7. Practice throwing your Type IV PFD.
Cushions throw best underhand.
CHECKING YOUR LIFE JACKET / PFD:
• Your PFD is required to be in serviceable
condition in order to be used on your
boat as one of the required PFDs.
• Check your PFD often for rips, tears, and
holes, and to see that seams, fabric straps,
and hardware are okay. There should be
no signs of waterlogging, mildew odor, or
shrinkage of the buoyant materials.
• Users of inflatable life jackets should follow
the manufacturer’s instructions for
annual testing and pre-boating checks.
Be sure to replace a used or punctured
CO2 cylinder and re-arm it.
• If your PFD uses bags of kapok (a naturally
buoyant material), gently squeeze
the bag to check for air leaks. If it leaks, it
should be thrown away. When kapok gets
wet, it can get stiff or waterlogged and can
lose some of its buoyancy.
• Don’t forget to test each PFD at the start of
each season. Remember, the law says your
PFDs must be in good shape before you
use your boat. Ones that are not in good
shape should be cut up and thrown away.
Serviceable condition—Check for “serviceability”
at least annually and before
boating. Criteria for serviceability includes:
1. No PFD may exhibit deterioration
that could diminish the performance
of the PFD including:
• Metal or plastic hardware used
to secure the PFD on the wearer
that is broken, deformed, or
weakened by corrosion;
• Webbings or straps used to
secure the PFD on the wearer
that are ripped, torn, or which
have become separated from an
attachment point on the PFD; or
• Any other rotted or deteriorated
structural component that fails
when tugged.
2. In addition to meeting the requirements
of paragraph (1) of this section,
no inherently buoyant PFD,
including the inherently buoyant
components of a hybrid inflatable
PFD, may exhibit:
• Rips, tears, or open seams in
fabric or coatings that are large
enough to allow the loss of buoyant
material;
• Buoyant material that has
become hardened, non-resilient,
permanently compressed, waterlogged,
oil-soaked, or which
shows evidence of fungus or mil-
Figure 2-5. Teach
your children to
properly wear a life
jacket / PFD.
(USCG Photo)
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
Figure 2-6. A father adjusting his daugher’s life
jacket (USCG Photo)
24 Chapter One