Kayak Safety Kit
For short trips, day trips, and extended trips, you should always be prepared and have a kayak safety kit with you. Consider these items in your kit:
- First-aid kit – get CPR certified as well. Consider including a trauma kit as well.
- Water – filters and containers to collect fresh drinking water
- Knife – have a spare knife or two of different sizes
- Food supplies – several days, compact consider fishing as well
- Signaling devices – visual distress signals such as reflectors, mirror, flare gun, and electronic flares
- Compass or GPS unit – with maps of your area on it in case you get lost
- Fire Starter – and hatchet for a small fire should you need warmth, cooking, or boiling water to drink.
- Emergency shelter – emergency blankets and sleeping gear
Required Equipment for Canoes, Kayaks and SUPs: Canada and the USA
Paddle craft have a shorter required list than powerboats in both countries, but they do have one. Transport Canada's rules apply in Canadian waters; the U.S. Coast Guard's, plus your state's, apply in U.S. waters.
Canoes, Kayaks and SUPs Side by Side
| Item | USA (U.S. Coast Guard) | Canada (Transport Canada) |
|---|---|---|
| Life jackets | One Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket per person, right size | One Canadian-approved lifejacket or PFD per person, right size. In whitewater it must be inherently buoyant, not inflatable |
| Children | Under 13 must wear one while underway | No general wear rule, but inflatables aren't approved under 16 or under 36.3 kg (80 lb) |
| Stand-up paddleboards | A vessel when used outside swimming, surfing and bathing areas: life jacket, whistle, and a light at night | If everyone wears a lifejacket or PFD: just a whistle, and a watertight flashlight at night. Otherwise, the canoe and kayak list applies. Same for sit-on-top kayaks with sealed hulls |
| Throwable or heaving line | Not required for canoes and kayaks | A buoyant heaving line at least 15 m long |
| Bailer or pump | Not required | A bailer or manual bilge pump, unless the boat can't hold enough water to capsize or has sealed compartments |
| Sound signal | A whistle or horn | A pealess whistle or a horn |
| Light at night | A white light, such as a flashlight or lantern, ready to show in time to prevent a collision | Navigation lights after sunset, before sunrise or in restricted visibility; for most paddlers, a watertight flashlight |
| Distress signals | On coastal waters and the Great Lakes, night signals when out between sunset and sunrise | None for paddle craft 6 m or less; over 6 m, a watertight flashlight and six flares |
| Compass | Not required | Required, except boats 8 m or less within sight of navigation marks |
| Reboarding device | Not required | Required if the climb back aboard is more than 0.5 m |
| Operator card | Not needed for paddle craft in most states | Not needed for paddle craft |
| Registration | Not federally required; some states require registration or a launch permit for paddle craft | Not required |
| Add a motor | Even a small electric trolling motor makes it a motorboat: register it with your state and follow motorboat rules | You need a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, even with the motor off; a Pleasure Craft Licence at 10 hp or more |
Label your boat. An empty kayak or canoe found drifting can start a search for a paddler who's safe at home, and the U.S. Coast Guard asks every paddler to put contact details on their boat. A free Scan If Found decal does it in one scan.
This is a summary to help you prepare, not legal advice. The official sources are Canada's Small Vessel Regulations and the U.S. Coast Guard's federal requirements; your state or province may add more.
More Powerboats and sailboats: the full USA and Canada comparison
| Item | USA (U.S. Coast Guard) | Canada (Transport Canada) |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the rules | U.S. Coast Guard federal minimums, plus your state's rules | Transport Canada's Small Vessel Regulations, across the country |
| Life jackets | One Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket per person, right size | One Canadian-approved lifejacket or PFD per person, right size |
| Children | Under 13 must wear one while underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin | No general wear rule, but inflatables aren't approved under 16 or under 36.3 kg (80 lb) |
| Throwable or heaving line | A throwable device on boats 16 ft and over (not canoes or kayaks) | A 15 m buoyant heaving line on every boat (or a lifebuoy from 6 m); both over 9 m |
| Distress signals | On coastal waters and the Great Lakes: day and night signals from 16 ft, night only under 16 ft. Flares expire after 42 months; a distress flag and electric SOS light can replace them | Flashlight or 3 flares up to 6 m; flashlight and 6 flares to 9 m; flashlight and 12 flares to 12 m. None needed within 1 nm of shore on rivers and lakes. Flares expire after 4 years |
| Fire extinguishers | With enclosed spaces or a fixed fuel tank: one 5-B under 26 ft, two at 26 to 40 ft, three at 40 to 65 ft. Disposables expire after 12 years | 5B:C with an inboard engine, fixed tank or fuel-burning appliance (to 6 m); 5B:C with a motor (to 9 m) or 10B:C (to 12 m), plus one per fuel-burning appliance |
| Sound signal | Whistle or horn; a Navigation Rules whistle from 12 m, plus a bell from 20 m | Whistle or horn; a Collision Regulations whistle from 12 m |
| Navigation lights | Sunset to sunrise and in restricted visibility | Sunset to sunrise and in reduced visibility |
| Bailer or bilge pump | Not federally required | Required on every boat |
| Paddle or anchor | Not regulated | Paddle or anchor with 15 m of rode to 9 m; anchor with 30 m of rode to 12 m |
| Reboarding device | Not required | Required if the climb back aboard is more than 0.5 m |
| Compass | Not required | Required, except boats 8 m or less within sight of navigation marks |
| Radar reflector | Not required | Where practicable on boats under 20 m or built mostly of non-metallic materials |
| Engine cut-off switch | Under 26 ft: wear the link when on plane, if one is installed | Must be installed on personal watercraft; a U.S.-style rule has been proposed for other boats. Wear it anyway |
| Gasoline engine ventilation | Ventilation for enclosed gasoline compartments, a blower for inboards with remote start, and a backfire flame arrestor on inboards | Covered by the construction standards boats are built to; run the blower before you start |
| Boat registration | State registration (Certificate of Number) for any boat with an engine | Pleasure Craft Licence for 10 hp (7.5 kW) or more, unless registered |
| Operator card | No federal card; most states require boater education for some or all operators | Pleasure Craft Operator Card for any motorized pleasure craft |
| VHF radio licence | Not needed for most recreational boaters in U.S. waters | Restricted Operator Certificate (Maritime), ROC(M), for every operator |
| Alcohol | Boating under the influence at 0.08 BAC (0.10 in some states): federal and state penalties | Impaired operation carries the same Criminal Code penalties as impaired driving |
| Toilets and sewage | Certified marine sanitation device; No Discharge Zones; untreated sewage only beyond 3 nm | Holding tank or approved device; discharge is tightly restricted and banned in designated sewage areas |
Some newer life jackets are labelled "approved use in U.S. and Canada," so they count in both countries. Check your labels before you cross the border.
Full lists by boat size: Required Safety Equipment: Canada and the USA.
See Marine First Aid for what to put in a first aid kit for the water, and how to handle cold water shock and hypothermia.