life jackets

[bassman3840]

In todays toronto star on the front page under the heading "drownings prompts calls to reform boating laws." the OPP & the lifesaving society are renewing calls to require boaters to wear life jackets while afloat.This is because of the number of drownings the past weekend. We better contact John Baird the federal transport minister & try to convince him not to amend the present reg as the OPP & lifesaving society requests.If this amendment is passed it will sure make fishing uncomfortable. All this comes about because 3 boaters drown.Whats next ? Would like to hear what you think of this .Also talked obout on Toronto Global news tonight.

[Seabass81]

This is just my opinion but I think it would be good if they made it that it was the law to wear a pfd when under power. Its that way in bass tourney's and I never mind.

[Fishing-Away]

Govt Approved self inflating PFD's work just fine, and aren't bulky. And yes you can now get them so that the built in auto inflate sensors must be immersed under 4 inches of water, so that they don't automaticaly inflate if you are hit by a wave, or it raining too hard, Which was a fault of the older models.. if you watch what for instance the OPP wear when they are out on the waters, you'll see they are wearing these.

Not only do i fish, but also i am a sailor, involved in various offshore ocean going transits from time to time.. which usually under Murphys Law involve rough weather, guess what i wear...

BTW - trolling using a big SW Reel and Rod combo off the back of a sailboat doing 7.5 knots or more, sure is an experience, you just never know what you'll hook into out there on the old ocean. Its a blast. !!!!

Just my opinion.

[RJ]

It'll never happen in a million years....Can you imagine Mr. 40 footer in his cabin cruiser walking around in a PFD?...

I wear my auto-inflatable while fishing alone.....and while running in tournaments....though in "current" areas we should wear them more....

RJ

[fishin mission]

bring it on !! it's long overdue! Too many people drowning and not wearing life jackets. If mr 40 footer doesn't want to wear his pfd well guess what..... sell the boat! I am 100 percent for it !!I wear mine all the time. And as for you people opposed to it if rescue is needed to come and save your life you should be liable for the full cost of the recovery !

my 2 cents!

[Dan Smyth]

I also wear my PFD all the time in my boat. I lke many others hated to wear one in the old days when they were bulky and uncomfortable but when I started taking my young ones on the water I forced myself to wear one. Now i wear the auto inflatable type and it does not bother me at all.

I in fact have to thank my kids for converting me to wearing my seatbelt back in the days when that law was new as well.

I think the life jacket law would be much the same, a major pain in the butt to start but after awhile it would become second nature to put it on.

[Dcaster]

I agree with seabass, make them mandatory while under power, that makes sense to me. And not sure what the law is now but anyone under 18 should have to where them all the time.

[MTF]

I wear a mustang auto-inflatable PDF and don't even know if its there....so what ever happens it won't change what I do. One thing they cwn do is make it mandatory for boats under a certain length like 30'

BTW I got my PDF a few weeks back at Gander Mountain and they had them on sale for $179 regular almost $300...they olny had camo pattern left, but thats ok now the fish will never see me coming

[Dcaster]

Thats what I want to get then i would always where one. There sweet, just have to save up for one......

[Carmine13]

i dont think it should have to be mandatory, if you dont wear one you pay the price. i only wear mine when im going full speed but if im anchored im probably not going to be thrown from the boat, or if your trolling your not going to get thrown out either, and if you have a small boat how crowded will you be if everyone is wearing a life jacket, its just not practical to HAVE to wear one

[fishin mission]

[quote="Carmine13"]i dont think it should have to be mandatory, if you dont wear one you pay the price.


thats exactly my point !!
if you don't wear them you pay the price......... well we do pay the price as taxpayers to have some rescue party come and pull you from the water !!

[Hookup]

Should not be manditory IMO. I would have a hard time respecting it if it happened, and given the amount of police-boats they'd have a really hard time enforcing it... though it would be a decent cash-grab with the number of tickets issued...

I understand if I get thrown overboard and die, the people left in my boat are at risk... we've all seen the ad on tv with the two kids in the boat and dad floating face-down beside them... but my kids could kick those TV kids butt and therefore would be fine... Plus, i'm insured, so it's a win-win really...

Honestly, having to wear them when under power, in concept is a good idea, but i cannot ever see it flying... the Mr. 40 foot boat is a good example.

Just my point of view.. nothing more.
Tim

[baz fish]

Me Im completely for the law to wear life jacket when your in a boat because if you fell on the water alot of time you got little time to come back on top or you could drown in second . Until about a year ago I was saying well I wont wear a pfd when all go in a boat because I was saying its not to confortable etc but after a tragic accident that happen about a year ago it makes me realised that we could died faster then we think.

[Out4trout]

For adults, if you wish to wear your PFD, wear it. If not, don't. I always wear mine, but that is a personal decision. We have too many Nanny laws already.

For children <14, I support making it mandatory that they wear a PFD. We should hold parents accountable for drownings of any of their children who didn't wear their PFD, using existing laws (criminal negligence).

It really doesn't cost much to the system when an adult drowns because they didn't wear a PFD. You're either drowned or alive, unlike motorcycle helmet injuries...which do cost us all.

I regard drownings of adults not wearing their PFD as nature's way of thinning the weeds from the gene pool garden...

[JustinHoffman]

Hello All,

Thought I'd chime in with my thoughts. Since acquiring one of the new PFD's, I wear it whenever the boat is under power. The same goes for when I am fishing in rough water, or early and late in the season when the water temperatures are cold. Makes the most sense to me.

I'd be all for a law that states you must wear one when the motor is running - not any different from our current seat belt laws. Like someone said, you have to during bass tourneys.
Saying that, I would be opposed to being forced to wear one whenever I am on the water. That's just me. I feel that choice should be left up to me.

Funny thing is - out of the rash of drownings that have happened this month, almost all were preventable. For instance - who goes canoeing at 1am in the morning? Worse yet, who wouldn't think to put on a lifejacket when you can't even make out your hand in front of your face? Alcohol was also involved in a few of these.
Another one was the man in his speedboat. If you are going to run your craft at break-neck speeds, at least be responsible to wear a PFD.
Three other were diving off unsafe cliffs into fast moving water that was unseasonably high and fast.

Sure, the odd boater drowns that was following all of the precautions that are in place. But 90% lose their life by not thinking before acting, and going through with said actions, when they clearly have disaster written all over them.

Good Fishing,

Justin