Coast Guard Requirements

[John Churn]

Being the Sportster is less than 16 ft. what is the requirements required on board.

Whistle?

Life Ring?

Fire Extinguisher?

I have the required life jackets. What else do I need?

 

[b15philly]

You will need a fire extinguisher, a devise that will make a sufficient noise, I believe you need to have flares make sure they are not out dated (I have been caught out on that before) enough life vests for every one on board and in CT I'm not sure about everyone else, you boating license. That's all I can think of :cheers:

 

[Sikiguya]

Don't forget a type IV throwable floatation device. An oar/paddle is also useful.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Boating laws...

Being the Sportster is less than 16 ft. what is the requirements required on board.

Whistle?

Life Ring?

Fire Extinguisher?

I have the required life jackets. What else do I need?

Because boating laws vary somewhat from state to state, it's imperative that you learn and know what the laws are for the state of Florida. You should not take your boat to a waterway until you have all the essential equipment for your boat and posses the required documents (including a vessel endorsement if required by state law) and equipment. I learned a long time ago, Marine Police are twice as eager to pull you over to check your boat out, more-so than a police officer is to pull you over for a license check.

Do not play around with the Marine Police. They carry as much weight in the law enforement division as a U.S. Marshall.

I see you posted a question, in which I just answered about a fire extinguisher. You must be a new owner. Follow the link I left you above, for laws governing the state of Florida and I'm sure, you'll be ready in no time to get that new boat in the water....:cheers:

 

[jswope]

The best thing to do is just take a safe boating class. Classes are offered by several different organizations in all states, power squadron, most state DNR's, etc. The classes will teach you the Coast Guard requirements, the requirements paticular to your state, instructions about nautical "rules of the road" and usually fundamental navigation. I don't know about other states but in Ohio Power Suad. classes usually run around $20.00 - $25.00, DNR class are $5.00. And in alot of states depending on your age, it may be a requirement that you have completed a course before operating a boat of any kind. And some insurance companies will give you a break on rates if you've taken a class. It'll be one of the best investments in boating you'll make.

 

[John Churn]

Ok Guys I got it done

Checked the books for Florida and

4 seater 4 life jackets yellow of course to match the boat

whistle for noise

5 pound fire extinguisher. Marine Approved. I would rather have had the 10 pound only 2.50 more but it would not fit in the stock container with the lid on. I didn't want it bouncing around in the storage bin.

5 flares. You only need the flares from sunset to dawn and my boat is only insured for during the day, but if I get caught out for the wrong reasons I want to be legal. Those bit--es are high. Initially had the type for firing out of a gun, but found out I needed the hand fired type. Saved 20 bucks. Same type as we had in Vietnam but much smaller

 

[SmallFry]

In Oz we carry 2 Day Flares (Orange Smoke) & 2 Night Flares.

The Day Flares are very useful as a small boat/ski is not very visible from as little as 200m especially if there is even a small swell. They say the smoke is visible up to 4kms away.

:cheers: