Transport, travel and motoring

Every boat must carry safety equipment suitable for its size and the waters where it is being used.

Protected waters
Semi-protected waters 
Unprotected waters 
Exemptions

Protected waters

These include all inland waters, excluding Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and any other waters subject to tidal influence.

Vessels under 8 metres

Vessels over 8 metres

one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 for each person on board one bailer with line attached or a bilge pump* one suitable anchor with cable if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - one fire extinguisher if the vessel is being operated between sunset and sunrise - one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern  one fire bucket** a pair of paddles or oars (if your vessel is under 6 metres)

one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 for each person on board one bailer with line attached and a bilge pump* one suitable anchor with cable if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - two fire extinguishers if the vessel is being operated between sunset and sunrise - one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern  one fire bucket** one life-buoy with line

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Semi-protected waters

These are waters up to 2 nautical miles from the low-water mark of the coast (including the Coorong) and from the banks of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert.

Vessels under 8 metres

Vessels over 8 metres

one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1 for each person on board one suitable anchor with cable one bailer with a line attached, or a bilge pump* two hand held red flares and two hand held orange smoke signals if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - one fire extinguisher one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern  one fire bucket** one pair of paddles or oars or other means of auxiliary propulsion  (if your vessel is under 6 metres)

one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1 for each person on board two suitable anchors with cables (if less than 12 metres one anchor may be carried as a spare) two bailers with lines attached and a bilge pump* two hand held red flares and two hand held orange smoke signals if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - two fire extinguishers one waterproof and bouyant torch or lantern one fire bucket one life-buoy with line

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Unprotected waters

These are waters more than two nautical miles from the low-water mark of the coast and from the banks of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert.

Vessels under 8 metres	Vessels over 8 metres
one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1 for each person on board one suitable anchor with cable one bailer with line attached, or a bilge pump* if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - one fire extinguisher one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern  a two-way marine radio capable of communication with onshore stations two hand held red flares and two hand held orange smoke signals four litres of fresh water the boat must be fitted with a compass, preferably liquid damped. A GPS is not a compass. one pair of paddles or oars or other means of auxiliary propulsion (if your vessel is under 6 metres)  one fire bucket**	one personal flotation device (PFD) Type 1 for each person on board two suitable anchors with cables two bailers with lines attached and a bilge pump* if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities - two fire extinguishers one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern  a two-way marine radio capable of communication with onshore stations two hand held red flares and two hand held orange smoke signals four litres of fresh water the boat must be fitted with a compass, preferably liquid damped. A GPS is not a compass. one life-buoy with line one fire bucket
Additional requirements for all vessels, regardless of length
All vessels in unprotected waters more than three nautical miles from shore, except in Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, or more than five nautical miles from shore in Gulf of St Vincent or Spencer Gulf must carry: one EPIRB (emergency distress beacon) one V distress sheet. All vessels in unprotected waters more than ten nautical miles from shore must also carry: two distress rockets with parachutes a map or chart of the waters in which the boat will operate.
Additional requirements for recreational boats more than 15 metres in length
A recreational boat over 15 metres in length must carry all of the above, plus: an additional lifebuoy with line a life-raft.

* If the vessel has more than one compartment, enough pumps must be carried to be able to drain each compartment.

** If the bailer with line is suitable for use as a fire bucket, only one bucket is required, you can use the same bucket for bailer and fire bucket. If the vessel is required to carry more than one bailer, the fire bucket can be included as one of those if it has a line attached. The fire bucket must:

• be of a kind and size suitable for the collection of water
• not distort, collapse, or break when filled with water
• be attached to a lanyard of a length and breaking strain sufficient to allow the fire bucket to be cast over the side of the boat and retrieved filled with water
• be stowed as to be readily accessible in case of a fire

(Note: the fire bucket does not have to be made from metal but it must satisfy the requirements listed above)

Requirements for Fire Extinguishers

• must comply with AS 1841 in respect of the type of fuel or fuels carried by the vessel
• is maintained in accordance with AS 1851
• must be not less than the minimum approved size for the amount of flammable liquid carried.

Minimum size for Fire Extinguishers

• in the case of a vessel carrying not more than 115 litres of flammable liquid—0.9 kg;
• in the case of a vessel carrying more than 115 litres but not more than 350 litres of flammable liquid—2.0 kg;
• in the case of a vessel carrying more than 350 litres but not more than 695 litres of flammable liquid—4.5 kg;
• in the case of a vessel carrying more than 695 litres of flammable liquid—9.0 kg.

(Note: having multiple small extinguishers does not satisfy the size requirement – ie if you are required to carry a 2kg extinguisher, you must carry 1 x 2kg fire extinguisher, not 2 x 1kg fire extinguishers. However, if you are carrying the required size fire extinguisher, you may also carry additional smaller fire extinguishers)

 

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Exemptions

Certain types of vessel are either partially or totally exempt from these requirements. Common exemptions include personal watercraft (PWC) and a range of unpowered and human-powered vessels such as sailboards, kiteboards, small sailing vessels, kayaks, canoes and rowboats. Some exemptions are conditional (for example, a condition of the exemption may be that all persons on board must wear a personal flotation device).  Please refer to the Harbors and Navigation Regulations 2009 for further detail.

Each person on board a sailboard or kiteboard must wear:

(a) within 400m from the shore - a PFD Type 1, 2 or 3; or
(b) more than 400m from the shore - a PFD Type 1

and carry a waterproof torch or lantern (when operating between sunset and sunrise).

Operators and any passengers on board personal water craft (PWC) - generally known by their brand names such as jet skis, wave-runners, wet bikes and jet boards - must wear an approved Type 2 or Type 3 PFD, but are generally exempt from carrying other safety equipment. Personal Watercraft are not permitted to operate in Unprotected Waters without approval from the CEO of DTEI.

A canoe, kayak, rowboat or similar small, human-powered vessel operating in protected waters must have:

• a PFD Type 1, 2 or 3 for each person on board (with the exception of rowboats, the PFD must be worn at all times)
• a suitable bailer (unless the hull is permanently enclosed)
• a waterproof torch or lantern (when operating between sunset and sunrise).

A canoe, kayak, rowboat or similar small, human-powered vessel operating in unprotected waters must have:

• a PFD Type 1 or 2 with a whistle attached for each person on board (must be worn at all times)
• awaterproof torch or lantern (when operating between sunset and sunrise
• a suitable bailer (unless the hull is permanently enclosed)
• a spare paddle
• a V distress sheet
• a tow line, at least 15 metres in length, of sufficient strength to allow the vessel to be towed in any conditions
• 1 litre of fresh water
• 2 hand-held red flares***
• 2 hand-held orange smoke signals***
• 1 compass (note: this requirement is not satisfied by an electronic device such as satellite navigation/GPS)***
• a map or chart of the area of operation***
• a 406MHz EPIRB***

*** if travelling with at least 2 similar vessels or a support vessel, at least one vessel in the group must carry this equipment. Vessels not carrying this equipment must stay within 50 metres of the equipped vessel.

A mono-hulled sailing dinghy or a similar small multi-hulled sailing vessel (less than 6 metres in length) may, whilst in protected or semi-protected waters, instead must have:

• a PFD Type 1, 2 or 3 for each person carried on the vessel (must be worn at all times)
• a suitable bailer (unless the hull is permanently enclosed)
• a  waterproof torch or lantern (when operating between sunset and sunrise).

 

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