PDF's REQUIRED for standup, an alternative

[ricki]

"The United States Coast Guard has imposed a legal ruling that all Stand-Up Paddleboards in the United States are "vessels" and paddlers must carry or wear a personal flotation device.
Mickey Munoz signs first USCG petition to eliminate the PFD requirement

This applies to all SUP operations in all lakes, rivers and in the ocean outside the surf zone.

This ruling jeopardizes the enjoyment and comfort of this wonderful water sport."

More info and petition at:
http://www.letspaddle.org/petition.php


It would be nice if these folks setup an online petition site through ipetitions.com or similar site to increase the amount of response.


This should be you under the current USCG interpretation. Dogs optional.
http://seattletimes.com


One Type III PDF alternative in the interim:
http://surfingsports.com/2010/03/hobie-pfd-for-sups.asp

.

[conchxpress]

I paddle in an area of Tampa where the college and high school crews train, and also a lot of private rowers. Why is it that they, and racing kayaks (by regulation), do not require a PFD? They are rowing backwards, are near the surface of the water, and do not have the same situational awareness that a SUPer does. Their excuse would be that it would interfere with their paddling, which it wouldn't because every other paddler in the water is in the same boat. If I ever get stopped, I'm going to ask this question. Then I'll insist that I'm training for a race. If racing is the only prerequisite for not wearing one as per crews and racing kayaks, then why would racing SUPs be excluded? Surely these other craft are certainly as much vessels as a SUP would be. Sounds to me like there is a double standard. But the University of Tampa probably has more clout than I do. This reeks of "who you know....."

And on another note, inside the surf zone, where surfers tread, both crawlers and sweepers, seems like a much more hazardous place where PFD's actually might do some good.

Operators and passengers of pleasure boats, are only required to have them available, not actually wearing them. What good with this do if they were run into by another vessel? The only thing that the occupants of a boat could do under ordinary circumstances, would be to don them when their boat was in danger of sinking. SUPs don't sink! If this would be the case for SUPers, then the pfd would only have to be on the deck. Now, if I needed a pfd at a moments notice, I would much rather use my board than a flimsy piece of nylon or ripstop or whatever they're made of. This whole thing makes no logical sense to me. But, hey, then again we're dealing with a government agency. Doh!

And, oh yeah, why was the helmet law for motorcycles repealed? Because of the outcry of biker groups. Seems you can't legislate safey. You can try. Where do lawmakers take their logic course?

[reyrivera]

I think this was enforced back in 2008?
At least in my personal experience, I don't wear a pfd when I surf with the paddle board, but I do wear one when I ride on estuary and boat traffic areas. Well, most of the time, I just tie down the pfd on the nose where the Coast Guard cutter can see it whenever they pass by me.

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/st...counted_19530/

Originally Posted by SurfNews

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED?
Stand-up paddleboards classified as 'vessels' by US Coast Guard; surf zone not affected
By: Evan Fontaine


Stand-up paddleboards (SUP) are now no different than vessels in the eyes of the U.S. Coast Guard. This new classification means that SUP users --when outside surf or swim zones or bathing areas -- are required to carry a lifejacket, or Personal Floatation Device (PFD), a whistle and, if out after dark, a flashlight to give fair warning to other boaters that they're in the area.

The Coast Guard is very clear, however, that SUPs in the surf zone will not be subject to the regulations of the new classification.

So, why the sudden need to officially recognize SUP as a vessel?

Paul Newman, the Recreational Boating Safety Program Manager for the 11th Coast Guard District (which encompasses California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah) explains. "The Coast Guard was responding to a query from the Director of the Oregon Marine Board about the status of 'paddleboards.' Apparently, there's been a huge influx of SUPs on Oregon's rivers and inland waterways. This was causing a safety concern because of the mix of boats on the water. Oregon law enforcement officers wanted to know whether SUPs were subject to boating regulations. The current determination does not apply to racing paddleboards like Jaime Mitchell might use in the Molokai race. Those paddleboards are hand-paddled in a kneeling or prone position.

"If you operate on flat water, outside a swimming or bathing area you become just like a kayak. That means the operator has to carry a Coast Guard approved lifejacket and a whistle or other sound-producing device to warn other boaters of his or her presence. You're also required to follow the navigation rules. If you're on a SUP after sunset you also need a flashlight to warn other boaters. I was in Channel Islands Harbor last week after sunset and there were several SUPs paddling around. You could hardly see them from our boat.

"The Coast Guard waived the usual requirement for a manufacturer to put a Hull ID Number (HIN) on the 'vessel,' so no new requirements for manufacturers."

