By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
I do quite a few recreational boating Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) each year, and I get to see the various locations where boaters store emergency equipment. Part of the VSC is determining that the boater actually has the required equipment. Another part of the VSC is determining that the equipment is in serviceable condition and not expired. This column will address where the emergency equipment should be stored and how it should be stored. Here is a list of the equipment to be discussed:

1. Persona Flotation Devices (PFD)
2. Visual Distress Signals (VDS)
3. Fire Extinguishers
4. Sound Producing Devices
5. Engine Cutoff Switch (ECOS) Lanyard
6. Marine Radio/Personal Locator Beacon
7. First Aid Kit
8. Backup Dewatering Device
9. Food and Water
10. Anchor and Line for Area

Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)
Most people store their PFDs in a forward locker on their boat. If you are on the water and in your boat, you should be wearing your PFD (although it is not required except for children under 13 when underway on boats less than 26 feet in length and for Personal Watercraft operators). If you are one of those death-defying people who don’t wear a PFD, you must at least store it where it is readily available. Often when I ask to see a boat operator’s PFDs I am handed a wet and moldy PFD. That’s no bueno. A PFD will not last long in that condition. After a trip on the water each PFD should be rinsed with fresh water and allowed to be fully dried before storing. If your storage locker is not watertight, every time it rains, if your boat is stored outside, water will creep into the storage locker and get your PFDs wet. No passenger wants to be handed a wet and moldy PFD. Over time the stitching will rot and the PFD will be worthless.

Ah, you say- you store your six PFDs in a clear plastic zippered bag (which has never been opened, I might add). That’s well and good for storage, but when you are out on the water those PFDs must be removed from that plastic bag, thus making them readily available, as required by law. You cannot keep your PFDs in that bag when underway.

Let’s not forget about that square PFD: the emergency throw cushion. It must be stored where it is immediately available. If it is in a locker with anything stored on top of it, then it does not meet the immediately available requirement when underway. Many people don’t think of the throw cushion as a PFD, but it is. If you can find a place within reach of the helm, that will decrease the amount of time needed to respond to someone in the water and drowning.

Visual Distress Signals
The most important thing about storing pyrotechnic visual distress signals is to store them in a waterproof container. This is especially true for flare type devices that use a striker to ignite the VDS. If the striker becomes moist, it will not work. If you find yourself needing to light a flare and the striker is moist, you can use a cigarette lighter to light the flare. Keep one of those charcoal lighters in your VDS container in case you need to light a flare and the striker will not work. Another important storage recommendation is to let your passengers know where the VDS are located. That recommendation goes for all of the items mentioned in this article.

Fire Extinguishers
Kudos if you have more than the required number of fire extinguishers for your boat. Store your fire extinguishers so they can easily be reached. If your fire extinguisher is located in a rear storage locker (ie., close to the engine and fuel tank), you may not be able to reach it in case of an emergency. Consider a forward locker for storage, and make sure nothing is covering the extinguisher. The most likely places for a fire to start are in battery storage areas, in the rear where the hydraulic steering (or Power Pole) hydraulic reservoirs and operating batteries are located, and where the fuel tanks are located. Be sure that your passengers know where the fire extinguishers are located and how to use them. In many cases a fire extinguisher just buys you enough time to safely abandon the boat.

Sound Producing Devices
I think everyone knows a sound producing device is required. Boats don’t always come with a horn as standard equipment, so make sure you have a horn or whistle. A horn is used as a warning device, so those of you who have a disassembled air horn still in a sealed plastic container I ask you how long it would take you to dig it out of the bottom of a full storage locker, cut the thick plastic package, attach the CO2 container to the horn mechanism, and get off five short blasts when you have another boat bearing down on you. Please- assemble that horn and keep it on the console when you are underway.

Engine Cutoff Switch (ECOS) Lanyard
One of the first things I look for when I perform a VSC on a boat is the Engine Cutoff Switch Lanyard. In nine out of ten cases it is hanging from the cutoff device. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you remember to attach it to yourself in one way or another. Some people attach it to their wrist, and some attach it to their PFD. Both are good methods as long as you remember to attach it to yourself before getting underway. I would like to recommend another permanent attachment point: to your PFD. Instead of disconnecting the lanyard from yourself, disconnect the lanyard from the cutoff device at the end of a trip. You will never forget to connect up again as your boat won’t run until you connect to the cutoff device.

What happens if you, the boat operator, for one reason or another, end up in the water? Your boat will continue on briefly, depending on how fast you are going, even after the engine shuts off. You are either going to have to swim to the boat or have someone on board come back and pick you up. But, they can’t start the engine because you have the ECOS lanyard attached to you. This is why you need a spare ECOS lanyard on board, and you need to let your passengers know where it is so they can use it to start the engine and come pick you up.

Marine Radio/Personal Locator Beacon
Anyone that knows me or has had their boat inspected by me knows that I always mention a marine FM/VHF radio as one of their main emergency preparedness items. A marine radio will always reach the Coast Guard within 20 miles of shore. Guaranteed. It only takes one watt of transmit power to activate our Rescue 21 System, and most handheld marine radios have 5-6 watts of transmit power. While the console-mounted 25-watt marine radios are great to have, even an 88-dollar handheld radio will do the job. Be sure to charge it before going out, and I recommend that you attach the radio to your person either on your belt or attached to your PFD. Many styles of PFD have pockets that will hold a marine radio. The radio will do you no good if your boat capsizes and the radio is in a storage locker.

