What to Do With Your Kid’s Outgrown Life Jackets

When a young boater outgrows their life jacket, what can you do with it? Or when you decide to get yourself a new inflatable life jacket, what should be done with your foam one? The Sea Tow Foundation has been utilizing new and gently used life jackets to save lives as a part of our Life Jacket Drive. The drive employs these donations in Life Jacket Loaner Stations that can be found across the country.

Before adding a donated life jacket to the Life Jacket Loaner Station, each one is inspected thoroughly and you can also use the same checklist before you donate your life jacket.

• Check to make sure the life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard-approved on the label.
• Ensure that all zippers, buckles, straps and other fasteners are working properly.
• Make sure that there are no rips, tears or mold on the life jacket.
• Confirm that the life jacket’s flotation foam is not damaged – so it can float properly in water.
  • Here’s a tip: By holding a life jacket underwater, you can make sure it will float back to the surface.

Once you check that your gently used life jacket meets the conditions listed above, it can be repurposed by the Sea Tow Foundation to help make sure that boaters everywhere can have a safe and enjoyable time out on the water.

If your life jacket does not meet even one of the conditions above, discard the life jacket and ensure that it is not going to be used by cutting it apart into pieces before putting in the trash.

It is important that all boat passengers have a life jacket that fits them perfectly. By donating your gently used life jackets, you can help bring the joy of boating to other people right in your local community.

If you have a life jacket that no longer fits your boat’s passengers, please fill out this form and donate them to the Sea Tow Foundation.

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.