PADDLERsmart! Canada Knowledge Base
Module 02 - Boating Equipment
PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Your Personal Safety Equipment must be carried onboard at all times.
Your Personal Safety Equipment includes:
- A buoyant heaving line; and
- Life jackets and Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
More than 90% of all persons who drown while boating were not wearing a life jacket or PFD. Your flotation device only works if you wear it! Life jackets and PFDs should be worn by ALL boaters in and around water and not just when operating or riding in a boat.
BUOYANT HEAVING LINE
A buoyant heaving line is a floating rope, designed to be thrown overboard to rescue a person from the water.
Some heaving lines are light and can be more difficult to throw long distances. For this reason, using a buoyant heaving line equipped with a weighted plastic shell or bag at one end (a throw container) will enable you to throw with less difficulty.
Always practice using your buoyant heaving line in a controlled area, so you’re familiar with how to throw it in an emergency.
The Small Vessel Regulations require that buoyant heaving lines be:
- At least 15 m in length, for all pleasure craft under 24 m in length
- Readily accessible in case of emergency
