USCG Required Equipment for a Raft (Tender)

[JR2]

The recent thread about the picnic table guy getting ticketed has led me to decide its time to get the required stuff on my tender that I carry on top of my boat. My question is what exactly is required for a 8 ft long raft with a small outboard on it. I have to admit that I have been skirting the registration rules with it this year but I plan to fix that shortly. What else to I need besides life jackets for everyone. Its mainly used to take the dogs/kids to the beach so they can run around a bit but I know that is beside the point.

[Garyak]

Since your tender is powered, you will need everything you needed to pass a C.G. inspection for your big boat excepting a fire extinguisher since the tender is under 16 feet.

[Hoyt-Hunter]

You don't need a type IV throwable flotation device either for boats less than 16 foot.


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[JOAT]

A better method (compared to asking a bunch of dudes on the internet) is to download and read the actual regs that tell you exactly what you need.

http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/...ations/420.PDF

[JR2]

I did read it, have a fairly good idea of what I need, thought I would check with the internet to see what they though and maybe enlighten someone who came here for the same reasons.
Seems silly to carry flares and such in a raft that rarely gets more than 300 ft from the boat but after the trooper visited me in Unakwik last time I was out I figure its only a matter of time before I get caught out running around without registration and safety gear in the raft. Lucky for me my raft was on the roof when he found us in the back of Swiaish bay on the hook having dinner.

On a side note, I do carry a radio and my back pack full of gear (survival stuff) when I go out of sight of the boat with the raft.. just not flares and a flare gun.

[Rob B]

Yep. All the normal safety wgat is required. No big deal for the most part as we pretty much have tons of extra onboard anyway. Most troopers are pretty understanding but there are some real A holes too.

[AKBassking]

Also don't forget if your raft is powered, it needs to be regisitered and numbers displayed....

[Paul H]

I've gotten into the habit of putting my signalling kit and hand held vhf in a my dry/ditch bag when we take the dinghy ashore. I never considered the requirements of having them on the dinghy, but figured if somehow the big boat was lost, or there was a medical emergency on shore I'd want to be able to send out a distress signal.

[JR2]

I thought about taking the ones on the big boat to shore with me, but then the big boat is out of compliance. Going to buy a whole other set and make a new ditch/dingy bag.

[Rob B]

Hey JR2. Those yellow waterproof bags that Walmart sells work great for a ditchbag. I used a big red marker and labeled it as such too. No missing it on the boat.

[T.R. Bauer]

I thought about taking the ones on the big boat to shore with me, but then the big boat is out of compliance. Going to buy a whole other set and make a new ditch/dingy bag.

How is the big boat out of compliance if nobody is on it? And even if a person are two are on it, and it is on the hook and you guys are transferring gear, who cares? There is always going to be somebody looking for a ticky tacky ticket - I get that. And I know that you are technically operating out of the letter of the law.....I keep my stuff in a dry bag and haul it to shore with me. I'm not on the boat so I really don't care if it has safety gear on it or not. Now if you are running around in the skiff while people are on the boat, and this is a normal occurance, then you just need to double up on your safety gear because you really are operating 2 boats.