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Oregon PFD Law


Mattyb

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Anyone in Oregon know if a surfer is required to wear a PFD?  For sure you have to have one in the boat for them, but not sure about actually wearing it.  Everyone around here does, but I cant seem to find a clear answer to this one.

 

Thanks!

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Not sure about kids 12 and under having to wear them while during water sports, but I'm sure they so since they have to legally wear one when in the boat. It's a terrible law IMO. I could see 8 and under or even 10 and under...but 12 year olds are in middle school.

13+ don't have to wear one when doing water sports...just need to have one for them in the boat. I used to ride with someone that never wore one. To each their own, but I always have my life jacket on when I'm behind the boat.

 

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Oregon law only requires that a PFD be on board. Being towed is considered on board.   See below from page 7 section 2.1.2 of Oregon Boaters manual.   They stress that all boaters should wear one.  You can download a copy for the Oregon Marine Board Site.   Also states that on recreational vessels underway, children under 13 years old must wear a Coast Guard -approved life jacket unless they are below decks or in an enclosed cabin.

May be that you do not need a PFD to surf, etc....  But on my boat no one gets in the water for boarding activities without one.   Seems like a simple safety rule to me.  

2.1.1 Federal Requirements
• The U.S. Coast Guard requires one wearable PFD for each person onboard, of appropriate size for the person intended.

• At least one Type IV PFD (throwable device) must be kept onboard any boat of 16 feet or longer.
 

2.1.2 Other PFD Information
Someone being towed behind a boat is considered to be onboard.
• All personal watercraft (PWC) occupants must be wearing their PFD while underway.
• Inflatable PFDs are not authorized for persons under the age of 16, nor are they approved for use during high-impact sports such as waterskiing or operation of a PWC.
 

2.3 WEARING PFDS
PFDs should be worn by ALL boaters when in, on, and around water, not just when operating or riding in a boat. However, a PFD should be worn especially when encountering dangerous
conditions including high boat traffic, severe weather, dangerous water conditions, dangerous local hazards, considerable distance from shore, operations at night, boating alone, traveling at high speed and during water sports activities.
 

Edited by ORMailbuboater
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Same… I am pretty chill with PFDs... my kids (from when they were babies) dont wear pfd's while on board or just cruising around (not required by law on my boat and I was okay with it.. I know some people view this differently.)  But no way is someone jumping in the water and surfing behind my boat without a PFD.  Comp vests are fine.. but you have to have something.

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I allowed it one time for a surfing photo shoot where the surfer was wearing his high school graduation cap & gown and a college logo t-shirt underneath. It was painful to watch. However, the water was glassy, everyone was on high alert, the rider has significant skill/experience, and he was "fresh". The upside? The resulting photos were pretty sweet on the graduation party invitations. 

Outside of that, I'm the guy that constantly is offering the adults that are soaking in the lake a jacket. I know you can drown in your leftover Froot Loops milk, but we are often chilling or towing people in 200-feet of water. That's a tough rescue/recovery that I'm not interested in being a part of. Plus, even if I don't like you and somehow you got on as a stowaway or something, I'm not going to let you ruin my favorite place/pastime for me. Grab a jacket, dummy.

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@ORMailbuboater thanks for digging that up.  I was reading over and over trying to make sure I understood it.  I have always been a PFD wearer, esp. with higher impact sports like skiing/wakeboarding etc.  Having personally pulled an unconscious person out of the water after they hit to hard on a wipe out.   The question has more come up during surfing and mainly in this context: if the law doesn't require them for ocean surfing, which runs a much higher risk of drowning they why would they require them for boat surfing?  For my part I will continue to wear at least a comp vest.

 

@jetskipro550 I am with you on the age rule.  I am in favor of some limit, but 13 seems to old.  My 9 year old can swim over a 1/2 mile (we have a series of swim tests at our cabin they have to pass in order to be on the dock w/o a jacket on, etc.). 

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Even capable swimmers can drown. 

I used to work with a woman who lost her 11 year old son when he and his father jumped into Lake Mead to cool off on their way back to the houseboat from a fuel run. They went in together but the boy never surfaced. It took several days to find his body. No other contributing cause of death - just drowning. It was a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided by taking 10 seconds to put on a vest.  

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But at what point do you stop living your life by the actuarial tables?  I mean, I swim out in the lake; my kids did since practically birth and there is no way I'd make a competent swimmer wear a life jacket.  I know it is not a pool with life guards, but at some point...

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17 hours ago, ORMailbuboater said:

Oregon law only requires that a PFD be on board. Being towed is considered on board.   See below from page 7 section 2.1.2 of Oregon Boaters manual.   They stress that all boaters should wear one.  You can download a copy for the Oregon Marine Board Site.   Also states that on recreational vessels underway, children under 13 years old must wear a Coast Guard -approved life jacket unless they are below decks or in an enclosed cabin.

May be that you do not need a PFD to surf, etc....  But on my boat no one gets in the water for boarding activities without one.   Seems like a simple safety rule to me.  

2.1.1 Federal Requirements
• The U.S. Coast Guard requires one wearable PFD for each person onboard, of appropriate size for the person intended.

• At least one Type IV PFD (throwable device) must be kept onboard any boat of 16 feet or longer.
 

2.1.2 Other PFD Information
Someone being towed behind a boat is considered to be onboard.
• All personal watercraft (PWC) occupants must be wearing their PFD while underway.
• Inflatable PFDs are not authorized for persons under the age of 16, nor are they approved for use during high-impact sports such as waterskiing or operation of a PWC.
 

2.3 WEARING PFDS
PFDs should be worn by ALL boaters when in, on, and around water, not just when operating or riding in a boat. However, a PFD should be worn especially when encountering dangerous
conditions including high boat traffic, severe weather, dangerous water conditions, dangerous local hazards, considerable distance from shore, operations at night, boating alone, traveling at high speed and during water sports activities.
 

Not that I really care, cause I always wear my vest...but now just more curious...I heard at one point in regards to drinking and 'driving' that you can get a BUII if you're wakeboarding/surfing/skiing/ etc... because you are 'in control of your vessel' but not with an inner tube because it's connected to the boat. I just wonder if A. that is even true and B. if that same logic sort of applies to the PDF and being 'onboard' like I said I don't really care just more curious...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey All, when we first started discussing this I sent an email to the Oregon State Marine board, figured I would see what they had to say on the topic.  Direct quote below from their boating safety manager/boating law administrator:

"Thank you for asking. It’s not quite a simple yes/no answer.

Life jackets must be “readily accessible” to all persons on a boat that is underway. A person engaged in a towed watersport, which includes wake surfing, is considered on board a vessel. For youth 12 and younger, “readily accessible” is defined as being worn, so a youth is required to wear a life jacket when on a boat or being towed. For an adult, it’s not so specific. Does a person being towed have  ready access to a life jacket that is on the boat? Officers debate this. This leaves some room for discretion as officers look at the entire situation.

Honestly, officers will rarely cite a wake surfer who is not wearing a life jacket, but some counties are more rigid."

So not exactly clear answer.  Easiest way to get clear is to ask your local law enforcement officer, in this case i would lean towards getting permission rather than asking for forgiveness if you want to go in that direction.  My main reason for asking was to know if a comp vest is acceptable so for me this is enough to wear a comp vest.  While i certainly agree with the sentiment above about not getting carried away with living my life in a bubble of safety all the time, the message I want to send to my kids is that safety has a place and its important to keep that in mind.

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