How we recommend
We recommend gear by category and use, not by brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.
Get trained
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for hands-on instruction from a recognized program such as US Sailing, the RYA or ASA, and it does not replace the safety rules that apply where you sail.
How to use this list
This checklist is built only from the sources listed at the foot of the page. It is not a complete statement of the law. The legal requirements shown are US federal rules for recreational boats as the cited source states them; your state, your country, your harbor or your club may add others or set them differently, and some recommended items below may also be legal requirements for your boat under rules our sources did not cover. Before you sail, check the current rules with your local boating authority. If you are outside the United States, use your national authority's list instead.
Legal requirements (US federal)
| Item | Marked as | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket for each person aboard | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | 33 CFR 175.15 |
| Wearable life jackets readily accessible, not stored in plastic bags or locked compartments | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | US Coast Guard Boating Safety |
| Children under 13 wearing an approved life jacket while underway, unless below decks or in an enclosed cabin (state rules can replace this in state waters) | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | 33 CFR 175.15(c) |
| Any inflatable counted toward the requirement has a full cartridge, chambers that hold air, a clear oral inflation tube and working status indicators (it need not be armed if worn already inflated) | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | 33 CFR 175.23 |
| A throwable device, on boats 16 ft or longer (canoes and kayaks excepted) | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | 33 CFR 175.15 |
| Visual distress signals on US coastal waters (see safety requirements for which waters count): day and night signals on boats 16 ft or longer; boats under 16 ft and open sailboats under 26 ft without propulsion machinery need night signals only, when out between sunset and sunrise. Pyrotechnic signals expire 42 months after manufacture | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | 33 CFR 175.110; USCG Boater's Guide |
| A means of making an efficient sound signal (under 12 m, any efficient means; 12 m and over, a whistle) | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. Also required for US Sailing nearshore racing. | USCG Boater's Guide; US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| If you carry a US-coded 406 MHz beacon (PLB or EPIRB): registered with NOAA, and the registration renewed every two years | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | US Coast Guard; NOAA; 47 CFR per the Coast Guard brochure |
| If your boat has AIS fitted: it broadcasts accurate information at all times | Legal requirement. Check your local rules. | US Coast Guard Navigation Center |
33 CFR 175.17 exempts sailboards, racing shells and racing canoes and kayaks from the federal life jacket carriage requirement. The Coast Guard Navigation Center states no AIS carriage requirement for recreational boats; the AIS row applies only if you have chosen to fit one.
Recommendations
Most items in this table come from US Sailing's Safety Equipment Requirements for nearshore racing (version 2025.2, in force for 2026), which cover mainly daytime racing close to shore in relatively sheltered water. US Sailing requires them for that kind of racing, and organizing authorities can add or remove items in a Notice of Race. We list them here as recommendations for a day sail, not as legal requirements.
| Item | Marked as | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wear your life jacket whenever you are underway, even where the law does not require it | Recommendation | US Coast Guard Boating Safety |
| A VHF radio, fixed or handheld | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| If the radio has DSC: an MMSI programmed in, and a built-in or connected GPS (the Coast Guard recommends internal GPS) | Recommendation | US Coast Guard DSC article |
| A fire extinguisher | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing). Federal rules also require extinguishers on some boats, depending on engines and enclosed spaces; see safety requirements | US Sailing SER 2025.2; USCG Boater's Guide |
| An anchor with suitable chain and line | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| Two waterproof flashlights | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| A first aid kit | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| A manual bilge pump of at least 10 GPM | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| A compass that works independently of the boat's electrical system | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| A floating polypropylene throw line of at least 15 m (50 ft) | Recommendation (required for US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| Everyone aboard knows where the emergency equipment is and how to use it | Recommendation (the person in charge's responsibility in US Sailing nearshore racing) | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| Crew trained in man-overboard recovery (US Sailing requires two-thirds of a nearshore racing crew to practise it each year) | Recommendation | US Sailing SER 2025.2 |
| A harness and tether worn whenever on deck, which the committee calls the real solution to crew going overboard | Recommendation | US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee |
| Personal AIS beacons for night sailing, very fast boats, wavy conditions and shorthanded boats | Recommendation | US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee |
| An EPIRB carried alongside a DSC radio | Recommendation | US Coast Guard DSC article |
| Yacht sailing: layers with a hooded waterproof outer, a hat, sunglasses on a retainer, and non-slip shoes or sailing boots | Recommendation | RYA |
| Dinghy sailing: a buoyancy aid, a wetsuit, a hooded waterproof jacket, and water shoes or old trainers | Recommendation | RYA |
| Sunscreen, whatever the weather | Recommendation | RYA |
The RYA lists a buoyancy aid as essential for dinghy sailing and a lifejacket as essential for yacht sailing. Its advice is guidance, not US law.
Before you go
A checklist tells you what to carry, not how to use it. Learn to use your safety gear, including your radio and any beacon, through a recognized course. Our safety requirements page and the buying guides for life jackets, handheld VHF and safety beacons explain each item in more detail.
Gear for the list
Marine first aid kits
A first aid kit is on US Sailing's nearshore racing equipment list, alongside two waterproof flashlights and a sound signal.
Best for: Any boat heading out for the day
Handheld VHF radios with DSC and GPS
US Sailing's nearshore list calls for a VHF, fixed or handheld. The Coast Guard says a DSC radio needs an MMSI programmed in and recommends internal GPS.
Best for: Day sailors without a fixed radio
Sources
- eCFR, 33 CFR Part 175, equipment requirements
- A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (USCG, rev. November 2023, via Illinois DNR)
- US Coast Guard Boating Safety, wearing your life jacket
- US Coast Guard Navigation Center, 406 MHz beacons
- NOAA SARSAT, beacon registration
- US Coast Guard, beacon registration brochure (PDF)
- US Coast Guard Navigation Center, AIS requirements
- US Sailing, Safety Equipment Requirements 2025.2, nearshore monohull (PDF)
- US Coast Guard, Digital Selective Calling article (2024, PDF)
- US Sailing Safety at Sea Committee, current thinking on rescue of crew overboard (2025, PDF)
- RYA, what to wear sailing