Carrying suitable safety equipment

Every boat must carry safety equipment suitable for its size and the waters where it is used. On this page, the 'coast' means the coast of the South Australian mainland and Kangaroo Island.

The operator has a duty of care for their own safety, the vessel, and the safety of people who may be affected by their actions. This includes carrying additional safety equipment suitable for their boating activity, based on:

  • the type of vessel they are operating
  • the area of operation
  • expected water and weather conditions
  • the personal requirements of each passenger.

The safety equipment must be in good working order, readily accessible, and protected from water and weather.

Some items of safety equipment carried on the vessel have an expiry date as a renewal reminder to ensure the equipment will work when needed, which may include life-threatening circumstances.

Answer some quick questions to see which boating safety equipment you need with our Marine Safety SA online safety checking tool and keep everyone safe on the water.

Two men fishing in a vessel

Types of water you are operating in

Protected waters

These include all inland waters including the River Murray and excludes Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and any other waters subject to tidal influence.

Semi-protected waters

These are waters up to two nautical miles from the low-water mark of the coast of mainland South Australia and Kangaroo Island and from the banks of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert (and also the Coorong).

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.

Safety equipment required

The safety equipment required depends on the length and type of vessel, where you are operating and is the legal minimum you must carry and includes the mandatory wearing of a lifejacket in some situations.

The Marine Safety SA what safety equipment do you need online tool will tell you exactly what is required.

Check which type of lifejacket you need. Which lifejacket you need and when you must wear it depends on your vessel, age, location and the conditions.

Water pumps and bailers

Requirements for water pumps

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

Requirements for bailers

If the bailer with line is suitable for use as a fire bucket, only one bucket is required, you can use the same bucket as the 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 and filled with water
  • be stowed so as to be readily accessible in case of a fire.

Fire extinguishers

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

The minimum size extinguisher in the following cases:

  • a vessel carrying not more than 115 litres of flammable liquid - 0.9 kg
  • a vessel carrying more than 115 litres but not more than 350 litres of flammable liquid - 2.0 kg
  • a vessel carrying more than 350 litres but not more than 695 litres of flammable liquid - 4.5 kg
  • a vessel carrying more than 695 litres of flammable liquid - 9.0 kg.

Safety equipment for other vessels

Some types of vessels are exempt from carrying certain safety equipment. You can find out exactly what is required on vessels such as personal watercraft (jet skis) and unpowered and human powered vessels such as sailboards, kiteboards, small sailing vessels, kayak, canoes, paddleboards and rowboats using the Marine Safety SA what safety equipment do you need online tool.