Onyx Type IV Throwable Cushion, USCG Approved, White

The Onyx Type IV throwable cushion is one of those pieces of gear you hope you never have to use. But the day you do, you'll be glad it's aboard. It's a US Coast Guard approved Type IV flotation device, which means it's built to be thrown to someone in the water and grabbed onto, not worn on the body. White polyester fabric over a foam core, with webbing grab straps on the sides so it flies true when you toss it and gives a swimmer something solid to hold.

Here's the part a lot of boaters miss. Federal rules require every boat 16 feet and longer to carry at least one Type IV throwable device on board, on top of a wearable life jacket for each person. This cushion checks that box. When the Coast Guard or a state marine officer runs a safety check, a USCG approved throwable is one of the first things they look for. Keep it somewhere you can reach it fast, not buried under a cooler up in the bow.

Using it is simple, and that's the whole point. When someone goes over the side, you don't have time to think it through. You grab the cushion, aim, and throw. The grab straps double as throwing handles, so you can put it right where you need it, even in a breeze or a little chop. The person in the water holds on and floats while you bring the boat around or haul them in. Because it's foam and not inflatable, there's nothing to arm, nothing to service, and nothing that can fail at the worst moment. It just works.

Most days, though, it earns its keep as a seat. Toss it on a hard bench, a cooler lid, or a canoe thwart and it's a comfortable place to park. That's actually why it stays useful. A safety device you sit on every day is a safety device you can find in a hurry. Plenty of boaters keep one at the helm and one up front so there's always a throwable within arm's reach.

This one suits just about any small boat. Runabouts, jon boats, aluminum fishing boats, pontoons, kayaks, and canoes all benefit from having a Type IV aboard. If you run a boat under 16 feet you're not legally required to carry a throwable, but a lot of paddlers and small-boat owners keep one anyway. It's cheap insurance, and it makes a decent backrest or kneeling pad when it's off rescue duty. The white shell keeps it easy to spot on deck and easy to find when the light gets low.

The construction is straightforward and made to take a beating. The foam gives it the buoyancy to keep an adult's head above water, and the polyester shell shrugs off sun, spray, and the general abuse that gear takes in an open boat. Rinse it with fresh water now and then, let it dry, and it'll ride along season after season. There's no maintenance schedule, no CO2 cartridge to replace, no inflation system to jam. Buy it, stow it, and forget about it until the day it matters.

One cushion covers one throwable requirement, so if you're outfitting a bigger boat or you just want a backup, it's worth keeping a couple around. And if the cushion you've got now is faded, waterlogged, or the straps are shot, don't push your luck. A throwable that's falling apart won't pass a safety check and won't help anyone in the water. This is an easy, inexpensive way to keep your boat legal and your crew a little safer out there.