Nate Burgoyne, editor of Stand-up Paddle Surfing magazine, thinks, surprisingly, that the SUP community should thank the U.S. Coast Guard for its recent measure.

"Although the sport has extensive history, the explosive growth has taken place for about a year now," Burgoyne said. "For the Coast Guard to already recognize Stand-up Paddling and take action toward defining the rules is definitely a credit to them. We need to remember that they're on our side doing their best to create a safe and clean maritime environment." Moving forward, Burgoyne says the SUP community needs to help refine the mandates placed on SUP users. "The Coast Guard currently doesn't require PFDs for windsurfers but it was a long process to get to that point," Burgoyne said. "Discussion on about the regulation began in the 1970s and continued until the early 1990s when they were federally exempted, with the decision-making left up to each state according to local climate and conditions."

Clay Feeter, publisher of Standup Surf & Sail Journal, says he hopes that in the future, SUP participants will be seen in the same light as windsurfers. "Windsurfers are not required to wear PFDs because years ago the Coast Guard determined when the windsurf sail drops, the board or rig becomes a sea anchor," Feeter said. "So the hope is that we can wear a leash to get around the ruling."

Burgoyne's vision, at least regarding PFDs, is similar. "A foam core paddleboard should qualify as a PFD," Burgoyne said. "Almost all SUPs are built with closed cell foam and are extremely durable. Hey, if a seat cushion on a boat or airplane can qualify, why not a stand up paddleboard? Maybe they could just require a leash or tether for those paddling a half-mile off shore."

Obviously the new regulations for SUPs are centered squarely around issues of safety. "The sport has exploded and you not only have lots of SUPs on the water but you have rental agencies in places far removed from the ocean renting to people who might have no boating experience," Newman said. "That's a dangerous situation whether it's a SUP or any watercraft."

And that's why a PFD, the major sticking point in SUP circles regarding this new classification (and a possible deterrent for prospective SUP users) is now required. Though it's only required to be carried, not worn. Newman points out that if you're over 16 years old, an inflatable lifejacket might be a better performance-based alternative than the bulkier versions worn by tow surfers and wakeboarders. "They come in suspender style or belt-pack style," Newman said. "The belt-pack is no bigger than a fanny pack, worn around your waist. When you need it you just pull a short lanyard and it inflates, just like on an airplane; pull it over your head and you're done. I'd recommend these for hot climates. It also solves the 'Where to put it?' question. Just wear it."

Because the vessel classification extends only to a SUP outside surf, swim or bathing areas, and SUPs are used primarily for surfing in coastal regions, the most problematic aspect of this new classification for surfers is that there is a perceived gray area where the surf zone ends and Coast Guard enforcement of regulation on SUPs begins. "Regarding how far offshore, there is no single measurement of distance here," said Newman, a surfer since 1966 and former San Diego County Lifeguard. "It's either outside the surf line, whatever that might be in your area, or outside a locally designated surfing, swimming or bathing area. Certainly if you're paddling to Catalina or Molokai you're going to be offshore. I saw a guy fishing off a SUP outside at Swami's in the kelp beds. He was there among other commercial fishing boats. That would require a PFD and whistle."

Newman stresses that the Coast Guard will not push for any bans of SUPs in surf or swim zones or bathing areas, though he points out that states, counties and cities can pursue more restrictive initiatives should they so choose. "If a local agency wants to separate SUPs and surfers, they have the authority to do that," Newman said. With anti-SUP sentiment coming to a head in lineups in places like Los Angeles County, the exclusion of SUPs from surfing areas may be an increasingly more realistic option.

Clay Feeter acknowledges that this threat could eventually become a reality in any number of local lineups. "Many municipalities view anything with a paddle as something that should not be allowed in a swim or even, in some cases, a surf zone," Feeter said. "So the question that needs to be answered is, 'Is this a surfboard or is this a kayak-type craft?' Unfortunately the paddles may bust us. The other reason may be because of the occasional SUP guy or woman who doesn't know the rules or simply does not share the aloha spirit in the lineup."

Any proposed ban on SUPs in surf zones, however, is entirely unrelated to the U.S. Coast Guard's new vessel classification of SUPs. The Coast Guard has made one point crystal clear: SUPs in surf zones will not be affected by this new classification. In other words: in surf zones, nothing has changed. And for surfers, whether pro- or anti-SUP, that's the one piece of information that actually matters.

[CrazyJay]

So they are now classified as vessels.
Wonder who will be first to get a DUI on a SUP?