# 16 feet or more in length — Recreational boat safety equipment requirements by vessel length

For 16 feet or more in length, personal flotation device requirement is At least one wearable PFD on board for each person, plus one throwable PFD onboard in addition to the total number of wearable PFDs required; cfr section is § 175.15, recorded from its source on 2026-08-25; source re-checked 2026-09-01.

- **Vessel length band:** 16 feet or more in length _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Personal flotation device requirement:** At least one wearable PFD on board for each person, plus one throwable PFD onboard in addition to the total number of wearable PFDs required _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **CFR section:** § 175.15 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Visual distress signal requirement:** Visual distress signals must be onboard: devices suitable for day use and devices suitable for night use, or devices suitable for both day and night use _(per ecfr.gov, not stated by the source above)_

## What the source says

> § 175.15 Personal flotation devices required. Except as provided in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.17> §§ 175.17 and <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.25> 175.25 : (a) No person may use a recreational vessel unless— (1) At least one wearable PFD is on board for each person; (2) Each PFD is used in accordance with any requirements on the approval label; and (3) Each PFD is used in accordance with any requirements in its owner's manual, if the approval label makes reference to such a manual. (b) No person may use a recreational vessel 16 feet or more in length unless one throwable PFD is onboard in addition to the total number of wearable PFDs required in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.15#p-175.15(a)> paragraph (a) of this section.

## What ecfr.gov says

> § 175.110 Visual distress signals required. (a) No person may use a boat 16 feet or more in length, or any boat operating as an uninspected passenger vessel subject to the requirements of <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-46/chapter-I> 46 CFR chapter I , subchapter C, unless visual distress signals selected from the list in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.130> § 175.130 or the alternatives in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.135> § 175.135 , in the number required, are onboard. Devices suitable for day use and devices suitable for night use, or devices suitable for both day and night use, must be carried. (b) Between sunset and sunrise, no person may use a boat less than 16 feet in length unless visual distress signals suitable for night use, selected from the list in <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.130> § 175.130 or <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-175.135> § 175.135 , in the number required, are on board.

Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-S/part-175/subpart-C

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-S/part-175/subpart-B
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-S/part-175/subpart-C

Last verified: 2026-09-01. Review by: 2027-08-25.
Part of [Recreational boat safety equipment requirements by vessel length](https://referencesource.org/recreational-boat-safety-equipment-requirements-by-length/).