Trailers and marine · TM-07

Boat Safety Equipment Check

A free printable boat safety equipment checklist — lifejacket service dates, flare expiry, extinguishers, bilge pumps, VHF, EPIRB and first aid.

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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

Print it and write on it

A4 58 kB US Letter 58 kB

Fill it in type and save

A4 174 kB US Letter 174 kB

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Keep an inventory of the safety gear aboard with the date each item expires, so the out-of-date ones are found at the dock rather than at sea.

Who it is for

Boat owners and skippers of small craft, and anyone taking over a boat and trying to find out what is aboard and how old it is.

How to use it

List every item once, with the date it was bought, serviced or expires.
Test the bilge pump with water and the float switch by lifting it.
Check first aid kit contents rather than just the presence of the box.
Diary the earliest expiry date on the sheet — that is your next deadline.

What is on the sheet

2 pages, in this order:

Page 1

Printed under the title: An inventory and expiry record for the safety gear on a boat — lifejackets, flares, extinguishers, pumps, radio and beacons — so you find out what is out of date at the dock, not at sea.

Carriage requirements differ by country and by water. What you must carry, how it has to be serviced, and how out-of-date pyrotechnics may be disposed of are set by the country you are in, the water you use and the size and type of your boat, and they change. This is not a carriage list: it is a place to write down what you actually carry and when each item runs out. Check the requirements that apply to you before you go.

Write-on lines: Vessel · Type & length · Where used · Checked by · Date of check · Next check due

Lifejackets and buoyancy aids

Table, 9 rows: No. · Type & size · For whom · Bought · Serviced · Next due · Cylinder · OK

Page 2

Flares and signals

Table, 5 rows: Type · Quantity · Expiry · Stowed where · Replaced · Disposal arranged

Fire extinguishers and blankets

Table, 4 rows: No. · Type · Location · Made · Serviced · Replace by · OK

Everything else aboard — tick, and write the date on anything that expires

Bilge pump — electric, run and seen to move water
Bilge pump — manual, and its handle where you can reach it
Float switch tested by lifting it, not by the panel switch
VHF radio tested, and DSC registration current
EPIRB or PLB — registration and battery date
Liferaft service date, and its painter made fast
Lifebuoy, danbuoy and throw line
First aid kit — contents checked, not just the box
Engine kill cord and a spare
Torch, spare batteries and a waterproof light
Anchor, chain and warp, ready to run
Navigation lights and a radar reflector

Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours

Questions

What am I required to carry?

That is set by the country you are in, the water you use and the size and type of your boat, and it changes. This sheet deliberately carries no required list; it is a place to record what you have and when it runs out. Check the requirements that apply to you before you go.

What do I do with out-of-date flares?

Not put them in a bin, and not fire them off to see if they work. Disposal routes for pyrotechnics are arranged locally and differ from place to place, so ask your harbour authority, coastguard or supplier what the route is where you are. The sheet has a column for recording that it has been arranged.