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Life Jackets & Safety
Life jackets, inflatable PFDs, whistles, personal locator beacons, engine cut-off lanyards and first aid. A life jacket counts only if it is U.S. Coast Guard approved, beacons must be registered with NOAA, and we read the Coast Guard's own accident statistics before we tell you what matters.
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Inflatable or foam, USCG approval, and rearm kits.
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Who the federal ECOS rule covers.
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PLB or EPIRB, and NOAA registration.
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What the Coast Guard requires aboard, by boat length.
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Matching the kit to the jacket, and when to rearm.
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Weight bands, crotch straps and the under-13 rule.
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Channel 16, DSC and the MMSI, from FCC pages.
ReadHead to head
Onyx and Stearns life jackets compared on approval, weight bands, straps and fit: the basic adult vests, the 30 to 55 lb child vests, and where only Onyx has an inflatable.
Throw bags for boats, kayaks and piers: floating line, length and strength as each maker states them, how to throw and belay per NRS, and three bags sold by trusted sellers.
IP67 and roll-top first aid kits and cases for fishing boats, the Red Cross contents list, and what to add for embedded hooks and sunburn, as medical sources describe.
What we check against
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