Powerboat equipment to consider
Consider the following for powerboats used as safety cover for small boat / board / keelboat activity
Your operating procedures should detail your specific requirements:
Does the vessel have
- Paddles, oars or another alternate means of propulsion
- A pump, bucket or bailor
- Towlines
- Throwline
- Toolkit
- Wet net / hypo hoist / Jacobs ladder 1
- Survival bag or thermo protective aid (TPA)
- Waterproof first aid kit 2
- Anchor and chain (or warp) 3
- Sharp knife (preferably serrated)
- Spare kill cord
- Fire extinguisher 4
- VHF fixed or handheld 5
- Radio emergency procedure card 5
- Radar reflector (if an A frame is fitted) 5
- Fog sound signal 5
- Compass, fixed or handheld 5
- Laminated charts or maps of the operating area (inland)
- Towing bridle fixed to strong points or equivalent towing strong point
- Distress flares (coastal venues)
- Tide tables (coastal).
Engine and safety systems
- Is your engine(s) serviced regularly and in good order?
- Does your engine have sufficient power to recover the boats used at the venue?
- Are outboards securely mounted?
- Are gear changing and throttle mechanisms positive and reliable?
- Are you sure your outboard engine does not slip out of gear or start in gear? 6
- Are outboards capable of being locked down and raised?
- Are fuel tanks securely fastened to the boat?
- Are batteries secured and ventilated?
- Are kill switches fully functioning?
- Are kill cords warn at all times?
- Is all equipment stowed securely?
- Is the steering free and easy to use?
Trailers or launch trolleys
- Are trailers or launch trolleys well maintained and serviced, inspected regularly for defects, in good working order and do people know how to use them?
- If present, is a winch strap fully operational?
Note 1 Operating procedures could identify a minimum no. needed across a fleet or alternative methods of recovering a person from the water who can’t actively participate in their own recovery.
Note 2 Minimum: 2 large wound dressings, 2 medium wound dressings and triangular bandages
Note 3 Anchors and cables: It is advised an anchor of sufficient mass for the size and type of vessel is provided, and as a minimum the mass should correspond to that of a kedge, as illustrated in the table.
|
Mean Length (see note 3) (Metres) |
Anchor Main (Kg) |
Mass Kedge (Kg) |
Main Chain (see note 1) (mm) |
Anchor Cable Main Rope (see note 2) (mm) |
Diameter Kedge Chain (see note 1) (mm) |
Kedge Rope (see note 2) (mm) |
|
6 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
7 |
9 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
8 |
10 |
5 |
8 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
9 |
11 |
5 |
8 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
10 |
13 |
6 |
8 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
11 |
15 |
7 |
8 |
12 |
6 |
10 |
|
12 |
18 |
9 |
8 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
|
13 |
21 |
10 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
|
14 |
24 |
12 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
|
15 |
27 |
13 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
|
16 |
30 |
15 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
12 |
|
17 |
34 |
17 |
10 |
14 |
8 |
14 |
|
18 |
38 |
19 |
10 |
16 |
8 |
14 |
|
19 |
42 |
21 |
12 |
16 |
10 |
14 |
|
20 |
47 |
23 |
12 |
16 |
10 |
14 |
|
21 |
52 |
26 |
12 |
16 |
10 |
14 |
|
22 |
57 |
28 |
12 |
19 |
10 |
16 |
|
23 |
62 |
31 |
12 |
19 |
10 |
16 |
|
24 |
68 |
34 |
12 |
19 |
10 |
16 |
Notes (anchor and cables) : 1. Chain cable diameter given is for short link chain; 2. The rope diameter given is for nylon construction. When rope of another construction is proposed, the breaking load should be not less than that of the nylon rope specified in the table; 3. For the purposes of this section, mean length is defined as: Length + Length on waterline/2.
Note 4 Type 5A/34B, serviced annually, in line with manufacturer’s recommendations, discharge test at 5 years.
Note 5 Whether these items are carried at inland venues could be addressed in local operating procedures.
Note 6 If by design your engine can start in gear, it is advisable to use a label to state this.