Required items on boat for coast gaurd
 

Does anyone have a list of required items for the boat??

Wlf website. Or west marine has it in print, and its free

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Make sure your fire extingwisher works...They always get ya on that :cry:

Ask and you shall receive. Here's a link to LDWF boating regulations-required equipment page.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/boating...iredequipment/

ok well that is a little confusing on visual signals. I am guessing since big lake is more than 2 miles wide you would have to have visual distress signals?

Flares to get other boaters attn, or keep them away????

yea, i got stopped when i had my big boat by the coastguard in the ship channel by the big camp, and my extinguisher was expired.

Luckily they let me off

Ray......can you expain this in Layman terms.

Quote:

<H3>VISUAL DISTRESS SIGNALS (VDS):

</H3>

Let me know if you need more than this.

http://safetyseal.net/what_is_vsc.asp
http://safetyseal.net/vsc_stats.asp

If you want, I can have some boating inspectors who give voluntary inspections check boats at the tournament. They are US Power Squadron or Coast Guard Aux. members. They don't write fines, they give inspections just to let you know if you will pass or fail a USCG inspection.
Or they can do inspections other times, they just need to know when a few boats will get together so they don't have to drive all over the place to do checks.

That would be a great idea to do on Friday while people are getting there. That way if they are missing something they can run to Academy and get what they need.

I can see if they are available Fri. evening if we can get 5 or 6 boats to commit.
When finished, they will give you a paper with what would pass and what would fail a USCG inspection.

You can count us in on it.

I sent out an email. I will let you know when they reply.

Sounds good, I think it would be a good idea for everybody that will be there Friday afternoon to get this done. You never know when you may be overlooking something that could cost you a ticket.

Item 4....Ray...what is a "night visual distress signals"? Is this just the front and back running lights? Does this apply in inshore waters like Big Lake?

Quote:

Recreational boats less than 16 feet on coastal waters or the Great Lakes need only carry night visual distress signals when operating from sunset to sunrise.

Item 7....."Backfire Flame control". What is this???? Do all outboard engines have this?

Quote:

All gasoline powered inboard/outboard or inboard motor boats must be equipped with an approved backfire flame control device.

Item 8......I see that all boats need to have a "sound device" [ie. whistle] on board. I need to get one. Can this be cheep plastic type whistle......must be heard from 1/2 mile away.
LDWF web site says:

Quote:

<H3>SOUND SIGNALING DEVICES:

</H3>

My boat is a Class A......less than 16 feet. LDWF says that I don't need a whistle.....which is correct?

Visual distress signals are flares or strobe lights. They are needed in Big Lake.

Backfire Flame Controls are flame arresters for Inboard or Inboard/Outboard engines. V-8 or V-6 engines with carbs that can backfire and start a fire in the engine room.
THis does not pertain to Outboards.

Yes, an approved whistle is acceptable. Not a football whistle. You can get them cheap at Academy, Walmart, Kmart, Ship to Shore, West Marine... ect.

Look at Item #4 here:
http://safetyseal.net/what_is_vsc.asp

Well then.....I need to get a flare or strobe light. Would a "blinking or flashing" light meet the requirement?

Whistle.....I never looked to see if a new whistle says that it is Coast Guard approved.

I am still confused about the whistle for a 15 foot boat.......LDWF web site does not say that I would need one. Guess I will have to look for something on the US Coast Guard web site.

Just go to Academy or any other store that sells boating equipment and get an orange Coast Guard approved whistle, they are very cheap, that way no matter what you are covered. I did this for every boat I had, I made sure that I had flares and a whistle in each of my boats just to be on the safe side.

These are all whistles for under $10, 2 of the links bring you to some whistles that come 2 in a pack so you could put one on your lifejacket and leave one in the boat.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0&classNum=154

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0&classNum=154

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0&classNum=154

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...9&classNum=705

thanks ray guess i need some flares......do they have to be coast guard approved.....i'll get some from my stepdad he works for the railroad and gets them to start fires with

do it right
 

I have a small water proof duffle bag that contains 3 flares , a 12 guage aireal flare gun w/ 3 flares . a freon horn . up to date fire extingisher.
copy of my boat registration and any thing else i may think i need.
Keep this under my center console on top of my throwable device.
If you get inspected by the USCG and you pass, Ask them for a yellow sheet. They will give you a piece of paper that you can carry w/ you and if you get stopped again within one year you can just show them the yellow sheet and not have to go thru the full inspection.

I think that is correct. It has to be for a wet marine environment with an internal trigger. Not the strike on top type.
Some kits have one ariel and 2 hand held ones.
Some have 3 hand held ones.

West Marine have the best,but they are high.
Walmart, Kmart and Academy have some smaller ones, but they are a lot cheaper.

We got inspected by Coasties 2 weeks ago in LNG. Everything was Ok but they checked the life jackets very carefully for tears and made sure the zippers worked. They wanted the fire extinguisher and the throwable life cushion out where it could be reached easily. They also looked at the boat registration. That was it.

They have 15 boats at the USCG dock. 4 of them are always on duty and 1 of the 4 is strictly for boating compliance. They are going to be doing a lot more compliance checks this year.
They made me keep my throwable in a more accessible place also. Plus, my life jackets are in a nice clear bag. They said they were not as accessible as they would like in that bag. They checked each of my life jackets, which are less than a year old. They pulled on all the straps to see if they tear easy.
I was wearing a Mustang floatation coat, they noticed that right away. They liked that I was wearing a PFD full time. I wear it to keep warm.