What safety equipment for RIB boats?
If an outing in a semi-rigid boat remains above all a pleasure, you must not forget the safety rules!
Whether you are sailing in fresh water or at sea, it is indeed necessary (and compulsory!) to bring all the appropriate safety and rescue equipment.
Today, Orca Retail looks at the equipment you need to take on board your boat to make sure you don't forget anything!
The first thing you need to know is that the safety equipment rules will depend on the area you are sailing in.
Safety equipment for boats at sea
For navigation at sea, the compulsory equipment depends on the distance from the shore (or more precisely, the distance from a "shelter"), according to 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-highland: between 6 and 60 miles (11.1km to 111km)
- Offshore: beyond 60 miles (over 111km)
The following safety checklist is applicable to all boats under 24m in length:
| BOAT SAFETY EQUIPMENT | NAVIGATION AREAS | |||
| Basic | Coastal | Semi-h. | Offshore | |
| Personal flotation equipment (PFD) per person on board |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Lighting device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Mobile firefighting equipment |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Dewatering device manual |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Towing device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Mooring line |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Tide directory |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| National flag (outside territorial waters) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Locating device and for assisting a person at sea |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| 3 red lights with hand signal |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Magnetic compass (or coastal GPS) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Official nautical charts |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| International Regulations for preventing collisions at sea |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Description of the system |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Life raft |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Material for take stock |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Light book maintained |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Logbook |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Device for receiving weather reports |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Harness and lanyard by ship for non-sailors |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Harness and lanyard per person for sailing boats |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| First aid kit |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Luminous device for the search and the location at night |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Radio beacon for locating of disasters |
✅ |
|||
| Fixed VHF |
✅ |
✅ |
||
| Portable VHF |
✅ |
|||
Source: Order of November 23, 1987 on ship safety
Inland waterway boat safety equipment
As far as freshwater/inland water navigation is concerned, there are 3 categories:
- Sheltered inland waters: these are all bodies of water except those listed below.
- Exposed inland waters: more dangerous, these areas are subject to a separate regulation, and are listed inAnnex 1 of the Order of February 10, 2016. Examples: rivers or sections of rivers (Rhine, Seine, Rhone, Loire), rivers or sections of rivers (Dordogne, Gironde, Somme), lakes (Annecy, Lacanau, Bourget), canals (Calais canal).
- Lake Geneva: only applicable to the transboundary lake.
The following safety checklist is applicable to all boats from 2.5 to 20m in length:
| SECURITY EQUIPMENT | NAVIGATION AREAS | ||
| Sheltered | Exposed | Lake Geneva | |
| Personal flotation devices per person on board |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Dewatering device (fixed or mobile) |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Fire fighting device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Towing and mooring device |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
| Appropriate mooring line |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| Waterproof flashlight or lighted means of identification individual worn at all times (1 per person on board) |
✅ |
✅ |
|
| 3 red lights with hand signal |
✅ |
||
| Sound signaling means |
✅ |
||
| Magnetic compass waterproof (ISO standard) |
✅ |
||
| Navigation map of the frequented area |
✅ |
||
Source: Order of February 10, 2016 on the armament and safety equipment of pleasure boats navigating or stationing on inland waters
Medical kit
Your medical supply kit is also precisely regulated. According tosection 240-2.16 of the Maritime Code, it must include at least the following items:
|
Article |
Detail |
|
Self-adhesive strip (10cm) |
1 roll of 4 m (Width 10 cm) |
|
Crepe band |
1 roll of 4 m (Width 10 cm) |
|
Sterile gauze swabs |
1 pack of 5(Medium size) |
|
Sterile waterproof adhesive dressings |
1 box(3 sizes assortment) |
|
Hemostatic cushion |
1 unit(Type CHUT) |
|
Plasters |
1 roll |
|
Non-sterile examination gloves |
1 box(Size M & L) |
|
Hydroalcoholic gel |
1 bottle 75 ml |
|
Survival blanket |
1 unit |
|
Chlorhexidine |
Local solution - 5 ml at 0.05%. |
Life jackets (personal flotation devices)
The EIF 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 : Lifejacket of at least 100 newtons
- All areas : Lifejacket of at least 150 newtons
- Children under 30 kg : Lifejacket of at least 100 newtons, regardless of the distance from a shelter.
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