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) should be required in order to go out beyond the range of the Rescue 21 System (20 miles or so). Yes, they are expensive compared to a marine radio, but their reach is global because you are accessing a satellite system. You still need the marine radio so you can direct the rescue helicopter or boat to your location. Our helicopter pilots tell us the best visual distress signal is the yellow or orange dye marker. The dye can be seen miles away from great altitude. The PLB belongs on your PFD or in a pocket that can be easily accessed.

Another satellite rescue system is the Emergency Position Indicating Beacon (EPIRB). The EPIRB is attached to the boat and works the same way as the PLB. By sending out an emergency signal. Some EPIRBs are designed to attach to the outside of the boat and they will break free and activate automatically. Other types of EPIRBs have different storage requirements. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for your EPIRB.

First Aid Kit
First Aid kits are recommended items. Not required. That said, even a rudimentary first aid kit can save someone great discomfort. I tell people you can get by with a roll of Gorilla Tape to tape up lacerations and wire cutters to cut that fishing lure off your face. I don’t recommend you limit your first aid kit to those two items, though. You should tell all your passengers where the first aid kit is located. You need to know where it is, too! I did an inspection the other day and asked if the operator had a first aid kit, and he tore his boat apart for 15 minutes looking for it. Turned out it was in his truck. You shouldn’t have to dig and dig to find your first aid kit. I do recommend using a waterproof container in which to store it. In my area, I recommend two additional essential items for the first aid kit: sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

Backup Dewatering Device
Most boats these days come with at least one bilge pump. That’s the thing you turn on after washing the inside of your boat to empty the bilge. But it’s more important use is clearing the water out of the inside of your boat when a wave breaks over the bow. If you have a small boat your bilge pump may be rated for 500 gph (gallons per hour). Larger boats may have one or more 1500 gph pumps. Water will enter your boat either from a wave or from a leak. You will know when a large wave comes over your bow (or stern if you shut off suddenly). Leaks are a little bit more sinister. A one-inch hole will allow 25 gallons a minute to enter your boat. If the water line to your inboard engine breaks or comes loose, in most cases you will take on more water than your bilge pump can handle. This is where a backup dewatering device can save you, provided you discover the source of the leak and stop it or slow it up by filling the hole. A good place to store your dewatering device is in your rod locker. It can accommodate long items such as a dewatering pump. If you become swamped or find yourself taking on water, be sure to notify the Coast Guard right away. That way they can make sure to have a high capacity pump on board if rescue becomes necessary. Don’t wait until it is too late. Keep the Coast Guard apprised of any changes in your situation.

Food and Water
Yes, you should have plenty of water and some food for you and your passengers. You never know when you might become disabled or run aground. Protein bars are great and easy to store. It is just as easy to become dehydrated sitting in a boat on the water as it is sitting in the desert. If you or a passenger have any medical issues, dehydration can quickly become a life-threatening event. As you sit in a rocking boat, your body struggles to keep its balance, burning more calories than you can imagine by just sitting still. It should be obvious that you should store any food in a cool and dry place. For day trips you need between one and four gallons of water per person (depending on the temperature, the wind, and the seas). You can get by on half a gallon of water per person in temperate climates. Just because passengers aren’t drinking the water doesn’t mean they don’t need it. You should encourage your passengers to keep hydrated so they don’t develop any heat related illnesses.

Anchor and Line for Area
An anchor and line as emergency equipment? You bet! Just look at the picture below and you will see what happens when you don’t immediately deploy an anchor when you become disabled. A one knot current will push a boat 100 feet per minute. A boat operator operating 200 feet off the jetty has a little over sixty seconds to deploy his anchor and stay off the rocks. Although an anchor is not required, I always highly recommend one and make sure to ask if the operator has enough line to anchor the boat based on the recommendation of seven feet of line for each foot of depth. The anchor rode should include sufficient chain length to hold the anchor down and in position to grab the bottom. The last three boats I inspected all had anchors. All three anchors and anchor rodes were covered with other equipment (mostly damp PFDs), and the anchor line would have been difficult to untangle in each case.

Summary
It is not only important to have emergency equipment, but it is equally important that the equipment be stored ready for use and readily accessible. Emergency situations develop quickly, and if you have to search for the emergency equipment or dig for it, a life-threatening situation could develop that could have been handled had the equipment been available when needed. There is no hospital on the water, and the ambulances take much longer to get to the accident.

Note: This is my 300th Recreational Boating Safety column. I have written one a week for the past 300 weeks, with no breaks. I am not doing it for my health but for yours. When three of my neighbors went out on their boat some nine years ago and never came back, I wracked my brain for something to do in order to help my friends and neighbors come back safely from a boating trip. Another neighbor generously allowed me to write a Recreational Boating Safety column in his newspaper, The Crystal Beach Local News. Thank you, Tom.

[BC: Apr-25-2023]

Thank you, Bob, for your commitment to boating safety and your dedication to write these informative, and often witty, articles. Tom