BIAWA

REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT

The Department for Planning and Infrastructure sets the minimum amount and standards of safety equipment to be carried on private boats. Amounts vary depending on how far offshore that you travel and it is important to understand that these are minimum standards.

Responsible skippers carry with them extra gear that is suitable for the trip. All safety equipment on board must be maintained in very good condition and be accessible at all times.

Minimum Safety Equipment in Protected Waters

Protected waters include rivers, lakes, estuaries and boat harbors but exclude the Cambridge Gulf or Lake Argyle.

Any vessel that operates within these protected waters needs to carry aboard the following safety equipment:

Boats of 7 metres and over must have a bilge pump. Boats under 7 metres may have a pump or a bucket or a bailer.

The bilge pump may be of any type - manual, engine driven or electric. It must be capable of removing at least 4,000 litres of water an hour. Electric or automatic pumps must also have an indicator to show when they are working. Any boats that have full length sealed, self draining decks are not required to carry bilge pumps onboard.

Boats that have inboard motors or liquid or gas fuelled appliances, must carry an extinguisher. Boats that have outboard motors and no such appliances do not have to carry extinguishers.

Any Australian Standards approved extinguisher other than a water filled type is acceptable.

Note: As of January 1996 the yellow BCF fire extinguishers have been made illegal. Any person that still has a BCF extinguisher must not carry it onboard their boat and should hand it into their local Fire Brigade Station as soon as possible to reduce any risks

Minimum Safety Equipment in Unprotected Waters Within 2 Nautical Miles of the Mainland Shore

As for protected waters plus:

A lifejacket for each person on the boat. Choose from these lifejacket standards: SOLAS, COASTAL, PFD Type 1 or the Australian Standards AS1512. They must be of a suitable size for the people onboard, as an adult sized jacket works very poorly on a child.

The anchor must be of an approved type that will work in a sandy seabed and with enough line to suit the depth of water in which you usually operate. A grapnel anchor is not an approved type and can therefore only be carried as an additional anchor.

Hand Held Red: Two hand held red flares or two parachute distress rockets. These flares are best used at night time but can be used during the day as they expel a large volume of smoke and burn extremely brightly.

Orange Smoke: Along with the two hand held red flares you are also required to carry two hand held orange smoke signals or one smoke canister. These flares are only suitable for daylight hours and are best used when you are in sight of land, another vessel or aircraft.

The Department requires that your safety equipment be kept in a very good and serviceable condition. It must also be easily accessible in an emergency. It is recommended that you store your flares in a water tight container.

All flares and smoke signals must meet either Australian Standard AS2092, or Australian Uniform Shipping Laws Code specifications.

For a full demonstration and more information on flares and safety equipment please click here.

An EPIRB is required to be carried if you are operating beyond 2 nautical miles from the mainland shore or more than 400 metres from an island located more than 2 nautical miles from the mainland shore. An EPIRB is not required if operating in the metropolitan exempt area.

More than 5 Nautical Miles from the Mainland Shore

As for between 2 and 5 nautical miles plus:

Two parachute distress flares. You do not need to carry hand held red flares as well as parachute distress flares.

The choice of marine radio is up to you. It can be either a 27mHz, VHF or HF. Whenever at sea, you must have your radio turned on and tuned to the distress frequency or the working frequency of a Sea Rescue Group.

Recommended Additional Safety Equipment

To cover accidents or injury that could befall any member onboard, a first aid kit is essential. Remember, seasickness is debilitating. So carry the remedy.

Always handy with many uses. Keep your knife sharp at all times.

Additional rope onboard can be extremely useful for various purposes and for towing.

A good supply of fresh water is essential when boating as the sun and the salt can quickly dehydrate you. Make sure that your water is fresh and clean and kept in a suitable container.

Spare outboard, oars or paddles to get the boat to safety in the event of a power failure.

A torch can be useful in an emergency situation, for attracting attention as well as for checking bilges.

This is a signalling device that uses a mirror to reflect the sun's rays to the shore or to other vessels.

There is no substitute for an adequate tool kit onboard your boat. When you are out on the water you really are on your own.

The tool kit should include;
Spark plug spanner
Spare spark plugs
Spanner set to suit your motor
Screwdriver set
Adjustable spanner
Pliers
Electrical tape
Hammer