Required Safety Equipment
Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 3:15 pm
Minimum Required Safety Equipment forClass A Recreational Vessels
(less than 16 ft / less than 4.9m) or Canoes and Kayaks
Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
One approved Type I, II, or III for each person on board.
Must be USCG approved. Must be in serviceable condition. Must be properly stored.
NOTE: A Type V hybrid (inflatables) may substituted for any Type I, II, or III device, but must be worn whenever the vessel is underway and the person is not in the cabin or other enclosed area.
Class A: Every person on board under the age of six (6) must wear an approved Type I, II, or III while the vessel is underway.
Accessibility:
Wearable PFDs must be readily accessible.
You must be able to put them on in a reasonable amount of time in an emergency (vessel sinking, on fire, etc.).
They should not be stowed in plastic bags, in locked or closed compartments or have other gear stowed on top of them
Visual Distress Signal
Required on the high sea and coastal waters only.
Must carry visual distress signals for nighttime use.
NOTE: Coastal waters means the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and all bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc. where any entrance is over two (2) miles wide to the first point where the distance between shorelines narrows to 2 miles.
Sound Producing Device
(bell, horn, whistle etc.)
Every vessel less than 12 meters (39.4 ft) in length must carry an efficient sound producing device. The sound producing device need not meet any particular specifications, as long as the vessel can produce signals required by the navigational rules.
(less than 16 ft / less than 4.9m) or Canoes and Kayaks
Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
One approved Type I, II, or III for each person on board.
Must be USCG approved. Must be in serviceable condition. Must be properly stored.
NOTE: A Type V hybrid (inflatables) may substituted for any Type I, II, or III device, but must be worn whenever the vessel is underway and the person is not in the cabin or other enclosed area.
Class A: Every person on board under the age of six (6) must wear an approved Type I, II, or III while the vessel is underway.
Accessibility:
Wearable PFDs must be readily accessible.
You must be able to put them on in a reasonable amount of time in an emergency (vessel sinking, on fire, etc.).
They should not be stowed in plastic bags, in locked or closed compartments or have other gear stowed on top of them
Visual Distress Signal
Required on the high sea and coastal waters only.
Must carry visual distress signals for nighttime use.
NOTE: Coastal waters means the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and all bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc. where any entrance is over two (2) miles wide to the first point where the distance between shorelines narrows to 2 miles.
Sound Producing Device
(bell, horn, whistle etc.)
Every vessel less than 12 meters (39.4 ft) in length must carry an efficient sound producing device. The sound producing device need not meet any particular specifications, as long as the vessel can produce signals required by the navigational rules.