Boating Safety Equipment Checklist

No matter what kind or size of boat you are on, you need to ensure you have the right boat safety equipment onboard. The US Coast Guard requires different kinds and quantities of boat safety equipment depending on what kind of boat you have, however there are some overall basic requirements and recommended items. Having these items onboard will keep you out of trouble, and could end up saving lives in an emergency.

Required Boat Safety Equipment

While below is a basic list of required boat safety equipment items, there are sometimes state and local requirements that must be observed as well. We recommend you check with your local authorities to ensure you are in compliance with those requirements.

• Life Jackets - Each person on the boat is required to have a correctly fitting life jacket onboard and accessible to them in case of an emergency. To determine a proper fit, your life jacket should make sure that when you raise your arms above your head and someone pulls the arm openings of your jacket that it does not rise above your mouth and ear area.


• Throwable Flotation Device - This could be a floatable ring, cushion, buoy, etc… While you're only required to have one onboard, it is recommended to have more than one.


• Visual Signaling Device - Boats less than 16 feet are required to have a flare (nighttime signal). Boats larger than 16 feet are required to have a daytime and a nighttime signal. Daytime signals can be as simple as a flag, while nighttime signals can be orange or white smoke, aerial flares, or strobe lights. One thing to keep in mind is that your visual signaling device must be manufactured within 42 months of the current date so you'll need to replace this regularly.


• Fire Extinguishers - Boats under 16 feet must have one B-1 type fire extinguisher onboard. Boats between 16 and 40 feet must have two B-1 type fire extinguishers, or one B-2 type fire extinguisher onboard. Everyone on the boat should know how to use the fire extinguisher that you have onboard in case of a fire emergency.


• Sound Signaling Device - Boats under 39 feet are required to have a horn or a whistle on board, while boats over 39 feet are required to have a horn or whistle as long as a bell onboard. Sound signaling devices can be especially helpful in fog situations.


• Navigation Light - The US Coast Guard requires every boat to have a navigation light that exerts at least 2 NM of visibility in all directions placed at the highest point of the boat.


• Anchor - You should always have an anchor onboard that can hold your boat in place while you wait for help in an emergency. It is recommended to have the largest anchor that is possible to have on your boat regardless of the size of your boat, but below are some minimum requirements.

Recommended Boat Safety Equipment

Although not required by law, there are a variety of highly useful safety items that we strongly recommend storing on board your boat in case of an emergency. These include:

• First aid kit
• Flag(s) to alert other boaters if you have someone down/in the water
• Cell phone to call someone in case of emergency and to stay up to date with the weather
• VHF radio so you can call for help if needed
• High-quality, durable flashlight
• Snorkel mask in case if you need to be able to go down in the water to check out something on the boat
• Paddles in case your engine quits
• A knife in case if you need to cut something that is caught in the propeller, such as rope

While this is a good start to your boating safety checklist, we recommend you check out the US Coast Guard’s most recently updated requirements based on the size and type of your boat to ensure you are staying up to date with boat safety equipment requirements.