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5 Must-Have Boat Safety Equipment

Jun. 23 2020 Things to bring to the lake By Emily Healey

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5 Must-Have Boat Safety Equipment

AVOID getting a citation


Laws vary state to state, so be sure to check your local requirements. In Arizona these are the 5 required safety equipment to keep on your boat in Arizona!



1- Personal Floatation Devices 

An accessible, Personal Floatation Device (PFDs) is a life jacket that must be available for each person on board. If you’re towing a skier or have a wake surfer behind the boat, he or she will need a PFD as well. Kids 12 and under must always wear their PFD on a moving vessel. Likewise, everyone riding a personal watercraft (PWC) must also wear a PFD at all times. In case of an emergency of any kind, the first thing you should do is ensure that all passengers onboard immediately put on their life jackets—or proactively, you can recommend that all those onboard just put them on right at the dock before departure. Although not required, your pet should have a lifejacket, too.


  • All vessels, including paddleboards and kayaks, must have at least one USCG-approved wearable life jacket for each person on board.


  • All children age 12 or under must be wearing a life jacket at all times while aboard a vessel. 

  • Each person who is wakesurfing or being towed behind a vessel on water skis or a similar device must wear a life jacket.




2 - Throwable life preserver

In addition to the life jackets you wear, you’ll need at least one floating device (Type IV) that you can throw to an individual in the water in case of trouble. This can be a cushion, a ring buoy or other device and although only one is required, it’s better to have several. Some of these items may come with a line attached so you can pull a person closer to the boat and then get them out of the water.


  • Vessels 16ft in length or longer, except a canoe or kayak, must have one USCG approved throwable device on board and readily accessible.

  


3- Fire extinguisher 

There are different kinds and ratings for extinguishers but to keep it simple, remember that boats under 26 feet (including PWCs) need at least one B-1 type extinguisher and boats 26 to just under 40 feet need two B-1 types or one B-2 type. Discuss with your family and guests how to operate an extinguisher: pull the pin, squeeze the handle and aim at the base of the flames.


  • Vessels under 26ft are required to carry one USCG Marine type approved B-I Fire extinguisher 

  • Vessels 26-40ft are required to carry 2 USCG Marine type approved B-I extinguishers OR one B-II extinguisher

  • Approved types of fire extinguishers are identified by the following marking on the label, “Marine type USCG approved”- followed by the type and size symbols and the approval number.

  • Extinguishers should be placed in an accessible area-not near the engine or in a compartment-but where they can be reached immediately. Be sure you know how to operate them, and inspect extinguishers regularly to insure they are in working condition and fully charged.


4-Sound producing devices

Sounds can attract help both day and night and are especially effective in fog. Portable or fixed horns and whistles count as sound-generating devices for all boats. Larger vessels (over 39 feet) should also carry a bell to be sounded at regular intervals in times of limited visibility like fog.


  • Arizona state law does not require you carry a sound producing device on board, however, federal law requires that you carry at least one sound producing device while operating on federally controlled waters. So while it’s not legally required to have one at all times, it’s always a good idea to have one on board.

  • Vessels less than 39.4ft in length, which includes PWC, must have some way of making an efficient sound signal. Examples are a handheld air horn, an athletic whistle, an installed horn, ect. A human voice is not acceptable.

  • 5 short blasts signal danger or doubt




5- Visual distress signals

Visual distress signals can come in a variety of packages and there are different requirements by size of vessel and even by the state where you go boating. Boats under 16 feet must have flares or nighttime signals. Boats over 16 feet must carry visual signals for both day and night use. Examples of pyrotechnic devices or flares that would qualify are orange or white smoke and aerial light flares. Some flares are self-launching while others require a flare gun to send them into the sky. Other nighttime devices include a strobe light while flags may be used during the day. PWCs cannot be operated between sunset and sunrise so they don’t need to carry nighttime devices.


  • The USCG requires that boats over 16ft carry visual distress signals (VDS) for daytime and nighttime

  • There are different types of VDS, some that are day and some for night, and some that work for both

  • A minimum of 3 are required here are some examples that the AZ G&F department gave: 

 - 3 handheld red flares (day and night)

     - One handheld red flare and two red meteors (day and night)

            - One handheld orange smoke signal(day), two floating orange smoke  

               signals (day) and one electronic light (night only)


      


For more on safety, be sure to ask us about our boat Safety package. You may also want to check out the Game and Fish regulations https://www.azgfd.com/boating/regulations/ that outlines everything you need to have onboard before leaving the dock.


For more information contact us at emily@lakenwatersports.com or 602.867.3570.