KIT FINDER · FEDERAL RULES CHECKED 3 OCT 2026

What safety gear does your boat need?

A few questions about your boat and where you take it. You get what the Coast Guard requires, with the rule cited on every line, plus your state’s own life jacket and jet ski rules. Then what’s worth adding for how you actually go out. Tick what’s already aboard and print your checklist.

Sources and scope

United States — federal rules: 33 CFR 175.15(a), 175.17
33 CFR 175.15(b), 175.17(a)
33 CFR 175.15(c), 175.25
33 CFR 175.23
33 CFR 175.101–175.130
33 CFR 175.105(b)
33 CFR 175.320
33 CFR 175.201; 33 CFR 183.610/.620
46 CFR 25.35
46 U.S.C. 4312
33 CFR 83.33
33 CFR 83.23, 83.25
33 CFR 155.450
33 CFR Part 175
State rules: Child life jacket, jet ski and paddle craft rules for 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, USVI and Guam, each sourced to the state. Life jacket laws by state
Your responsibility: This is a checklist to help you prepare, not legal advice. The operator is responsible for the boat’s equipment and its condition: USCG approval, the right size, service dates and the expiration dates on flares and extinguishers. Rules change; when in doubt, the cited rule and your state agency win. Spotted something wrong? support@vesselsos.com

You decide what we measure.

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