Administered through the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, the 2024 Life Jacket Loaner Program has been awarded to 116 deserving groups across 45 states and territories. This means that the Sea Tow Foundation will officially have Life Jacket Loaner Stations established in all 56 states and territories this year!

Among the groups receiving life jackets and loaner stand building kits this year, 49 groups located across 39 different states are opening Life Jacket Loaner Stations for the first time., thus growing the impact and outreach of the program. A handful of the groups opening Life Jacket Loaner Stations applied because a water-related accident or tragedy occurred in their community, and they wanted to make a difference. This expansion ensures that more communities than ever before have access to essential life jackets in sizes for anyone to borrow and return for free.

All the life jacket loaner stations are hosted by a diverse array of organizations, including community groups, marine businesses, health care organizations, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, parks and over a dozen Sea Tow franchises. While some of the loaner stands are open year-round, the majority are operated seasonally which means that they’ll be opening soon for the summer boating season.

Despite the significant achievement of now having loaner stations in all 56 states and territories, the Sea Tow Foundation was not able to provide nearly enough life jackets to everyone that applied, so the demand for life jackets remains high. To further support the mission, companies or individuals with a surplus of new or gently-used life jackets are encouraged to donate them to the Sea Tow Foundation so that boaters can use them at the over 1,300 nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Stations. If you have life jackets to donate, please contact the Sea Tow Foundation at info@boatingsafety.com or fill out this form.

For more information about the Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, please visit: https://www.boatingsafety.com/page/life-jacket-loaner-program

When John and his 15-year-old grandson Beau left their home in Texas to travel to Louisiana to go fishing, they expected to land some redfish. Unfortunately, they ended up with a ticket and fine from the local marine patrol officer who explained to John that the free, online boater education class he took in Texas was not valid in Louisiana because the certificate wasn’t state-issued. Plus, Beau was too young to not have a life jacket on when the boat was in motion.  The fishing trip turned out to be a lot more expensive and a lot less fun than John and Beau had planned because they didn’t know that boating laws are different in each state.

Next time, before John and Beau think about traveling out of state to boat, they will need to know and understand the laws that apply to the state they’ll be boating in. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) website has everything a boater would need to know about state-specific boating laws for every state and territory in the U.S.

On the NASBLA website, an informative portal can be used to quickly find state boating laws by clicking on the Boating Safety Dashboards. Each dashboard breaks down the information into categories such as Boating Education, BUI Enforcement, and Life Jackets, just to name a few. Clicking on a category will direct you to a series of interactive maps.

After clicking on “Boating Education” that will take you to a new page where you can see individual sets of data about boating education requirements for each state and territory. Using the Education Requirements – State map, clicking on your home state can tell you the following pieces of information:

• Who is required to have a Boating Education Card in that state.
• Whether the law applies to powerboats and what size motor or boat.
• What is required for an adult visiting from another state (most states require a NASBLA-approved course)
• If there is a minimum age for operating boats in the state
• Whether taking a challenge exam is allowed instead of taking an approved course
• And a link to the State’s Education Website is provided for additional information as well as contact information if other questions come up

Going back to the main dashboard, you can also click on the BUI Enforcement icon and, just like the Boating Education section, individual sets of data are available on the topic of Boating Under the Influence (BUI). While the penalties and punishments differ from state to state for BUI, you should know that boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal in all U.S. states and territories. And, drinking any amount of alcohol while driving a boat makes it less safe for everyone on board because of the additional stressors involved with boating such as the wind, waves, and sun. In an attempt to eliminate boating under the influence accidents and fatalities, the Sea Tow Foundation developed the Sober Skipper Campaign, which urges boat drivers to make the right choice and take the pledge to abstain from drinking alcohol and taking drugs while driving a boat to keep you and any passengers on board safe on the water. 

The NASBLA Life Jackets tab provides state-specific requirements for mandated life jacket wear by age and type of boat as well as whether season wear is required. While it’s important to stay in compliance with the law, to practice safe boating, smart boaters should go beyond the legal minimums to help keep everyone aboard safer. To learn more, check out the Sea Tow Foundation’s article Top 10 Times When You Should Absolutely, Positively Wear a Life Jacket. To borrow a life jacket at one of the 933 loaner stations nationwide, visit the Sea Tow Foundation’s online Life Jacket Loaner Station map nationwide. Understanding (and complying) with state boating laws will go a long way to ensure you’re boating lawfully and can enjoy a safe, fun, and memorable boating experience – wherever your boating destination takes you!

To continue providing blogs, 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.