Free Vessel Safety Check

Boating safety is a topic that is on everyone’s mind. There are many things that you can do to stay safe on the water. One of them is to take advantage of the free vessel safety check performed by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

This 15 minute check could save the life of you and the lives of your family. The check is performed by an examiner of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. They check things like the life jackets on board, registration & numbering, navigation lights, and much more. All the items that they check are required by state and federal laws and if they are missing or not working you could be slapped with a citation if your vessel is inspected by the Coast Guard while on the water.

Once your vessel is inspected and passes, you are awarded a decal that allows local and federal authorities know that you had passed the vessel safety check for that year. If your vessel does not pass the inspection at that time, there is no citation that is issued. Instead, you are provided with written instructions on how to fix the problem.

Still wondering why do it? Peace of mind that your boat meets federal safety standards and that in an emergency you will have the proper equipment and ability to help. Also, knowing your boat meets federal standards means that you do not have to worry about unwanted fines if your boat is boarded by law enforcement.

In many cases boating insurance agencies offer discounts for vessels which undergo a Vessel Safety Check every year. All decals and safety checks are void December 31st of year they are inspected, they are also void should the operator/owner fail to maintain the vessels equipment or the vessel itself to the standard at the time of the safety check.