Survival Gear Checkup

The boating season is here and after all the waiting and preparation, it's finally time for a shakedown cruise. You head out for the afternoon, and everything seems to be going great. Then suddenly your kids rush out of the cabin in a cloud of thick smoke. While scrambling to secure the engines and electrical power, you see your oldest son struggling with a fire extinguisher. "Dad, it won't come out of the cradle!" Pulling with everything he has, the teenager snaps the handle off and falls back into the smoke.

Emergency equipment requires time and attention, just like everything else on your boat. Before heading out on the water, take a close look at the gear you hope you never need.

"If it's on board, it's on duty," says Dave Laperrier, a veteran inspector for the U.S. Coast Guard. He typically inspects commercial vessels, but his advice applies equally to pleasure boats. "It's not enough to have something on board if you don't regularly inspect and maintain it," says Laperrier. Having safety equipment is not the same as having it work when you need it. Laperrier suggests not just seasonal maintenance but regular checks and familiarity with critical gear so you'll know it works and know how to work it if needed.

EPIRBS
Take your EPIRB out of its cradle at least once a month. "You'll have enough going on in an emergency without having to figure out how the cover works," warns Laperrier. Regular inspection brings with it familiarity that is comforting in an emergency. Inspect the EPIRB and its bracket for corrosion, particularly on the spring and hinge. Check the expiration date of the hydrostatic release mechanism. Most manufacturers suggest replacing these devices every two years. If the date isn't punched on the attached sticker you have a decision to make: Trust that it will work in an emergency or purchase a new one just to be sure.

Review your EPIRB registration as well (beaconregistration.noaa.gov). Updated emergency contact information, your cell phone number and vessel details, may save your life. While Coast Guard air or boat crews launch to your aid, others use that data to gather information from family or friends. The additional data field can be updated online; include trip-specific information like "diabetic aboard" or "crew of four for July 4 trip from New York City to Nantucket."

Everything works correctly before it breaks, so test your EPIRB regardless of the expiration date. The test function checks the battery as well as the device. Models vary, but all indicate proper operation right on the face. Professional mariners are required to test their EPIRBs monthly ? so should you. For recommendations from NOAA and USCG on monthly EPIRB maintenance, visit www.sarsat.noaa.gov/EPIRB_inspecting.pdf.

Life Jackets
Life jackets seem like stow-'em-and-forget-'em pieces of gear, but moisture, sunlight and salt can all have an impact on their condition. "During inspections, we destroy hundreds of life jackets every year that were damaged in storage over the winter," Laperrier says. Tug on the waist straps with a solid 20- to 30-pound pull to ensure they are still strong enough to remain in service. Inspect the seams, material, metal hardware and plastic clips, which can be weakened by salt and sun. Give life jackets an occasional freshwater rinse, and keep them dry to help them last. Destroy life jackets that don't make the grade so no one else will be tempted to use them.

Inflatable life jackets require extra care and attention. Auto-inflator maintenance varies by manufacturer and type, some every five years, others every year. All require regular inspection as well as service after in-water use. Check with the maker of your life jacket to be certain everything is up to date. Even with brand-new jackets, remember that the only way to know the bladders will keep you from drowning is to inflate them and see if they hold air.

Fire-Extinguishing Equipment
Portable fire extinguishers are easy enough to inspect but all too easy to ignore. Make sure the gauges are in the green, indicating a full charge, but also remove them from their mounts and do a quick corrosion and condition check. Familiarity is particularly important since speed is paramount in putting out a small fire before it spreads beyond control, and smoke will slow you down.

If installed, have fixed firefighting bottles weighed and the systems inspected annually. If you don't have these lifesaving devices on your boat, ask yourself why not. "There is a reason fixed extinguishing systems are required on all inboard, gasoline-power, commercial, small-passenger vessels," Laperrier says. "Engine fires can happen without warning, and portable extinguishers just aren't designed to handle the problem."

Flares
Signal flares can look great long after their maximum 42-month shelf life, but they can also deteriorate long before. Don't just check the date, but look for cracks, bulging or corrosion, particularly along the seams and ends, at least once every six months. Store flares in a watertight container. Expired flares that appear to be in good condition can stay aboard, but mark them as spares and separate them from your required flares.

Life Rings, Horse Collars and Throw Lines
Type IV throwable devices are often stored on deck so they're quick to deploy, but this leaves them in direct sunlight. This can wreak havoc on associated polypropylene line and webbing, so take a good look every year. Lay out the entire length of line, paying particular attention to the kinks and bends left in them from storage. Give suspected areas a good twist to check for deterioration. If the strands splinter and break, it is time to replace the line. Coast Guard regulations for passenger vessels require line that is resistant to ultraviolet light (typically black, not yellow). That's good advice for your boat as well.

Life Rafts
Having your raft inspected by an approved facility is obvious, but the mounting hardware and straps can use a fresh look at least once a month. "Releasing the life raft from the cradle is another one of those skills you want to have down cold before you need it," Laperrier says. "Apply some lubricant to the moving parts." Hydrostatic release mechanisms, if fitted, should be replaced 24 months after installation, but just like on EPIRBs, installers often forget to mark the date.

Radios
Radio checks are essential before each and every trip ? one summer squall at the marina may short an antenna or flood a microphone. The Coast Guard is still trying to get professional captains to fully utilize the safety features of their VHF marine radios. Since 1999, all VHF units built in the United States have digital selective calling capabilities. If properly installed and registered, the radio on your boat has the ability to call the Coast Guard, report details about your boat, give your exact position and even indicate the nature of your distress, all with the push of that little "distress" button. Once activated, rescue crews and other DSC-equipped vessels nearby get updates on your position even if you can't make it back to the radio.

The cost to use this modern leap in rescue technology? Nothing. But you must register your vessel and obtain a Maritime Mobile Service Identity number, then program it into your radio. Coverage for U.S. coastal waters is not yet 100 percent, but it's close. Check covered waters and registration information by searching the words "rescue 21" at uscg.mil.

So much of the safety gear on your boat is kept out of sight, but don't let it slip out of mind as you prepare for a new season on the water. A few simple, routine inspections ensure the equipment you hope you'll never need can be called into service with confidence should things get hot in a hurry out there.