Boat owners and skippers must make sure the boat is seaworthy and passengers are kept safe. Unseaworthiness is often due to a lack of proper
safety equipment on board. Safety equipment left at home or in the car is of no use on the water.
Determining seaworthiness includes:
- checking the physical condition of the boat
- proper loading with sufficient freeboard
- carrying adequate safety equipment
- displaying correct navigation lights at night.
Using an unseaworthy boat is an offence and the owner or skipper may be prosecuted. An authorised person may direct the responsible person to retrieve an unseaworthy boat and fix any deficiencies before using it again.