Child seat...

[notinbig]

How and where do you attach a child seat in a boat? Or does someone have to hold the child?<br />I'm sure I can rig up something with a rachet strap and a board. Anything out there?

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Child seat...

I would not want to strap in a child. What if the boat flipped and the adults were ejected? I know that is not likely, but it is a possibility. I've always had someone hold samll children and have seen many others do the same. Just make sure the child has a properly fitted PFD on and everything should be OK.<br /><br />Here's a recent thread on a very similar question<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011520

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Child seat...

get one of these...<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cg...jacket&**********=776378791&*******=415984721 <br /><br />-JustMrWill

 

[jtexas]

Re: Child seat...

Strapped into a child carrier might not be such a bad idea. An infant seat ejected into the water, if it floats right side up, sounds safer to me than just infant.<br /><br />Whether to secure an infant in a boat: what kinds of events eject boaters? Collisions mostly? Maybe the odd unexpected wave taken at just the wrong angle? I really don't know. If you're confident the boat will float, and if the driver is wearing the emergency shut-off lanyard, maybe the child would be better off in the boat than flying through the air? At least you'll know where to find her. If I'm holding an infant & I get thrown out, I'm going to try to put some distance between us before we hit the water. Don't want to come down on top of her.<br /><br />I'm not convinced of this, just thinking out loud.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Child seat...

My comments were more like thinking out loud as well. What about on a river? Currents can do some nasty things to people in them. It could be a possibility not to be able to get to the infant due to currents and undertows.<br /><br />I would have to question the floatability (is that a word?) of a car seat and wether it would remain upright even if it did float. Might want to test that. Let us know if it floats. I'm kinda curious mydelf now.

 

[magster65]

Re: Child seat...

DO NOT strap a baby into a boat. If you have to take them along, hold on to them and put a self righting PFD on them. They have floatation on the chest and behind the head only. Apparently even an unconcious baby won't drown in these. It was years ago but a group of handicappers were taken on a boat ride on the nearby Fraser river. The were all strapped in nice and safe and guess what happened? The raft overturned and they all drowned except for the ones that weren't strapped in. My kid hated his life jacket for the first 1/2 hour, now he can't wait to put it on... it's like a cool uniform for him.<br />

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: Child seat...

Boats don't have seatbelts for a reason, your better off out of it than under it if a accident was to occur, so no I would not strap a infant seat in a boat.The only changes that you may consider with infants aboard are your boating habits, stick to waters you know, don't venture to far offshore, maybe take frequent shorter trips, rather than super long ones. Kids grow fast and after a few seasons you can get back to boating they way you did before. My kids have grown with boating, they are already asking when is the boat coming home from winter storage.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Child seat...

a good reason not to wear seat belts in a boat

 

[notinbig]

Re: Child seat...

Thanks all I am going to buy the whole range of jackets/vest for the kid. so we will be set thru the summer.<br /><br />I will never strap the kid in now, (i can't even make a joke about beer or nothing, this is to serious.)

 

[notinbig]

Re: Child seat...

Damn stores around here think it's still winter or something. it's 65 and it will be 72 tomarrow, get some damn life jackets in stock!!!!!(****S)!!!{[(sorry I meant ****s Sporting Goods)]}

 

[Mark42]

Re: Child seat...

When we had our infant son in the boat he wore an infant pfd while sitting in his car seat. The car seat is the type with a flat base and baby sits mostly reclined. Worked very well in the boat because the seat did not tip over and baby did not have to be strapped in. <br /><br />This year he is walking, so it should be interesting to see his reaction to being in the boat. Will he want to climb out or hang on?