PFD's are free life insurance for Gods sake. Take advantage!!

+ 1 Very well said Doug.

I'm 29 and at the point now to where if I don't have mine on while the big motor is fired up it feels the same way as if I were to get in a car without a seatbelt. So my 10 yr old always has hers on the whole time. What would happen if you forgot to put the plug in and you just ran 20 minutes out in the lake and your boats sinks. My theory is if you make them wear seatbelts then you should make the wear their PFD's.

Until they can swim Proficiently they wear them 100% other than that per sate law.

My kids always wore one,up through about 13. Even when swimming from shore. If a kid goes under swimming from shore there is no way to find them in time in our lakes. Next time you go to the lake, throw a trash can full of rocks over in 5 to 8 foot of water and try to see it? Then to to shore and go back and try to find it by diving for it. By the time you do it would have been too late to save a kid.
I saw this demonstration one year at scout camp on bridgeport. Big eyeopener. Kids may not need them in a pool where you can see the bottom but in a lake they need them.

When we had our boats in the water..I was the guy who made the kids put the life vest/jackets on zip/tied on -while on the dock.I would
not start the boat or pull away until everyone of my little persons
were safe floats if they somehow fell in the water..
When I was young --I saw and still remember a little girl who was my age at the time..fall off a dock into the water at port A and almost drown..her dad --I guess he was--jumped in and pulled her out..I remember him going under the water to get her and pull her up ...I remember the ambulance came and took her away ..
I did not get on a dock since then without a life vest/jacket on after that when I was small.I totally believe in them since then for all small children..

Huh not so on OH Ivie. Close friend of mine was ticketed for letting his 12 year son take is jacket off while crappie fishing tied up to some stumps. He made the mistake of leaving his trolling motor in the water. I told him it was bs and that I wouldn't pay it but he didn't want to take a chance of having their license revoked and paid it anyway.

My girls have their vests on before I even put the boat in the water and they stay on until it's back on the trailer. Just the way I do it.

My kids have life jackets on before they get out of the truck.

3.5 year old son has his on if he's on the water, no matter what. it's the rule in our house!

It's usually only my son and I-our routine is I back the boat in and dock it while he remains in the truck, I take his life jacket out of the bump while heading back to the truck to clear the ramp and park. As soon as he gets out of the truck his life jacket goes on and does not come off until we are back at the truck and ready to load and leave.

my kids are all grown up now but they grew up wearing them, they had them on before we got in the boat - kinda like the old Nike ad , they just did it or dad didn't crank the boat up

So if a boat is anchored down PFD is not mandatory for kids under 13? Am I understanding this correctly? I looked for the law and I don't see it worded any where. Can someone clarify this? Thank you

My 5 yr old baby girl already knows that she has to have it on before she steps in the boat. She even got onto mama last week because she didnt already have her pfd on when we got on the water it was comical!