Required Safety Equipment for Canadian Boaters

Transport Canada's Small Vessel Regulations (SOR/2010-91), enacted under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, specify the safety equipment that must be carried on pleasure craft operating in Canadian waters. The requirements scale with vessel length, power source, and operating conditions. What follows is a practical reference — not a substitute for reading the official regulations, which are available at laws-lois.justice.gc.ca.

How Equipment Requirements Are Organized

The Small Vessel Regulations sort pleasure craft into categories based on overall length:

• Less than 6 metres
• 6 metres up to but not including 8 metres
• 8 metres up to but not including 12 metres
• 12 metres up to but not including 24 metres

Within each category, requirements also vary depending on whether the vessel is self-propelled (paddled, rowed), motorized, or a sailboat. The information below focuses primarily on motorized pleasure craft, which make up the majority of registered vessels in Canada.

Life Jackets and Personal Flotation Devices

Every person onboard must have access to a Transport Canada-approved personal flotation device (PFD) or life jacket of the appropriate size. The key distinction between a PFD and a life jacket is buoyancy performance:

• Life Jacket (Type I equivalent): Designed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up. Required for offshore and exposed coastal conditions.
• PFD (Type II/III equivalent): Provides buoyancy but may not self-right an unconscious wearer. Acceptable for calm, protected inland waters where rescue is likely to be rapid.

The device must be in serviceable condition — not waterlogged, torn, or with buckles that no longer function. Keeping a PFD in a storage locker technically satisfies the carriage requirement, but Transport Canada strongly recommends wearing it at all times, particularly on small vessels.

Children under 16 years of age on vessels under 9 metres must wear an approved PFD or life jacket at all times while the vessel is underway, unless they are below deck.

Fire Extinguishers

A Transport Canada-approved fire extinguisher is required on motorized vessels with:

• An enclosed fuel tank
• An enclosed engine compartment
• Cooking facilities
• Sleeping quarters

For most small motorized craft, a 5B:C-rated dry chemical extinguisher is the minimum. For vessels over 9 metres with enclosed fuel systems, additional extinguishers may be required. Extinguishers must be inspected regularly — the gauge needle must be in the green zone and the tamper seal must be intact.

Visual Distress Signals (Flares)

Visual distress signals are required on vessels operating:

• More than 1 nautical mile from shore on any body of water
• On coastal or offshore waters

Acceptable signals include:

• Three approved red pyrotechnic distress flares (parachute or hand-held)
• An electric distress light emitting an SOS pattern (for nighttime use only)
• An approved distress flag (orange with black square and circle) for daytime use only

Flares have an expiry date. Expired flares may be retained as extras but cannot be counted toward the required three. The approved flares must have current date codes. Disposal of expired pyrotechnics must follow Transport Canada and provincial guidelines — do not discard them in household waste.

Sound Signalling Devices

Under COLREGs Rule 33, vessels under 12 metres must carry a means of making an efficient sound signal. In practice, this means:

• Vessels under 12 metres: A whistle meeting the requirements in COLREGs Annex III (audible for at least 0.5 nautical miles)
• Vessels 12 metres and over: A whistle and a bell

Air horns satisfy the whistle requirement for larger vessels. Mouth whistles sold specifically as boating safety equipment typically meet the standard; general sports whistles may not.

Buoyant Heaving Line

A buoyant heaving line of at least 15 metres (approximately 49 feet) in length is required on all vessels under 9 metres. This device is used to throw a line to a person in the water when they cannot be safely reached by other means. The line must float, making it visible and retrievable if it lands in the water during a rescue attempt.

Bailer or Bilge Pump

Vessels under 9 metres must carry either a manual bilge pump or a bailer (typically a sturdy bucket or purpose-made plastic scoop). The requirement applies to all small vessels that can accumulate water — whether through spray, rain, or a minor ingress. Powered bilge pumps do not fulfil this requirement on their own; a manual backup is still required.

Navigation Lights

Any vessel operating between sunset and sunrise, or in periods of restricted visibility, must display navigation lights that comply with COLREGs Annex I. For small pleasure craft, the standard configuration is:

• Port (left): Red light, visible from 112.5° ahead
• Starboard (right): Green light, visible from 112.5° ahead
• Stern: White light, visible astern from 135°
• Masthead (power vessels underway): White light, visible forward through 225°

A single all-round white light is permissible for vessels under 7 metres with a maximum speed of 7 knots when the separated sidelights are impractical. All lights must be visible for at least 1 nautical mile at the distances specified in COLREGs for the vessel's length category.

Anchor and Line

The Small Vessel Regulations do not mandate an anchor on all vessel sizes, but Transport Canada's Safe Boating Guide lists it as recommended standard equipment for any vessel operating in waters where anchoring may be needed in an emergency. For day-use vessels on protected lakes, most operators carry an anchor and at least 15 metres of suitable anchor line as a practical minimum.

First Aid Kit

A first aid kit is not mandated under the Small Vessel Regulations for most vessel categories, but Transport Canada classifies it as strongly recommended for all vessels. Kits should include bandages, antiseptic, elastic bandages, pain relief medication, and any prescription medications relevant to persons onboard.

Summary Table by Vessel Length (Motorized)

Last reviewed: May 14, 2026. Information reflects Transport Canada guidance current as of that date.