Comp vests - legal in OR?

[Boonejeepin]

I apologize if this is a dumb question..

Is it legal in OR to wear a non-USCG approved comp vest while surfing/boarding/skiing/etc...?

I see that the law requires accessible USCG approved PFDs on board and a person in tow is considered to be onboard. But I am not sure if an approved PFD in the boat is considered accessible for a person in tow.

I want a comp vest but I prefer to not pay a fine.

Thanks!

[DOCDRS]

I believe you have to have one on board for everyone in /on/behind the boat but they do not have to be wearing it. So a comp vest is fine , but you also have to have a fitting (appropriate size) uscg cert pfd on board for that person as well as everyone else

[Razzman]

My experience and others i've heard is really based on who stops you for a safety check. I've been warned about non-uscg vests but never given a ticket because there's always enough legal ones onboard. I know a few who've been ticketed for them. It all depends on the agency doing it. To the best of my knowledge they are illegal everywhere and the reason they call them "comp" vest so they can sell them.

[KSmith]

For Oregon it states:

General Information

All boats must carry at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved, personal flotation device (PFD) for every person aboard, that properly fits the intended wearer. Such devices must be in serviceable condition. They must not have any rips, tears, or broken straps. All devices must also be kept readily accessible for use in an emergency situation. Personal flotation devices in a plastic bag or in a storage compartment are not readily accessible.

Persons being towed are considered on board the towing boat and there must be an approved Type I, II, or III device aboard for each. Inflatable PFD's are NOT approved for children and are also NOT approved for impact sports such as waterskiing, riding a PWC, inner-tubing, etc.

All children age 12 and under must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while on an open deck or cockpit on boats that are underway or when being towed. This includes sailboats, canoes, kayaks and rafts.

PFD EXCEPTIONS:

A child does not need to wear a life jacket while below deck, or in an enclosed cabin of a boat;
A child does not need to wear a life jacket when on a sailboat and is thethered by a lifeline or harness that is attached to the sailboat, and;
A child does not need to wear a life jacket when the child is on a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected passenger-carrying vessel operating in navigable waters of the U.S.


As of January 1, 2010, ORS 830.215 (Life Jacket Statute) will be amended to read:

NEW (3) Notwithstanding the classification by the State Marine Board of the types of personal flotation devices approved for various classes of vessels pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, a person operating a boat on any section of waters rated class III or higher on a commonly accepted scale of river difficulty, and all passengers in the boat, shall wear a properly secured personal flotation device. The personal flotation device must be of a type prescribed by rules adopted by the State Marine Board.

[you da man]

As stated above, all vests must be Coast Guard approved for each person. In Texas you don't have to wear any vests at all while being towed or surf behind a boat, however, you have to wear an approved vest to be towed behind a PWC (makes absolutely no sense).

[KSmith]

You can use a comp vest in OR as long as you are over 12, but you also have to have a uscg vest in the boat in addition to the comp vest. I'd wear a comp vest but I doubt I'd ride without any vest.

[lsvboombox]

You can use a comp vest in OR as long as you are over 12, but you also have to have a uscg vest in the boat in addition to the comp vest. I'd wear a comp vest but I doubt I'd ride without any vest.

Agreed..

Persons being towed are considered on board the towing boat and there must be an approved Type I, II, or III device aboard for each. Inflatable PFD's are NOT approved for children*and are also NOT approved*for impact sports such as waterskiing, riding a PWC, inner-tubing, etc.*

[mmandley]

I've never had any issue with the OR po po and trust me there almost always on the lake when we are. I have never been in my boat and not seen the po po or dealt with them directly. At Henry Hagg we get our year inspection and I pull the comp vests out and they don't care. As long as the kids have proper vests. We only use comp vests then I have 4 of the orange ones I add when I got extra people with no vests.

Only thing you actually have to have in sight for inspection is the throwable floatation device. I keep mine in the cabin area till I get inspected then it goes back under the seats lol

[Boonejeepin]

Thanks everyone. I have only boated in OR for one full season and it seams like the Clackamas county marine patrol is always near.

[jester]

On page 44 of the Oregon boating book under waterskiing item 4 states that

"Towed persons are considered on board the tow boat.
Therefore, children ages 12 and under on water skis or
“biscuits” must wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets."

Hope this clears things up.

http://www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/libra...rsHandbook.pdf