{"id":141,"date":"2012-03-27T18:03:38","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T18:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/?p=141"},"modified":"2012-06-27T18:30:57","modified_gmt":"2012-06-27T18:30:57","slug":"reqd-boat-safety-equipment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/2012\/03\/27\/reqd-boat-safety-equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"Required Boat Safety Equipment"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our last blog we chatted about boat safety<\/a> while in wind and lightning \u2013 how to avoid getting stuck in either \u2013 and tips on what to do when you are<\/em> stuck in either or worse-both.<\/p>\n

We thought it only appropriate to talk about what boat equipment is considered the minimum U.S. Coast Guard required boat safety<\/a> equipment today.<\/p>\n

Every boat has its bells and whistles, the newer the boat the better the stereo, but will that come in handy in an emergency? \u00a0Probably not.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the<\/em> required boating safety equipment by the USCG. Keeping in mind each state has their own set of required boat safety equipment, so check with your locals, too. Common sense stuff, really.\u00a0 What you may not realize is that depending on the size of the boat, depends on the number and types of items.<\/p>\n

Life Jackets and personal floatation devices<\/strong> \u2013 We have gone over \"\"<\/a>this once or twice. The USCG requires one approved – Type I, II, III, or V, life jacket or life vest <\/a>per person on board (and don\u2019t forget Fido in that count) and one throwable floatation device – Type IV – like a ring.\u00a0 And all must be easily accessible.\u00a0 That means take those life jackets OUT of the plastic and put them on and keep the ring close by as well.\u00a0 Each state has their own regulations<\/a> regarding children’s life jackets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fire Extinguishers<\/strong> – Now, here is where the size of the vessel comes in to play.\u00a0 For boats 26 feet and less, you should have at least one B-1 type Coast Guard-approved hand portable fire extinguisher.\u00a0 Again, that is the minimum.\u00a0 For boats 26 to 40 feet you are looking to have at least two B-1 type or one of the B-2 type USCG approved extinguishers.\u00a0 Boats that are 40 to 65 feet in length should have three B-1 extinguishers or one B-1 and one B-2 USCG approved fire extinguisher. For boats over 65 feet you are looking at (depending on the weight) one to eight\u00a0 B-2 along with a fixed system in the machinery\u00a0 space.\u00a0 Of course you can choose to have a fixed system in any size boat and the handheld portable extinguishers requirements for boating safety<\/a> would be less.<\/p>\n

Bells and Whistles<\/strong> \u2013 I am not talking about the fun, extras we all like this time.\u00a0 We are referring to the bells and whistles that will get other boaters and rescuers attention should you need to get anyone else\u2019s attention.\u00a0 With that being said, any boat under 40 feet should have an efficient sound producing device such as a horn or whistle,\u00a0 as of 2010 any boat over 40 feet to 65 is no longer required to have a bell, but boats over 65 feet should have one bell and either a whistle or a horn.<\/p>\n

Visual Distress Signals<\/strong> \u2013 In this case, if you have a sailboat less than 26 feet with no propulsion, or a boat under 16 feet, you are only required to carry three night signals.\u00a0 For boats over 16 feet you must have on board three day and three night signals.\u00a0 If you have the kind that goes night\/day, three of them will work.\u00a0 Make sure whatever you choose are in good working condition.<\/p>\n

Ventilation<\/strong> \u2013 For boats that were built from 1940 to 1980, you will need to have at least two ventilator ducts to properly and efficiently ventilate the bilges of every closed engine and fuel tank compartment.\u00a0 For those boats built after 1980, along with the two ventilator ducts, you are required for to have a ventilation duct for engine compartments containing a gasoline engine with a cranking motor.\u00a0 This must contain power-operated exhaust blowers controllable from the instrument panel.<\/p>\n

Backfire Flame Arrestor<\/strong> \u2013 Obviously this is not required for outboard motors, but for all others, you will need one approved device on each carburetor of all gas engines.\u00a0 It should be marked to show it is within compliance with SAE J-1928 or UL 1111 Standards.<\/p>\n

Navigation Rules<\/strong> – It goes without saying that boaters should know the \u201cRules of the Road\u201d when it comes to crossing, overtaking, and meeting other boats head on.\u00a0 For boats under 40 feet, just learn them and live them, it is not actually required.\u00a0 For boats over 40 feet it is required for you to have a current copy of the ISDOT ISCG International \u2013 Inland Navigational Rules aboard.<\/p>\n

But the truth is, if you are going to be out there, be courteous and know the rules.<\/p>\n

There are other items which are not REQUIRED by the USCG, and again, each state has their own set of regulations regarding boating safety and boating safety equipment on top and beyond that of the USCG.\u00a0 The following is yet more common sense stuff to keep you, your family and friends, and your investment safe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First aid kit<\/strong><\/p>\n

VHF radio <\/strong><\/p>\n

Extra fuel & water Tool kit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sun protection<\/strong><\/p>\n

A bucket to use as a bailer \u2013 worst case scenario<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oars or paddles \u2013 again, worst case scenario<\/strong><\/p>\n

And an anchor with enough chain \u2013 depending on where you are boating usually 5 x depth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knowing and complying with these requirements will help you remain on the good side of the U.S. Coast Guard and your boat insurance<\/a> company, as you will have a step up for a fun, safe, and uneventful boating experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our last blog we chatted about boat safety while in wind and lightning \u2013 how to avoid getting stuck in either \u2013 and tips on what to do when you are stuck in either or worse-both. We thought it only appropriate to talk about what boat equipment is considered the minimum U.S. Coast Guard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,237],"tags":[96,83,95,79,10,74,63,89,64,84,91,78,72,88,81,93,70,23,19,22,21,73,75,76,67,80,66,65,77,92,86,94,87,90,71,69,68,82,85],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boat-equipment-2","category-boating-safety-2","tag-anchor","tag-backfire-flame-arrestor","tag-bilge","tag-boat-fire-extinguishers","tag-boat-insurance","tag-boat-kits","tag-boat-safety-equipment","tag-boating","tag-boating-safety-equipment","tag-distress-signals","tag-diving","tag-fire-extnguishers","tag-first-aid-kits","tag-fishing","tag-fixed-fire-systems","tag-fresh-water","tag-insurance","tag-life-jacket","tag-life-jackets","tag-life-vest","tag-life-vests","tag-marine-first-aid-kits","tag-navigational-aids","tag-navigational-rules","tag-pfd","tag-portable-hand-held-extinguishers","tag-required-boat-safety-equipment","tag-required-boating-safety-equipment","tag-rules-of-the-road","tag-safety","tag-sailboat","tag-salt-water","tag-skiing","tag-swimming","tag-tool-kits","tag-unite-marine-underwriters","tag-uscg-regulation-requirements","tag-ventilation-systems","tag-visual-distress-signals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":456,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedmarine.net\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}