Marine Safety

Boating is all about having fun. Still, when you’re on the water and far from land, even though all on board are having a great time, everyone must be mindful of safety. As the skipper, you’ve stayed on top of maintenance and repairs to make your boat as reliable as it can be, and always make all appropriate checks before you leave the dock. Nevertheless, you still have to make sure it’s properly equipped for unexpected events and emergencies, from someone falling overboard to a worst-case scenario where all occupants must abandon ship because of a catastrophic event like an on-board fire or a vessel that’s sinking, and urgent help is needed. You’ll find everything to outfit passengers and your boat for safety here on our digital shelves. From basic necessities like life jackets and flotation cushions, to signaling devices that can alert emergency responders and guide them to your location, to sophisticated detection and fire suppression systems, all your marine safety needs are right here.

All boats must have properly fitting United States Coast Guard (USCG) approved PFDs (Personal Flotation Devices) - life jackets or life vests - on board for all passengers, preferably worn at all times. If not being worn, PFDs must be readily accessible so that they can be donned quickly in the event of an emergency. All children and boat occupants engaged in water sports like skiing and wakeboarding must wear their PFDs. PFDs should be regularly inspected for tears and missing straps and buckles and tested for buoyancy. If there are any problems or the effectiveness of a unit is in doubt, the PFD should be replaced.

Our selection of PFDs is extensive, and includes Type I, II, III, and V life vests and life jackets in sizes for children and adults. We offer many styles, colors, and patterns, including hunting and fishing vests, with standard foam for buoyancy, inflatable, and hybrid models that feature foam and inflation. Inflatable vests and belts are available with manual inflation, where a CO2 cartridge inflates the PFD when a cord is pulled, or with automatic inflation, where the PFD inflates automatically when submerged. Cartridges must be replaced after each inflation and we have the rearming kits for the job. Vessels over 16 ft. in length must also be equipped with at least one Type IV, throwable PFD. Here you’ll find a variety of flotation cushions and ring buoys as well as the mounts and holders that make them easy to carry on your boat.

According to Federal regulations, boats operated in the ocean, the Great Lakes, or connecting rivers or bays up to a point where the waterway is less than 2 nautical miles wide, must be equipped with USCG approved VDS (Visual Distress Signals). VDS can be pyrotechnics (flares), flags, or electric lights. We offer hand-held red signaling flares and orange smoke flares, and aerial flare kits that include flares and a launcher, as well as replacement aerial flares. Our electric signal light collection includes waterproof, battery operated LED strobe lights with up to 56 hours of continuous operation; combination strobe and steady-on lights that automatically activate once submerged; signaling strobes that can be easily attached to life vests and jackets without interfering with their function; and self-righting, high-intensity xenon crew overboard lights that can operate for up to 60 hours on a 6V lantern battery. We also offer chemically activated light sticks and personal marker lights that provide many hours of light, as well as air and electronic horns and whistles for audible distress signaling.

With their tremendous capabilities, electronic devices are indispensable safety gear. It starts with a DSC equipped VHF radio. A VHF radio doesn’t rely on cell towers as cell phones do so you have much more reliable distress signaling capabilities, and you can signal everyone with the range of your radio, unlike cell phones that can only connect with one other phone at a time. DSC stands for Digital Selective Calling which, in conjunction with the unit’s built-in GPS or when connected to an external GPS, automatically relays your vessel’s position when you send out a distress signal. We offer a wide range of fixed mount, hand-held, and portable VHF radios. An EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is a boat-mounted device that when activated, sends a 406 MHz distress signal via satellite to a ground station, which then calculates your position and relays this information to the search and rescue personnel that are closest to you. The unit must be registered with the authorities after purchase and this information will provide them with your personal identification, the type of vessel, and personal contact numbers, which will further aid in your rescue.

We have a large selection of EPIRBs, including advanced units with an internal GPS that can include your coordinates with the initial distress signal transmission, dramatically reducing notification time and helping to reduce the search radius. PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) work like EPIRBs but are much smaller and designed to be attached to a life jacket. If a boat is sinking or you fall overboard, you can easily become separated from the vessel, especially in rough seas. While an EPIRB will help search and rescue personnel locate the boat, a PLB will help them find you. Our collection of PLBs is similar in size, and we have units that also feature integrated GPS, an integral strobe light, as well as a display indicating GPS coordinates and remaining battery power. In addition to EPIRBs and PLBs, we also offer MOBi (Man Overboard Indicator) systems. These have a base unit with individual transponder fobs carried be each person onboard. The base station continuously monitors the transponder signals and if someone falls overboard, the drop in signal level causes an audible alarm to sound.

The USCG stipulates that boats less than 26’ must have at least one B-1 fire extinguisher on board. For boats from 26’ to 40’ the requirement is two B-1 fire extinguishers or one B-II extinguisher, and from 40’ to 65’ the prerequisite is three B-1 extinguishers or one B-I and one B-II. These requirements may be affected by the presence of an engine room fire extinguishing system, so always check the marine regulations where you operate your boat to be sure. We have portable, rechargeable, fire extinguishers in a range of sizes as well as mounting brackets so they can be located where they’re readily accessible. We also offer complete automatic fire extinguisher systems that automatically discharge a fire suppression gas when a preset temperature is reached, completely smothering a fire in an enclosed space like an engine room.

To alert you to hazardous conditions on your boat we offer many types of detectors. In addition to smoke detectors and smoke/heat detectors, we have complete fire detection systems that can monitor detectors in separate zones. We also offer detectors that can alert you to the presence of dangerous levels of gasoline fumes, propane fumes, and carbon monoxide. Engine shutdown systems like the kind you’ll find right here, must be used with diesel engines and engine compartment fire suppression systems. The suppression gas will not stall the engine, and in the absence of a shutdown system the engine will continue to run, removing the suppression agent from the area and lowering the amount needed to extinguish the fire. And if circumstances force you and your passengers to abandon ship, we have a variety of the latest, state-of-the-art, enclosed life rafts for 4, 6, or 8 people, dry bags in many sizes, and complete boating safety kits that include life jackets, flotation cushions, fire extinguisher, signaling horn, and much more.