Marine Safety Equipment - What Should you Hire?

Safety is important. Whether you are a pro or just starting out to have fun, there's a lot to consider when taking a boat out - or being a passenger on one even.

Let's have a look at your basic equipment.

Every time you go out on a boat you should carry this equipment on the boat or if you are a passenger, be aware of what might be expected of you e.g. to wear a life jacket.

A great example, first of all, every single person on the boat should wear a life jacket, strictly one per person (Open and closed waters have different specifications).

All boats should have an anchor and a line suitable for the type of vessel.

You might be surrounded by water but fire safety is just important on the boat, so a fire bucket and lanyard should be present, also fire extinguishers should be carried (the larger the vessel, the more buckets and fire extinguishers needed). If there is a kitchen with a gas stove, you will want to keep a fire blanket in their too.

It is important to know your bearings, even if you are using top technology to navigate with, you should carry a map and compass at all times. The same as travelling by car, if you rely on the Sat Nav and it breaks down, a map should be carried to ensure you can still navigate.

Distress Flares are important (orange flame and red flame), should you need to draw attention to your position especially as the dark night sets in.

Drinking water should be made available at all times, especially for emergencies such as a breakdown where you might be stranded for a few hours.

A torch should be carried on board, preferably a couple and they should float just in case they are dropped overboard or a compartment floods.

You must carry a Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) which transmits 406mhz and conforms to regulations. It should be stowed in an accessible place but not so it can be accidentally set off. Along with this, you should also have a Marine Radio, these are inexpensive but compulsory.

There are many other items you can carry on board to help insure your safety, one other thing to carry is an inflatable boat. If you Google Inflatable Boat UK, there will be a lot of suggestions of the best ones to buy and advice about what you need.

If you feel like this is all a bit much, a reputable company can hire you out all the equipment you need and advise you on what to do. They can help you choose your equipment and even give you basic training on how to use it as well. It might be wise for you to take a short course on Marine Safety, they may even have courses available.