Boating Safety Requirements in Western Australia
Recreational Boating Safety in WA
The Department for Planning and Infrastructure sets the minimum amount and standards of safety equipment to be carried on private boats. Amounts vary depending on how far offshore that you travel and it is important to understand that these are minimum standards.
Responsible skippers carry with them extra gear that is suitable for the trip. All safety equipment on board must be maintained in very good condition and be accessible at all times.
Protected Waters
Protected waters include rivers, lakes, estuaries and boat harbours but exclude the Cambridge Gulf or Lake Argyle.
Any vessel that operates within these protected waters needs to carry aboard the following safety equipment:
Bilge Pump or Bailer or Bucket
Boats of 7 metres and over must have a bilge pump. Boats under 7 metres may have a pump or a bucket or a bailer.
The bilge pump may be of any type - manual, engine driven or electric. It must be capable of removing at least 4,000 litres of water an hour. Electric or automatic pumps must also have an indicator to show when they are working. Any boats that have full length sealed, self draining decks are not required to carry bilge pumps onboard.
Fire Extinguisher
Boats that have inboard motors or liquid or gas fuelled appliances, must carry an extinguisher. Boats that have outboard motors and no such appliances do not have to carry extinguishers.
Any Australian Standards approved extinguisher other than a water filled type is acceptable.
Note: As of January 1996 the yellow BCF fire extinguishers have been made illegal. Any person that still has a BCF extinguisher must not carry it onboard their boat and should hand it into their local Fire Brigade Station as soon as possible to reduce any risks.
Unprotected/Open Waters – within 2 nautical miles off shore
Lifejackets (PFD’s – Personal Floatation Device)
Approved Type (Cat.) 1 life jackets must be carried on board every vessel for each person in the correct size. Life jackets are the most important piece of safety equipment on any vessel and must be in a good condition and easily accessible.
Type (Cat.) 1 life jackets offer protection from drowning by maintaining a person in a safe floating position in the water, with buoyancy behind the head. They are compulsory for all people on board vessels in the open sea.
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PFD’S can be purchased through the secure Yacht and Boat online store 
to Order Online
Anchor and Line
The anchor must be of an approved type that will work in a sandy seabed and with enough line to suit the depth of water in which you usually operate. A grapnel anchor is not an approved type and can therefore only be carried as an additional anchor.
Flares
Hand Held Red: Two hand held red flares or two parachute distress rockets. These flares are best used at night time but can be used during the day as they expel a large volume of smoke and burn extremely brightly.
Orange Smoke: Along with the two hand held red flares you are also required to carry two hand held orange smoke signals or one smoke canister. These flares are only suitable for daylight hours and are best used when you are in sight of land, another vessel or aircraft.
The Department requires that your safety equipment be kept in a very good and serviceable condition. It must also be easily accessible in an emergency. It is recommended that you store your flares in a water tight container.
All flares and smoke signals must meet either Australian Standard AS2092, or Australian Uniform Shipping Laws Code specifications.
Between 2 and 5 Nautical Miles of the Mainland Shore
As for within 2 nautical miles plus:
EPIRB
An EPIRB or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon is a simple and effective alerting and locating device.
An EPIRB is required to be carried if you are operating beyond 2 nautical miles from the mainland shore or more than 400 metres from an island located more than 2 nautical miles from the mainland shore. An EPIRB is not required if operating in the metropolitan exempt area.
Once activated, an EPIRB transmits a distress signal for at least 48 hours that can detected by satellites and over flying aircraft. A distress beacon’s location can generally be calculated by the satellite system to within a range of 5 kilometres for a 406 MHz and 20 kilometres for a 121.5 MHz beacon. The EPIRB should be accessible but stowed to avoid inadvertent activation. Do not stow it in the bottom of a locker.
It is important to note that the 121.5MHz signal will not be received after FEBRUARY 2009 and will be replaced by 406 MHz digital beacons. We recommend you change to the 406 MHz immediately.
EPIRB’s can be purchased through the secure Yacht and Boat online store to Order Online
More than 5 Nautical Miles from the Mainland Shore
As for between 2 and 5 nautical miles plus:
Parachute Distress Flares
Two parachute distress flares. You do not need to carry hand held red flares as well as parachute distress flares.
Two Way Marine Band Radio
The choice of marine radio is up to you. It can be either a 27mHz, VHF or HF. Whenever at sea, you must have your radio turned on and tuned to the distress frequency or the working frequency of a Sea Rescue Group.
Recommended Additional Safety Equipment
First Aid Kit
To cover accidents or injury that could befall any member onboard, a first aid kit is essential. Remember, seasickness is debilitating. So carry the remedy. Yacht and Boat also recommend a Reviva Mask which can be purchased through the Online Store
Knife
Always handy with many uses. Keep your knife sharp at all times.
Rope
Additional rope onboard can be extremely useful for various purposes and for towing.
Fresh Water
A good supply of fresh water is essential when boating as the sun and the salt can quickly dehydrate you. Make sure that your water is fresh and clean and kept in a suitable container.
Alternative Power
Spare outboard, oars or paddles to get the boat to safety in the event of a power failure.
Torch
A torch can be useful in an emergency situation, for attracting attention as well as for checking bilges.
Heliograph Mirror
This is a signalling device that uses a mirror to reflect the sun's rays to the shore or to other vessels.
Tool Kit
There is no substitute for an adequate tool kit onboard your boat. When you are out on the water you really are on your own.
The tool kit should include;
Spark plug spanner
Spare spark plugs
Spanner set to suit your motor
Screwdriver set
Adjustable spanner
Pliers
Electrical tape
Hammer
for more information
Yacht and Boat also recommends a Life Buoy and Fire Extinguisher for all vessels and a Compass, Map or Chart, and Life Raft for vessels operating unprotected waters.
Many of the above safety products can be purchased through the secure Yacht and Boat online store to Order Online
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