3 radical moves that would make Australian boating better

Admittedly, it's not something I think about very much. However, a review of Victoria's on-water safety requirements had me thinking that there are some moves we could take that could make a very big difference in a short space of time.

One of them will come at a big cost to boat buyers, but will reap big benefits. The other two shouldn't cost any extra to employ, and may even save money for everyone in the long run.

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These ideas are offered only as conversation starters. It’s not a call, or the start of a campaign for change, but instead is meant as something to get us all thinking of the small things that would make a big difference to the way we enjoy the water.

Have a look and see what you think.

Australia has just overhauled its standards used to set the framework for how boats are built in Australia.

One of the items up for discussion at the last update – but not implemented – was the idea of setting a minimum level flotation standard for smaller boats.

Small boats built in Australia today are only required to meet the basic flotation standard, which pretty much means only part of a boat needs to remain above the water’s surface when it is swamped, even when it has its maximum load onboard.

But basic flotation assumes that everyone in the boat is in the water, and able to cling to the portion of the boat still afloat – with the outboard engine dragging the stern down, it's usually just its bow or forward keel that's exposed.

While this is good in theory, the reality is that clinging to a small section of a boat protruding from the water is not easy, even over a short space of time and especially in rough conditions.

A better solution is to equip a boat with level flotation so that if it does become swamped, it remains floating and level with the water. To qualify for this rating, it has to float level with the people inside it.

Level flotation has the added benefits in that people in the boat have a chance to “self-recover” by bailing it out, it provides easier access to rescue equipment, and makes the boat much more visible.

Studies show that once trouble strikes, the rate of survival is higher for boats that have level flotation compared with those that have only basic flotation.

On the downside, building a boat to level flotation standards adds to the cost. However, with boat prices rising by around 30 per cent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and many of the boats imported from the US built to level flotation standards, buyers don’t seem to be all that worried about paying extra.

Ultimately, though, it will be the customer who pays for the extra flotation. Measure this, too, against the number of owners who will spend big on their boat, but scrimp and save on the safety gear they put in it.

Flares definitely have their place in boating, particularly for those who like to head to far-flung locations to enjoy the water. However, for most of us, carrying serious pyrotechnics just in the off chance you may one day need them is risky.

Chances are you’ll never have to use a flare in anger. However, it’s the time that you do where everything can go wrong.

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Orange smoke flares burn hot – that’s how they make their smoke – while red flares burn blazingly hot, making them dangerous to use. They also have a limited lifespan, and can be quite expensive to replace compared with potential alternatives.

However, the current rules around flares mean you can never set one off just to see how it works. Instead, you’re expected to know exactly what to do in an emergency.

Not only that, flares have a limited lifespan. The need for regular replacement means that around 300,000 sets of flares – each containing at least two orange and two red – need to be disposed of each year.

They’re also very toxic, which is why disposing of them properly is important, and only work if someone sees them.

Disposal sites are limited, and there are few official programs in place to use the old flares to train people on how to use them safely.

Enclosed waters, such as inland lakes and coastal estuary systems, are popular with smaller boats. Most are used in easy reach of land, and while these waters can be dangerous in some conditions, mostly they are benign stretches of water.

In places like this, a boater’s first instinct is to grab a mobile phone and dial 000 to contact emergency services, and second to put out a call for help over a marine radio. Flares are likely further down the list of priorities, and are usually bundled away in a grab bag of other safety gear needed onboard, such as a torch, or stored in a locker.

Victoria is currently having a conversation around updating its marine safety requirements so that boaters who stick close to shore don’t need to carry flares.

Instead, they will need something like a VHF radio, a V sheet, or even a sound signal such as an air horn or a whistle that can attract attention just as effectively as a flare.

Of note, training is even more important for everyone who has to carry offshore flare kits that include parachute flares. While orange smoke and red incandescent flares are triggered from the top, parachute flares have their trigger at the base of the flare. In an emergency, anyone unfamiliar with a parachute flare could mistakenly fire it inside a boat rather than up in the air.

Anyone heading offshore should still be required to carry an offshore flare kit.

Life jackets have become a topic that draws a lot of heat every time anyone proposes making their use more widespread. But it is one of the areas where big gains can come from a little inconvenience.

At the moment, Victoria is the only state to go alone on enforcing tighter lifejacket laws, but only for smaller boats measuring 4.8 metres or less, and only while they are underway.

A smart step would be to extend this to include everyone who is on a moving boat and in an open space, no matter the size of the vessel.

Boats can get into trouble very quickly and unexpectedly – think of an anchor line caught in a propellor and dragging the transom down – so it makes sense that every time the engine is started, the lifejackets go on.

At speed, it’s easy for someone to fall overboard or for the boat to hit a submerged object and hole the hull.

In these situations, having a lifejacket on removes one more step in the process that, depending on how fast things are happening, may be overlooked.

Current marine laws mostly leave it up to the skipper to decide when to make the call to break out the lifejackets. It’s sort of similar to wearing seatbelts in cars; we don’t jump behind the wheel expecting to crash, but we’re pretty thankful when we do that we put the seatbelt on.

Factor in, too, that boaters will sometimes make the wrong call on the water – look at the number of coastal bar capsizes as an example.

Removing lifejackets as a variable can only improve the chances of surviving an unexpected incident on the water.