Flares on boat

[MarkD]

In the last issue of OOD magazine there is some info about boat safety regulation.
I was surprised to read that 'any boat which travels more than one nautical mile from shore needs to have flares on board'.
However when I checked the regulation I didn't find this in it. Instead it says for a boat up to 6 meters in length: If equipped with motor: Watertight flashlight OR 3 Type A, B, or C flares.
https://boating.ncf.ca/equipment.html#p6
Could anyone clarify this for me?
I have a 16' utility boat, go to GB or LO on quiet days for trolling and of course I go much further than 1 mile. Never was even thinking about flares.
Flares.jpg

[Bushmoose]

https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/....html#h-769607

All you need is the water tight flashlight to meet the regs. The story about a mile off shore is false.

[MarkD]

Thanks a lot!
Yes it seems to me this way too, but I’m really surprised that OOD placed such misleading info…

[Bushmoose]

That isn't to say that exceeding the requirements is a bad idea. Having those flares on board, just might save someones butt one day.

[swampsinger]

Not exactly on point but earlier this spring I got dinged while in Florida. I received warnings and had to purchase flares , a throwable floatation device, and fire extinguisher. I was maybe a couple hundred feet from St George Island but was considered off shore.

[Bushmoose]

Not exactly on point but earlier this spring I got dinged while in Florida. I received warnings and had to purchase flares , a throwable floatation device, and fire extinguisher. I was maybe a couple hundred feet from St George Island but was considered off shore.

Different country, different regulations.

[MarkD]

That isn't to say that exceeding the requirements is a bad idea. Having those flares on board, just might save someones butt one day.

Well, I think it should be reasonable… I have a pretty small boat for two people and two dogs in it… And if I go for ‘not bad idea’ to have this and that then there would probably be no room for myself…
When I'm thinking about how these flares could help me in case of something goes wrong compared to keeping them safe and readily etc… I better not have them at all and concentrate on other things…
But that's my view on that…

[MarkD]

Right, but that column in OOD was intended for Ontario readers... And it seems to be completely wrong.

[Bushmoose]

Well, I think it should be reasonable… I have a pretty small boat for two people and two dogs in it… And if I go for ‘not bad idea’ to have this and that then there would probably be no room for myself…
When I'm thinking about how these flares could help me in case of something goes wrong compared to keeping them safe and readily etc… I better not have them at all and concentrate on other things…
But that's my view on that…

Hey, no argument with your above statement. At the end of the day, it comes down to individual choice on personal safety. The regulations are meant to provide a basic requirement that needs to be adhered to. Other than that, it's personal choice.

[Marker]

Here are the Transport Canada regs https://tc.canada.ca/sites/default/f...ed/tp_511e.pdf


MINIMUM SAFETY EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS BY BOAT TYPE AND LENGTHNOTE: See page 19 for notes.BOAT TYPE AND LENGTH PERSONAL LIFESAVINGAPPLIANCES VISUAL SIGNALS VESSEL SAFETY EQUIPMENT NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT•Paddleboats• Watercycles•Standup Paddleboards•Sealed-Hull and Sit-on-TopKayaks1. One (1) lifejacket or PFD foreach person on board*2. One (1) reboarding device(See Note 1)3. One (1) buoyant heaving lineat least 15 m (49’3”) longIf boat is over 6 m4. One (1) watertight flashlight5. [COLOR=#ff0000]Six (6) flares of Type A, B, C orD, only two (2) can be Type D.(See Note 2)6. One (1) bailerOROne manual bilge pump(See Note 3)ORBilge-pumping arrangements7. One (1) sound-signallingdevice or appliance8. Navigation lights(See Note 4)9. One (1) magnetic compass(See Note 5)10.One (1) radar



I do recall at one time the great lakes having different rules than other inland waters, one was for a paper map, another when to wear a life jacket and the third for flares vs other signaling devices.