What safety equipment for rigid inflatable boats?
If an outing in a semi-rigid is above all a pleasure, one should not forget the safety rules!
Whether you are sailing in fresh water or at sea, it is indeed necessary (and mandatory!) to plan all the appropriate safety and rescue equipment.
Today, Orca Retail revisits the equipment to take on board your boat to ensure you don't forget anything!
The first thing to know is that the safety equipment rules will depend on the area in which you are sailing.
Boat safety equipment at sea
For sea navigation, the mandatory equipment to be planned depends on the distance from the coast (or more precisely, distance from a "shelter"), based on 4 distinct zones:
- Basic: less than 2 nautical miles from a shelter (less than 3.7 km)
- Coastal: between 2 and 6 miles (3.7 km - 11.1 km)
- Semi-offshore: between 6 and 60 miles (11.1 km to 111 km)
- Offshore: beyond 60 miles (more than 111 km)
The following safety checklist is applicable to all boats less than 24m long:
| BOAT SAFETY EQUIPMENT | NAVIGATION ZONES | |||
| Basic | Coastal | Semi-off. | Offshore | |
| Individual flotation equipment (IFE) per person on board |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Lighting device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Mobile fire-fighting means |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Manual drying device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Towing device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Mooring line |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Tide directory |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| National flag (outside territorial waters) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Device for locating and assisting a person at sea |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| 3 handheld red signal flares |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Magnetic compass (or GPS in coastal) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Official nautical charts |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Description of the buoyage system |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Life raft |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Equipment for taking bearings |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Updated light list |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Logbook |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Weather bulletin reception device |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Harness and leash by ship for non-sailboats |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Harness and leash per person on board for sailboats |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| First aid kit |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Lighting device for night search and rescue |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Emergency location beacon |
✅ |
|||
| Fixed VHF |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Portable VHF |
✅ |
|||
Source: decree of November 23, 1987, regarding ship safety
Boat safety equipment in inland waters
Regarding navigation in fresh water / inland waters, there are 3 categories:
- Sheltered inland waters: these are all water bodies except those listed below.
- Exposed inland waters: more dangerous, these areas are subject to separate regulations, and are listed inAnnex 1 of the decree of February 10, 2016 . Examples: Rivers or sections of rivers (Rhine, Seine, Rhône, Loire), streams or sections of streams (Dordogne, Gironde, Somme), lakes (Annecy, Lacanau, Bourget), canals (Calais canal).
- Lake Geneva: only applicable to the cross-border lake.
The following safety checklist is applicable to all boats from 2.5 to 20m long:
| SAFETY EQUIPMENT | NAVIGATION ZONES | ||
| Sheltered | Exposed | Lake Geneva | |
| Individual buoyancy equipment per person on board |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Bailing device (fixed or mobile) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Firefighting device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Towing and mooring device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Appropriate anchoring line |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Waterproof flashlight or individual light signaling device worn at all times (1 per person on board) |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| 3 red hand-held signaling flares |
✅ |
||
| Sound signaling device |
✅ |
||
| Waterproof magnetic compass (ISO standard) |
✅ |
||
| Navigation chart of the frequented area |
✅ |
||
Source: Decree of February 10, 2016, regarding the armament and safety equipment of pleasure boats navigating or stationed on inland waters
Medical Kit
Your medical supply kit is also precisely regulated. According to article 240-2.16 of the Maritime Code, it must contain at least the following items:
|
Article |
Detail |
|
Self-adhesive bandage (10cm) |
1 roll of 4 m (Width 10 cm) |
|
Crepe bandage |
1 roll of 4 m (Width 10 cm) |
|
Sterile gauze compresses |
1 pack of 5 (Medium size) |
|
Waterproof sterile adhesive bandages |
1 box (Assorted 3 sizes) |
|
Hemostatic cushion |
1 unit (Type CHUT) |
|
Adhesive tape |
1 roll |
|
Non-sterile examination gloves |
1 box (Size M & L) |
|
Hydroalcoholic gel |
1 bottle 75 ml |
|
Emergency blanket |
1 unit |
|
Chlorhexidine |
Local solution - 5 ml at 0.05% |
Life jackets (personal flotation devices)
The PFDs are also regulated and must be adapted to the morphology of each person on board, as well as to the navigated area:
- Up to 2 miles from a shelter : buoyancy aid of at least 50 newtons
- Up to 6 miles from a shelter : Life jacket of at least 100 newtons
- All areas : Life jacket of at least 150 newtons
- Children under 30 kg : Life jacket of at least 100 newtons, regardless of the distance from a shelter.
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