What to bring on an inflatable boat trip: mandatory kit and what you really need
Some kit is required by law and some gets you out of trouble. This list puts both together, kept separate, for a day trip in an inflatable or small boat near the coast.
The mandatory list is my reading of Spanish Royal Decree 339/2021 for navigation zones 5 and 6 (up to 5 and up to 2 miles from shelter). Exact equipment depends on the design category, the zone assigned to your boat, its type and its paperwork. Check with your boat's documentation, the manufacturer and the Captaincy. Other countries have different rules.
What the rule requires (zones 5 and 6)
| Item | What Royal Decree 339/2021 asks for |
|---|---|
| Lifejackets | One per person aboard, minimum 100 N buoyancy and the right size (children included). Each with a light, unless you only sail by day (art. 7). |
| Hand flares | Three (art. 9). Parachute rockets and smoke signals are not required in these zones. |
| Navigation lights | Approved. If you sail by day only and the boat is under 12 m, uncertified lights with one-mile range are accepted; under 7 m you can omit them and carry a white torch (art. 10). |
| Fog horn | Manual or gas; if gas, with a spare membrane and canister (art. 10.4). |
| Anchor and rode | Minimum length five times the boat's length. Up to 6 m, rope is enough, no chain (art. 11). |
| National flag | One (art. 12). |
| Waterproof torch | One, with spare batteries (art. 12). |
| Mooring lines | At least two, suited to the length (art. 13). |
| Boat hook | One (art. 13). |
| Inflator and puncture repair kit | Required on inflatables and RIBs (art. 13). |
| Fire extinguisher | Per the manufacturer's manual on CE-marked boats; with an outboard it is not mandatory. If carried, certified and reachable (art. 15). |
| Bailing | A manual or electric pump and a bucket of at least 5 litres (art. 20). |
| Radar reflector | Only on non-metallic hulls (art. 12). |
Not mandatory in these zones (though advisable): first-aid kit, VHF, compass, charts and binoculars. The last three become mandatory on cabin boats of certain categories.
Paperwork
Salvamento Marítimo includes it in its pre-departure checklist. Carry: your qualification document if you have one, ID, the boat's documentation (registration or whatever applies to your type of boat) and valid insurance. Exactly what you need depends on your boat's type and list: ask your Captaincy.
What nobody requires and gets you out of trouble
Communication and location
- A phone with a full battery in a waterproof pouch and a power bank with its cable. The phone is your best alert tool near the coast.
- A handheld VHF if you go more than a couple of miles out: channel 16 is the distress channel and reaches where the phone does not, and rescue centres monitor it permanently.
- A whistle on your lifejacket: it weighs nothing and carries further than a voice.
Breakdown and drift
- Oars or a paddle, even with an engine. If it fails, without them you depend on the wind.
- A lead line (weight on a marked line) to measure depth without a sounder: how to use it.
- Basic tools, a spare spark plug and propeller pin, a long towing line.
- Spare fuel: the thirds rule (a third to go, a third to return, a third in reserve).
Comfort and health
- Water (more than you think), food, sun protection, a hat, warm and waterproof clothing. At sea, sun and wind dehydrate.
- A basic first-aid kit and your personal medication.
- Polarised sunglasses: they help you see the bottom.
- A rubbish bag. Whatever goes up comes back down.
Information
- Charts and map downloaded on the phone, so you do not depend on coverage: offline charts.
- The official marine forecast checked before leaving: when to go out.
- Telling someone your return time: how to do it.
Before you leave: five minutes worth more than any equipment
- Engine started and checked (propeller clear, fuel, oil, kill-cord).
- Condition of the inflatable: chamber pressure, valves closed, plug in.
- Lifejackets on, not at the bottom of the boat.
- Tell someone when you leave and when you return.
- Forecast seen and a clear decision: if X happens, I turn back.
Sources
- Royal Decree 339/2021 of 18 May on safety and pollution-prevention equipment for recreational craft (BOE, in Spanish): articles 3 and 7 to 20. Checked on 14 October 2026.
- Salvamento Marítimo, before setting off (engine condition, equipment, paperwork, trip planning, checklist).
- Salvamento Marítimo, distress calls (112, 900 202 202 and VHF channel 16).