MEC used to sell US PFDs…
but now sells only Canadian-approved models. I was a good boy and bought the Canadian model (when the Americans offered greater variety and better product) and I regret my decision. I have never been stopped by the Coast Guard, nor can I imagine a situation on the water where they would ask someone to take off their PFD to inspect the label. I think the ‘fine’ is as hypothetical as those municipal fines for people who don’t clean up their dog poop: more an exhortation to good behaviour than a threat with any teeth.
so . . .
Arkay says “do what’s right for the customer”, but Arcadia seems to think that maybe doing what’s right for the customer means finding them the best jacket – not necessarily the best label?
Hmmmmmmmmm…
lots of choices
Fortunately, there are many more choices for comfortable pfd’s than there were a decade ago.
As I mentioned, I really like my Salus vests. Many others are available that are approved in Canada. I have tried an Astral, and it seemed to be quite good, but I don’t know that it offered anything beyond what the Canadian vests already have.
Is there a specific benefit to Astral? Or is it just a case of trying to stay current with the newest stuff?
Personally, I am not at all concerned about fines, but would rather buy from a Canadian company if price/quality/value were comparable.
ok
I live in ogdensburg,ny- on the stlarence river and go with club out of brockville,ont. Across from river from me and we put in one mile from canandian cg and most of us do not wear a pfd to go right by the cg cutter. Have never been hasled by border patrol on either side of river and we cross 100 times a year. Paddle in a group to reduce your chance of being run over by sail boat or power boat. Man in back of sailboat cannot see much.
Staying current
Staying current with new quality stuff is definitely part of my point. But I do try to push Canadian goods in my Canadian store. I also have some allegience to US manufacturers as many of my customers come from the US. Unfortunately I see so much stuff coming from off shore and it’s good quality too. But put side by side, and of equal quality I will definitely stock North American if I can. Within the next 5 years you will see North American kayak manufacturers having product built in Asia. It has already started.
NAFTA works?
Bully for your comment about buying things made in North America and not Asia IF you can. Even if the goods are only finished here from Asian parts I try and choose them. If you lived in Michigan and saw your friends losing jobs you’d understand how bad things are. I see CD is trying some composite work from China which is sad. Once the flood starts due to someone having a price advantage over the field everyone has to go there since consumers in the USA don’t understand that it hurts future generations as our plants close. At this point (fingers crossed) it’s cool to see new brands building kayaks here like the new Native line or Emotion. Let’s hope they can stay here and by insisting your kayak is built here in the USA you really do make a difference to someones family each week.
I asked a local CG staff about this…
and he said that they are generally happy just to see a kayaker have one on board and he wouldn’t be as fussy about that as when somebody does not have one on board…also a police friend pointed out to me that we are required to CARRY one on board…it doesn’t say that we are required to WEAR one although I usually wear mine. I always wear mine in winter with the extra risk with the colder water temp…just in case I “fall in” as many people put it…
Local legend:
A kayak racer was stopped by RCMP patrol boat and checked for pfd regs. Thelife jacket he was wearing was USCG approved but not CCG. As the Mountie was writing the citation, the intrepid paddler pulled a smelly, moldy kapok horse-collar pfd from behind his seat and said: “Will this do?” It did, 'cause it was approved for use in Canada. Score one for the little guy.
when I was at the boarder
you could see a long line of Americans with Canadian drugs passing a long line of Canadians with American PFDs
(And I think I heard that SOFs were now being outsourced to Greenland! Only buy American SOFs. Don’t accept Pacific Rim immitations.)
If your pfd is an inflatable, you must
have it on when in the water, not just in the boat.