Essential Safety Equipment for Your Boat

Perhaps you’re a new boat owner kitting out your craft for the first time or have been sailing for years and wish to update your marine equipment. Whatever situation you’re in, safety is paramount. You’ll want to avoid setting sail without vital, potentially life-saving supplies.

With that in mind, we’ve created the following guide to the essential safety equipment and some of the most useful items to keep on board your boat, focusing on reliable, modern marine safety products.

• Lifejackets and a Liferaft

There’s no doubt that lifejackets can be lifelines for boat owners and everyone who sails with them. A lifejacket gives you peace of mind and may be invaluable if you fall overboard, particularly as it can turn you over so your face isn’t underwater.

If you have a sailing boat, look for lifejackets with harnesses enabling the wearers to clip on a safety line. (A harness isn’t usually required when wearing a lifejacket on a motorboat.)

Liferafts are another important consideration – they can save and protect sailors forced to abandon their vessels.

• Distress Flares

Equipping your boat with marine flares means you’ll have an effective way to signal to others that you’re in distress, should the need arise. You may be rescued faster as a result.

• Fire Extinguishers

Boats carry flammable items such as fuel and have flammable structural elements. To minimise the risk of a fire taking hold, it’s essential to mount fire extinguishers in strategic, highly visible positions (for example, by the door to the deck and cabin doors). You and the people you sail with need to be familiar with the manufacturer’s usage instructions.

Fire Safety Sticks are popular with Aquamaris customers – these extinguishing sticks weigh less than traditional extinguishers and can operate for longer.

Having a fire blanket available in the galley is another sensible precaution.

• First Aid Kit and Manual

It’s sensible for sailors to complete first aid training in case anyone on board has an accident or other medical issue, big or small. In a crisis, your skills could make all the difference while you wait for emergency services. The Royal Yachting Association’s First Aid course, which ‘is aimed at anyone who goes afloat’, covers drowning, hypothermia, seasickness and more.

If you need to put your training into practice, you’ll want to have a First Aid Kit suitable for boating to hand (including such essential items as plasters, bandages, scissors, antiseptic spray and burn gel), in addition to a First Aid Manual. We supply the latest, St. John Ambulance-endorsed edition. It includes treatment advice for over 100 conditions.

• Extra Food and Drinking Water

If you run into trouble out on the water, the last thing you want is to run out of food and drink. It’s vital to stay well hydrated, keep a clear head and maintain your energy levels.

We suggest keeping spare food rations plus plenty of extra drinking water and other beverages on board. Consider how long it may take emergency services to reach you (could it be hours or days?), and let that guide you when deciding how many additional food and beverage items to stow away. ‘Survival’ food bars are useful: they’re nutritious and often have shelf lives of several years.

Marine Safety Equipment Supplies and Expert Advice from Aquamaris

As a leading UAE chandlery, Aquamaris offers a wide selection of marine safety equipment, ranging from beacons to buoyancy aids, at highly competitive prices. If you have any questions about our products or need advice when deciding what safety equipment is best for your boat, feel free to contact Aquamaris.