What this checklist is for
Use the form above as a USCG-style safety walk of one recreational boat before you leave the dock or ramp. Fill it in on screen. Then, download a CSV or PDF file of the completed form.
The form captures the time, date, boat details, skipper info, people on board, and the trip plan. It also records whether each item was marked OK, Defect, or N/A for required safety gear, vessel systems, engine start, weather, float plan, and passenger briefing. Lastly, a skipper sign-off are captured.
In November 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard published its Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats. Coast Guard will publishes its new Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats. That’s where we’ll find federal requirements for what you must carry and how you must operate your boat. It covers sound signals, navigation lights, engine cut-off switch use, wearable and throwable lifejackets, and marine fire extinguishers. It also covers backfire control and ventilation on gasoline boats, fueling checks, the sniff test, weather checks, float plans, and the reminder to put drain plugs in.
It includes details on how to wear and store life jackets (Coast Guard life jacket wear). It also explains what “good and serviceable” mean when checking fire extinguishers (Coast Guard fire extinguisher FAQ). Note that this is not the Guide itself; it is not a Vessel Safety Check score sheet; it is just a template.
This includes information about the trip, the boat, and the skipper. It includes the date, time, boat name, reg number or doc #, boat length, and boat type. You also need the skipper, people on board, launch point, waters, destination, and estimated arrival back. Finally, include the shore contact who has your float plan.
What it is not
- It is not a shop maintenance record. Hours, impeller changes, winterizing, and scheduled service belong on boat maintenance and an outboard log. Those forms are unpublished on this site. Name them in plain text if you need the service sheet. Do not treat this dock walk as that record.
- It is not a commercial motor vehicle pre-trip. CMV walkarounds use the published CMV pre-trip inspection checklist (49 CFR 392.7, 396.13, and a CDL station order) and end-of-day writing on the published post-trip DVIR checklist. Do not copy 4/32 inch steer-axle tread, air-brake psi, or a DVIR header onto a recreational boat.
- It is not a highway trip kit or a household vehicle fuel log. Those live on the published road trip checklist and vehicle maintenance log.
- It is not a state inspection sticker, a Coast Guard boarding report, or a substitute for the owner's manual start procedure for your hull and engine.
How to fill each block
According to the Coast Guard Guide: “Leave a float plan with a responsible person; tell them where you’re going, how many is aboard the vessel, and what kind of vessel it is.” Cabin boats aren’t the only ones subject to USCG float planning. Skiffs and kayaks are too. This is a walk ID block, header. Not the Aux float-plan form you leave behind.
• Wearable: You must have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved, wearable life jacket that is in good condition, the correct size, and easily accessible. Federal carriage rule require one wearable jacket per person aboard. Boats 16 feet and longer also need one throwable device immediately available, except canoes and kayaks.
All boats 16 feet and over must have one throwable device within immediate reach (unless in canoes and kayaks). Throwables cannot be stored beneath other items or inside of unopened plastic bags. Children less than 13 years old must wear a life jacket while underway if they are on deck or in an open area of the boat unless they are in an enclosed cabin or below deck. States may have a wear rule for that body of water. Inflatable life jackets must have green status indicators that show they are working and a full cylinder to count.
If equipped with fire extinguishers, they must be USCG approved for marine use, easily accessible, and within reach. There can't be any heavy corrosion. The nozzle must be clear, and the pin must be in place. It also cannot exceed the 12-year stamp indicating the disposal date. The number required depends on the model year, length, and whether a fixed fire extinguishing system is installed in the engine space.
Visual distress signals is required on the Great Lakes, coastal waters, territorial seas, and connecting waters until the waterway is less than two nautical miles wide. Boats under 12 meters require an efficient signal; 12 meters and over require a whistle; 20 meters and over require a bell.
Navigation lights must be operational during restricted visibility and from sunset to sunrise. If you are operating a covered boat under 26 feet that has an engine cut-off switch installed, you must use the link while operating at or above displacement speed or on plane. Certificate of number shall be carried while the vessel is in use.
Install the drain plugs before launching. It is a classic item to forget, according to The Guide.
Make sure you have enough fuel for the trip using the one-third out, one-third back, one-third reserve rule. Keep the fuel cap tight and ensure there are no leaks. Fill portable tanks ashore.
The battery is held down, the cables are tight, and there is no heavy corrosion.
The bilge is reasonably dry, the pump and bailer work, and there is no fuel odor.
The seacocks and through hulls is in the proper position, and no leaks are visible.
The throttle, shift, and steering controls all move freely.
