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Wearing life jackets is the simplest way to ensure your boating day is fun and safe.

Inflatable life jackets are popular because they’re comfortable and compact. They‘re legal substitutes for traditional, inherently buoyant life vests, but only if you wear them. Just having them on board doesn’t count. They’re also only legal for passengers 16 years of age and up.
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 You know, inflatable life jackets have become
00:08 very popular in recent years.
00:10 They're a great way to make sure your day on the water
00:12 is fun and safe.
00:14 They're a legal substitute for inherently buoyant
00:17 life jackets like those, if they're worn,
00:20 by a boater over 16 years of age.
00:23 Younger children don't qualify to wear them.
00:26 Some life jackets inflate automatically
00:28 when they get wet.
00:30 There's either a dissolving bobbin in them
00:32 or a hydrostatic mechanism that triggers the CO2 cartridge.
00:37 In either case, they all have a manual lanyard to pull
00:42 so that you can inflate them.
00:44 One of the most comfortable ones to wear are the belt pack
00:47 and you wear them sort of like a fanny pack
00:49 slid around to your front.
00:51 The only trick to those is that you have to be capable
00:54 of pulling the lanyard and then pulling the air bladder
00:57 up over your neck so that you're safely floating.
01:01 Whichever you choose, you have to be careful
01:03 to maintain the inflation mechanisms
01:06 so they're ready when you need them.
01:08 It's a simple process.
01:09 You follow the directions inside the life jacket
01:12 on the air bladder.
01:14 You match your reinflation kit to the device that you have.
01:18 The folding pattern is illustrated on the yellow bladder
01:21 that inflates.
01:23 When you go to use your life jacket,
01:24 always check for the green inflation and ready sign.
01:28 It appears differently on different life jackets
01:31 and some of them are hidden on the inside
01:34 and you should peel open the bladder from time to time
01:37 and look to make sure it's fully charged.
01:40 Now the suspender style life jacket
01:42 is very comfortable to wear as well.
01:44 It's a little more bulky than the belt pack
01:46 but once you inflate it, it's ready to save your life.
01:50 So keep in mind, the belt pack is the least intrusive
01:54 while you're wearing it on a day to day basis
01:57 but it requires a little more effort
01:59 to make sure it's ready to save your life.
02:01 The other style, the suspender style,
02:04 is a little more bulky, still extremely comfortable
02:06 and it doesn't overheat your body
02:08 like a traditional life jacket
02:10 and when you pull the lanyard or you fall in the water
02:13 and it automatically inflates,
02:14 it's automatically saving your life.
02:17 That's the story on inflatable life jackets
02:19 and I'm Randy Vance.
02:20 (upbeat music)
02:23 (upbeat music)