Kids Aboard Boating, Fishing & Watersports Magazine
For Children & Families
Posted Monday, May 9, 2005
Entries are being encouraged from armchair inventors to high school science clubs and collegiate design programs. And the award is $5,000.00!
Most boaters don’t wear lifejackets at all times because they can be bulky, hot and uncomfortable to wear. So what’s a safety-conscious boater supposed to do?
The BoatU.S. Foundation and Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association are looking to you for the answer. And so the idea of the “Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition” was born. This competition is seeking entries that embrace new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking to solve the age-old problem of why most boaters won’t routinely wear life jackets, except when boating under dangerous conditions.
Entries are being encouraged from armchair inventors to high school science clubs and collegiate design programs. And the award is $5,000.00!
The competition will be judged based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. There are no rules regarding types of materials to be used or as to whether the design meets any current U.S. Coast Guard or Underwriters Laboratory standards. However, certain entries may be submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard to review for possible financial assistance towards gaining full USCG approval. Entries do not have to include a working model or prototype, as detailed drawings will be accepted. For more information including an entry form and contest rules, visit www.BoatUS.com/foundation/lifejacketdesign . You may also contact Ruth Wood at 703-823-9550/ rwood@boatus.com or Bernice McArdle at 312-946-6280/ bmcardle@nmma.org .
Entries will be accepted from March 31, 2005 to December 15, 2005, with the winner announced at the 2006 Miami International Boat Show.