Do not exceed the capacity plate. No plate? The Guide’s rule of thumb for people is length times width divided by 15 if the boat holds 150 pounds; this doesn't replace a plate where one exists.
What varies
Keep your eyes on people in the water and account for them. Shut the engine off near swimmers.
Before cranking, run the blower (if equipped) for at least four minutes and smell the engine-compartment bilge on gasoline boats. If there’s no telltale, make sure the engine starts, and confirm cool engine water by looking at the telltale or some other manufacturer cooling indication. If gauges are present, they don't show any strange warnings.
Throttle and shift in reverse, neutral, and forward at the dock. And if it’s safe to do so while idling, test that the cut-off link really cuts the engine before departing the slip.
Without a local forecast, you don’t leave. From ready.gov, boat owners are told to check weather radio (NOAA Weather Radio) or weather.gov/marine for the most current marine forecast and warning. If there’s a possibility of thunderstorms, the National Weather Service says, do not go out. If thunderstorms develop, seek shelter immediately.
You provide the shore contact listed in the header with your float plan. You explain to passengers where the life jackets are and how to put them on. You show them where the distress signals and extinguisher are located. You tell them what to do should somebody fall overboard. Finally, you tell them to remain seated and keep a lookout.
You remain sober. You ensure that the number of persons on board matches the capacity plate and the number of jackets. You note where and what didn’t work. You select an option: no defects, repaired prior to launch, or won’t depart until it is repaired. You sign only if you’re willing to leave; otherwise, you mark it and the boat stays at the dock.
The Guide covers the minimum requirements for Federal equipment. Then it states to add things like operator age, education cards, child wear ages, and PWC rules.
Here we use the second check: The FWC’s handbook out of Florida. It matches wearable jackets for all persons with a throwable at 16 feet and over; it also sets child wear at under 6 on vessels less than 26 feet underway (not the federal under-13). For the water you are on, you will use the NASBLA state boating contacts. You don’t consider Florida child-wear ages as being federal law.
The number of life jackets and fire extinguishers depends on the model year, type, and length of the boat. The portable chart for boats 65 feet and under is the same as the guide and fire-extinguisher FAQ.
After you finish
Boats under 16 feet, and 16 but less than 26 feet, require one 5-B if they have no fixed system, but no additional portables are needed if the boat has a qualifying fixed system in the machinery space. Two are required without a fixed system, while one is required with a fixed system for boats 26 but less than 40 feet. Boats 40 up to 65 feet require three if they have no fixed system and two if they do. Two 5-Bs can be replaced by one 20-B. Each 10-B will count as one 5-B. Only 5-B or 20-B forms date stamped after model year 2018 are required.
B-I or B-II is still good and serviceable in older boats. No need to carry an extinguisher if the boat is open, less than 26 feet, has a portable fuel tank and no vapor trapping spaces. If your boat has closed compartments or a built-in tank, you do not qualify for this exception.
However, it’s not a federal rule to carry visual distress for every lake. This requirement does not apply to territorial seas, the Great Lakes, inland waters other than coastal waters, or connecting waters wider than two nautical miles.
If you are operating between sunset and sunrise on waters subject to VDS, you must use night signals if you are in a manually-propelled boat, an open sailboat less than 26 feet long with no motor, or any boat less than 16 feet long. For those choosing pyrotechnic distress signals, the Guide’s minimum would be three each of day and night signals (or combo day/night devices). Expired flares may be extra gear.
The layout of navigation lights depends on the boat's length and whether it is powered by oars, sails, or an engine. Instead of printing a different lamp list for each hull, the Guide refers to the Navigation Rules. Do the lights you’re supposed to show light?
Outboards have other approved methods of backfire flame control; inboard gas engines require it. Outboard and sterndrive cooling checks are telltale water; they’re not a federal requirement.
If you want a copy that remains with this tab, you’ll download a filled-in PDF or CSV. Answers remain in this browser. A new visitor gets a blank form.
Not a substitute for the OEM or a licensed inspection
Before departure, fix any problems related to propulsion, steering, leaks, signaling, firefighting or flotation gear. This is no substitute for a sniff test after filling up, nor does a tidy bilge in the morning mean it’s off the list. Scheduled shop work should go in the outboard log or boat maintenance records, not here. Form appears above. Below the form are the preview image and printable PDF.
The above is a template for record keeping. It is not legal advice. It is also not a replacement for a licensed marine inspection, a Coast Guard or Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check, or the procedures from the boat or engine manufacturer. Just because 33 CFR, the Boater’s Guide, or your state handbook doesn't list a specific distress-signal mix, jacket count, or extinguisher rating, it doesn't mean you should make up a Pass/Fail number.