Everyone selling beginner craft
If an inflatable paddleboard or kayak is on your shelf or site, suitable flotation belongs beside it.
Campaign
Offer the Buoyancy Aid
If you sell the craft, offer the kit. Retailers selling beginner inflatable paddleboards and kayaks should also sell or directly offer suitable buoyancy aids, PFDs, or lifejackets — visibly, at the same moment.
Problem
The craft can be easy to buy while suitable flotation is out of sight.
A beginner shopper can find a seasonal inflatable paddleboard or kayak without being shown a suitable buoyancy aid, PFD, or lifejacket at the same decision point. That can leave the buyer with the impression that the craft, paddle, pump, bag, or leisure accessories are the complete purchase.
This campaign is pro-paddling and practical. It asks retailers to make the safety equipment decision visible before the buyer leaves the product page, display, or checkout journey.
Campaign ask
If retailers sell the craft, they should offer suitable flotation.
Retailers selling beginner inflatable paddleboards, inflatable kayaks, or similar craft should also sell or directly offer suitable buoyancy aids, PFDs, or lifejackets where appropriate. The offer should be visible beside the craft online and in store, and it should include clear wording when flotation equipment is not included.
The ask includes fit and sizing caveats. Retailers should avoid implying that one generic item suits every person, craft, activity, or water environment.
Who we're asking
Make the flotation choice as visible as the craft.
Online stores & marketplaces
A buyer should see the flotation decision before checkout, not only after searching separately.
Seasonal promotions
Seasonal displays should make suitable flotation visible near beginner craft where appropriate.
Good retailer journey
A beginner should not have to search separately for flotation equipment.
Availability
Suitable buoyancy aids, PFDs, or lifejackets are sold or directly offered wherever beginner inflatable craft are sold, where appropriate.
Visibility
Flotation equipment appears beside the craft online and in store, not only in a separate category or distant aisle.
Fit and suitability
The buyer sees size ranges, manufacturer fit information, intended use, age or child caveats where relevant, and certification or market-marking details where applicable.
Clear non-inclusion wording
If flotation equipment is not included with the craft, the product page, display, or checkout route says so plainly before purchase.
Checkout prompt
If the basket contains a beginner inflatable craft and no flotation equipment, the buyer is prompted to view suitable options before completing checkout.
Caveats
Suitable means more than adding a generic vest.
Not one fixed bundle
The campaign does not ask every craft to include one generic item in the box. Fit, body size, age, activity, clothing, and conditions matter.
Not interchangeable labels
Retail wording should not treat buoyancy aids, PFDs, and lifejackets as the same product category. Buyers need clear category and suitability information.
Not personal instruction
Retail pages should route beginners to recognised advice, clubs, coaches, qualified providers, or local experts where needed.
Take action
Three ways to move this.
Back the ask
Sign the Summer 2026 Open Letter and tick Offer the Buoyancy Aid. Reviewed before publication; contact details never shown.
Sign the open letterSelling these craft?
Take the pledge: a practical checklist for availability, visibility, fit information, and checkout prompts.
Take the retailer pledgeChoosing flotation?
Buoyancy aid, PFD, or lifejacket — fit and suitability matter. Start with the recognised guidance.
Open buoyancy aid guidanceEvidence route
Any public finding needs a source trail.
When we review how beginner inflatable craft are sold, any public finding about flotation visibility needs to be dated, sourced, limited to what was checked, and open to reply before it is used publicly. We don't recommend products — we ask for the choice to be visible.
RNLI lifejackets and buoyancy aids
Recognised guidance we point buyers to. Listing a source doesn't imply endorsement of this campaign.
RYA lifejackets and buoyancy aidsRecognised guidance we point buyers to. Listing a source doesn't imply endorsement of this campaign.
National Water Safety Forum guidanceRecognised guidance we point buyers to. Listing a source doesn't imply endorsement of this campaign.
External guidance links were checked on 2026-05-26.