From the Boathouse: Jacket numbers will soon come to zero

Ahoy!

What is the type code on the labels of the lifejackets that you have aboard your boat? What is the type code of the lifejackets that are required to be aboard the boat you rented for an afternoon? No idea what I am talking about? Then you are not alone.

Boating regulations require one lifejacket, or technically a personal floatation device, of the correct type code and size for each person aboard a vessel.

I am referring to type I, II, III, IV or V, and my guess is that the majority of boaters have no idea what these Roman numerals indicate on their lifejackets’ labels. The type coding on lifejackets has confused boaters for decades; the codes specify the uses for that specific lifejacket.

A type I jacket is for offshore use and commercial vessel operations, whereas type III, the most common, is often found still in its plastic wrapper on recreational vessels. However, newly introduced inflatable lifejackets have become very popular, and their designs are dramatically different from the age-old Mae West.

The Coast Guard is dropping the requirement of the type codes as of Oct. 22, so you will start to see a phasing-out of the codes on lifejackets. This is to make the products more consumer-friendly and to help spur new lifejacket innovations for the boating public. This is the first step of many for the new lifejacket standards, and a step in the correct direction to simplify the lifejackets’ uses for recreational boaters.

However, some manufacturers will continue to use the old labeling until the new standards, which will include new labeling protocols, are approved. It will be a few years until the standards are adopted and new labels begin to roll off the production line. Your current lifejackets with the existing type codes will still meet the requirements until the end of their useful lives.

The Boat U.S. Foundation, Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Assn. and National Marine Manufacturers Assn. are, once again, putting out a call for inventors to participate in the Innovations in Life Jacket Design Competition. This competition is designed, pun intended, for thinking outside of the box when it comes to lifejackets and new technologies, styles and designs.

Any person or group, including collegiate design programs, armchair inventors and even boat clubs, may enter. The deadline is April 15. The judges will be looking at wearability, reliability, cost and innovation.

I will not miss the type codes on the lifejackets, but I cannot wait to look stylish in a new lifejacket while racing on Lake Arrowhead or cruising off the Pacific Coast.

News of the week: One of our Newport Beach locals has been selected for the 2014-15 California and New Zealand lifeguard exchange program. This is the exchange’s 46th year.

Only two spots annually are available for members of the California Surf Lifesaving Assn. to travel and train in Auckland. John Prichard was selected as one of the two lifeguards who will be making the trek below the equator. He patrols the beaches for the city of Newport Beach and the state at Huntington State Beach.

“I’m honored to have been chosen.... The educational component of the exchange is very important to my growth as a professional lifeguard and waterman,” Prichard said. “I plan to learn and practice new lifesaving techniques while utilizing different rescue equipment and methods.

“The experience will not be over when the duration of the trip comes to an end, because this opportunity will have a long-lasting impact on my future as a lifeguard at multiple agencies.”

Anyone wishing to help Prichard with his airfare and costs during the training exchange can donate to gofundme.com/johnlifeguardnz.

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating radio talk show in the nation, “Boathouse Radio Show,” broadcasting live coast-to-coast on a syndicated network. See times at https://www.boathousetv.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.