Safety Equipment

1. Minimum required equipment – required to be aboard by law Required varies depending on the type and size of

vessel SBG pg 22- 29 covers every type of pleasure craft

from a paddleboat to 80 footers Transport Canada divides the equipment into five

sections

2. Recommended Safety Equipment – better equipped to deal with other situations

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Personal Lifesaving Appliances

Lifejacket or PFD per person Buoyant Heaving Line Lifebuoy with buoyant line Lifebuoy with self-igniting light and/or

buoyant line Re-boarding device

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PLA – Lifejacket vs. PFD

PFDs More comfortable

to wear Wider range of

colours and styles Will assist you in

the water – does not turn you on your back

Lifejackets Bulky to wear Only come in three

colours – red, orange and yellow

Will roll you face up

3 different levels of approved jackets (SBG pg 33)

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PLA - Rules on Inflatables

16 yrs and older Heavier than 36.3

kg (80lbs) Not on PWCs Not for white water

paddling activities

You have to be wearing an inflatable PFD for it to be counted as “approved” on an open boat.

If the boat is not open then you only need to wear it while you’re on deck.

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PLA – Throwing Aids

Heaving Line A minimum of 15m

for all vessels

Lifebuoy/Ringbuoy Must be at least

610 mm in diameter

Must have a heaving line attached of the minimum required length!

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PLA - Ladder

Re-boarding device Required when your vessel has over 0.5 m of freeboard

Definition of FreeboardThe measurement from the waterline to deck level.

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Vessel Safety Equipment

Manual propelling device

Bailer or manual bilge pump Manual Bilge Pump –

must reach the bilge and then overboard

Required for all boat types

Anchor with rode attached Length of rode

depends on the size of the vessel

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Visual Signals

Watertight flashlight

Flares Vessel length & area of

navigation determines the required number: 3 or 6 or 12

Good for 4 yrs. from date of manufacture

4 Types (SBG pg 38) Before using read the

instructions Storage – vertically,

cool & dry

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Navigation Equipment

Sound Signal

Magnetic Compass

Radar Reflector At least 4m above the vessel waterline

Navigation Lights

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NE - Navigation Lights

Lights On From Sunset to Sunrise And/or at times of restricted visibility

Light Types Side lights – Port & Starboard (112.5 degree) Masthead (forward facing 225 degree) Stern (aft facing 135 degrees) All-Round (360 degrees)

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Lights at Anchor

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A pleasure craft less than 50m at anchor.

The black ball is known as a “dayshape”

Lights - Rowboat

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Should be shown on the approach of other vessels.

A kayaker at night should use a white strobe light.

Lights - Power

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Power-driven vessel underway - less than 50 meters in length.

Lights – Power (2)

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Power driven vessel – under 12 m-can use a single all-round lightinstead of the stern & masthead combination

Lights – Under Sail

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Different patters for a 10m vessel under sail.

Most common pattern is the large one in the middle

Lights – Involved in towing

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Power-driven vessel towing astern ;Towing vessel less than 50 m in length;Length of tow exceeds 200 meters.

Power-driven vessel towing astern; Towing vessel less than 50 m in length; Length of tow 200 meters or less.

The difference is the number of the masthead lights 3 vs. 2

Lights - Fishing

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Memory Aid – Red over White fishing at night.

Fire-Fighting Equipment

# BC Fire extinguisher # = the required size

either a 5 or a 10 depending on vessel size

BC = the fires fuel source type (A, B, C)

Number onboard dependent on the number of sources

Care – shake it often!

Axe Break open hatch

ways Cut loose a sinking

boat under tow

Buckets

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Safety - Recommended

Recommended additional safety equipment

a) tool kit b) binocularsc) charts d) plotting tools (ruler,

dividers, pencil)

e) safety harness f) sunscreen g) first aid kit h) food & wateri) blanket j) knife k) waterproof matches m) backup steering

devicen) extra line o) VHF radio

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Charts and Materials

What might need to be aboard Local Area charts Notice to Mariners (NoTMar)

Used to keep charts currrent Chart One Tide & Current Tables

Published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS)

If no CHS charts of the boating area is available – at least use a topographical map

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