I think we all get it about the target audience. Just that l know they hire a guide. It’d be easy enough to get right.
I would have assumed the guide did instruct them how to hold a paddle and wear a PFD. At which point the production crew collectively rolled their eyes and dismissed the guide as a pretentious pedant and went about their business.
Good point, once a camera gets involved foolish stuff happens. Some years ago, can’t remember the details now, someone in our area put out a book about paddling locations. The cover showed two people w/o PFDs. Turned out that the publisher refused to allow a photo with the paddlers wearing them because they thought it didn’t look as good.
Apparently its a no wake zone.
Crappy upside down paddle, crappy boat, crappy hotel, no pfd, and yet they appear to be enjoying themselves like the thousands of people they represent! OMG how dare they!
1 Like
I was wondering why you had not weighed in yet…
This site has become continually critical of light recreational paddling that masses of people seem to enjoy with very few ill outcomes! Granted that some may “know better”!
Not sure about the paddles being upside down. When I watched the Olympics last year, the rowing teams had their paddles oriented in that upside down position, so maybe they know something. PFDs are a must. Maybe they are sitting on them? I see so many who think as long as the pfd is in the boat it’s ok.
My niece and friends have done sculls. Equipment a bit different.
1 Like
As far as USCG and most state regulations on flat water, they generally need only be approved and readily accessible.
As far as not wearing a PFD correctly fastened, not very useful. Another piece of flotsam that must be retrieved. Although you have to admire people that value their boats so much that they will strap a PFD to it to save the boat rather then themselves.
Sculling teams should always have a motor boat nearby with a PFD for each of the people in the scull. I have not been there when an 8 or a 4 capsized, so I can’t comment on how that works out for deployment. But they are generally on rivers, not terribly far from shore, and they don’t row in current like near where the river goes into the sea. And more often than that young.
Over the last couple of decades the interest in sculling has grown quite a lot around here. We have multiple high school and college teams that are set up on the Hudson River, Saratoga Lake/Fish Creek, and they are all out there every spring wearing not much of anything when the water is still cold. There have been capsizes, no one has been lost to drowning. I will admit it does make me a bit nervous. But they seem to stay within safety margins.
rstevens is correct, the requirements generally only say that there be a PFD present on a craft for each person. That is a carry over from motor boat regulations, where a floatable seat cushion counted as a life saving device. I remember counting them before we took off in the 14 ft boat my father built.
Further, in many states between May 1 and a date in the fall that requirement goes away for anyone over the age of 12. The USCG tries every year to make this a year round requirement across all states but they not yet succeeded.
For the moment, some of this falls to individuals and local clubs to enforce good habits. Our after-work paddle group under the aegis of ADK can require a PFD be on the person’s body and zipped (or if it is Kokatat clipped). That said, someone can disagree, paddle off by themselves in a huff and go over a dam. Not like we can stop them.
Its actually accurate since that’s they way touristas use the paddles anyway. Love the skin tone PFD’s too. Can’t even see 'em, very natural.
Why pay professional nonpaddling models when the shot only shows their backs?
Waste of money.
Laws might have changed, but several years ago I tried looking up boating laws on PFDs for all 50 states. I might have been unable to get an answer on one or two of them, but the only state that required WEARING the PFD was New Mexico.
Before dismissing that as too podunk to worry about, consider this:
I went to the NM portion of Navajo Lake and carcamped there. It was early September, very hot, and I was practicing rolling next to shore near the launch. I put the PFD on shore because it provided flotation to my back when I wanted to make sure I could roll easily/perfectly without the crutch.
Yeah, a ranger told me to put it on.
NY requires wearing of a PFD only between the cold water time of 1Nov - 1 May. Under age 12, wear is mandatory 100% of time all of the year in all conditions.
Isn’t that what l said, for some states? Just reread.
As other said, many states require it for cold months 12 and under. Agree that really is not what is needed.
You were correct, but after reading what Pikabike said in research about being unsure regarding all states , I simply verified what you said for the law I know in one specific state that I live in.
Got it. Haven’t looked but would not be surprised in winter/under 12 was fairly common. Which is of minimal help since most people, of any age, don’t go out in paddle boats when it is obviously freezing weather.