What Is a Float Plan?
A float plan details where you're headed on your boat, who is with you, your itinerary, and more key information that can help rescue services find you in an emergency. You should leave your filled out float plan with an emergency contact on shore before you leave. If you aren't back by your expected time, your emergency contact can alert rescue services and give them your float plan, providing them with value information to start their search.
Should All Boaters File a Float Plan?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, 100%. A float plan doesn't take long to fill out and helps give you and your crew peace of mind on the water. Like all safety precautions, it's much better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
How to Make a Float Plan
Your best bet is to use the USCG Float Plan. This document is an editable PDF, making it easy to type in all the information needed, download it and hand it off to your emergency contact. The doc also includes instructions for your emergency contact if they ever need to use your float plan to check in on you or contact rescue services.
What Information Does a Float Plan Need?
Your float plan should cover 4 main categories of information: Who, what, when and where, all of which are covered by the USCG float plan.
Who are all the passengers on your boat? Name everyone onboard along with their ages, gender and any medical conditions. Include phone numbers and home addresses for all passengers as well.
What type of boat do you have? Detail year, make, model, color, manufacturer, registration number and propulsion type.
Where is your destination and what are your planned stops along the way? List the marina or launch ramp location you'll depart from. If you're using a tow vehicle, include the license plate number and where it's parked.
When are you expected to depart and return? If you have a change of plans or are delayed, make sure to let your emergency contact know.
Close your float plan by letting your emergency contact know that you made it back safely. If your emergency contact reported you overdue, immediately notify all applicable rescue authorites of your safe return.
What Else Can You Do to Stay Safe?
Filing a float plan with an emergency contact is a great practice, but it should only be part of your safety precautions before you cast off. Our Safe Boating Checklist details pre-depature tasks, ways to stay safe while on the water and what you should do when you return to keep your crew and your boat safe. We reccommend you run through our checklist before every departure, but we've listed a few important safety procedures here as well.
- Check weather forecasts, tides and currents
- Make sure your blower fans, bilge pump, auto switch and alarms are working
- Make sure you have appropriate-size life jackets for all passengers and make sure all children onboard wear them at all times
- Turn on your VHF radio and show passengers how to select Ch. 16 and transmit a Mayday in an emergency
- Check operation of all navigation and running lights
- Ensure that one anchor and rode is ready for immediate use
Need More Help?
From choosing the right distress signals to getting the perfect lifejacket or PFD, we have plenty more safety gear West Advisors that cover everything you need to stay safe on the water.
