Pre-Departure Checklists for Boats
Ensure Your Vessel is Safe and Ready for the Next Trip
May 9, 2007
Here at Boating and Sailing, we have constantly encouraged boats to take that extra step and truly be a prepared boater. Using a pre-departure checklist is a personal safety habit that you should embrace. Taking five minutes to check your boat and its equipment now can prevent immense trouble later. The following items should be considered in adoption of your personal checklist:
Lifejackets or Personal Floatation Devices (PFD)
- Carry at least one appropriate Coast Guard approved Personal Floatation Device for each person onboard. Have a minimum of two onboard
- Carry at least one Type IV throwable PFD onboard
- Brief your passengers on PFD and encourage them to be worn
Emergency Communications and Signals
- Carry a horn or whistle able to produce a 4 second blast that can be heard a half mile away. If you are using a portable air horn, carry a spare air can for it
- Carry Visual Distress Signals is water type container stowed in an easy to reach location
- Attach a whistle to each PFD onboard
- Include a discussion about distress signals and their location in your passenger briefing
- Check your Marine VHF Radio for proper operation and consider carrying a spare handheld radio or cellular phone
Emergency Response Kits
- Carry a good First Aid Kit onboard for medical emergencies
- Carry a toolkit that includes a flashlight, basic hand tools, propeller wrench, spare navigation light bulbs, fuel filters and drain plug
- Assemble and carry a Damage Control Kit onboard for problems like failed thru-hull fittings
- Having a Survival Kit onboard will help prepare unexpected stays ashore
General Vessel Condition
- Ensure all navigation lights are operational
- Verify that Marine Fire Extinguishers are in good condition
- Carry a complete Boat Anchoring System and a spare anchor
- Ensure the Ventilation System is in order and there no fuel odors present
- Check mooring lines for chaffing. Carry extra dock lines and fenders
- Make sure the hull is clean and has been Prepared for Use this season
- Ensure fuel and oil levels are adequate for proposed trip. Use the rule of thirds. 1/3 out, 1/3 back, and 1/3 of the fuel as reserve
- Vessel battery is charged, clean and maintained
Administrative Duties
- Prepare a passenger safety briefing tailored to your vessel
- Prepare and file a float plan with your harbormaster
- Check the current Marine Weather for the trip
- Ensure vessel paperwork is in order. Boat registration, fishing licenses, radio licenses, and chart are present and currently dated
Craft a pre-departure checklist that is suited for your vessel and unique operations. This article certainly doesn't address every possibility. The Alaska Department of Boating Safety has a Checklist in PDF format available online that could be a good starting point. This may seem a long list of topics, but in practice a pre-departure inspection of your boat will only take a few minutes and the process will improve with practice.
