Re: Children's Safety
I thought it was a federal regulation, but maybe just a Michigan one, that changed this year or last. Every child 12 or under is required to be *wearing* a PFD. Over that age, you must have a PFD available but they are not required to wear it.
Now that regulation is the minimum, of course, and wisdom may dictate even more stringent requirements from the owner / parent.
This next comment is not meant to downplay the importance of PFD at all.
When our kids were 3 months old, my wife took them to a weekly water babies class at the local Y. Both were swimming before they could walk, and both respected the water and were comfortable in it (they're now both in their 30's with kids of their own). I taught swimming when I was in high school, and I made sure both of our boys knew how to swim well. Before they could venture out over shoulder depth, they each had to demonstrate to my wife and I they could tread water for 10 minutes (maybe just 5 -- can't remember).
With our kids, it was not an issue, but our grandkids are not permitted to attempt water skiing until they demonstrate to us they can swim adequately without a PFD, even though PFDs are required to use any water toys.
A rite of passage for each was being able to swim across the lake, a distance of about 1.25 - 1.5 miles. I would swim with them while my wife drove the boat as escort. Needless to say, a life jacket would have made that swim virtually impossible.
When we anchor in the lake for swimming, everyone has already demonstrated their ability in the water, and no one wears a PFD. We did not have a boat when they were preschoolers. If they had been, I probably would have required PFDs for a mid-lake swim.
