Introduction

• What is a Pleasure Craft?
• Changes to Boating Laws

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Welcome to the Safe Boating Guide. It has been written to promote safe and responsible boating practices among Canada’s pleasure craft users. If you remember one thing found between these covers, it should be to always wear your lifejacket when on the water. It could save your life!

While this guide does offer a basic overview of boating safety, it should not be your only source of information. No matter your age or experience, you should take a boating safety course. Please visit www.boatingsafety.gc.ca or contact us for a complete list of Transport Canada accredited course providers. You will find contact information for Transport Canada and other organizations at the end of this guide.

This is not a study guide for the Pleasure Craft Operator Card test. To buy a training manual for the test, contact an accredited course provider.

What is a Pleasure Craft? 

A pleasure craft is any boat that is used only for pleasure activities like fishing, water sports and entertaining friends. It also includes a boat used for subsistence hunting and fishing or for the necessities of daily life. It does not include a boat that is used for work or commercial activities.

The rules for non-pleasure craft are different from those for pleasure craft so it is important to know the difference. You must meet the requirements for non-pleasure craft any time you use your pleasure craft for non-pleasure activities. If you want to know how to operate a passenger vessel, workboat, commercial fishing vessel or any other non-pleasure craft, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety or contact your local Transport Canada Centre.

When you see the word “boat” in this guide, it means “pleasure craft”. When you see the word “vessel”, it refers to all boats in general, both pleasure craft and non-pleasure craft. In the same way, the word “lifejacket” includes lifejackets and personal flotation devices ( PFDs) everywhere in this guide, except in those sections that describe the differences between lifejackets and PFDs.

Changes to Boating Laws 

Because boating laws change, you need to make sure you know the laws that are now in force.

Some of the information in this guide is based on the proposed new Small Vessel Regulations that are expected to come into force in the summer of 2009. However, if you apply it now, you will be safer on the water and ready before the changes take effect. To find out when they take effect, please visit www.boatingsafety.gc.ca or contact us. Since this guide is revised from time to time, be sure you have the most recent version. If the Safe Boating Guide differs from current regulations, follow the regulatory text, which you can find online at www.boatingsafety.gc.ca. Regulations set a minimum safety standard. They are made to improve boating safety, so following them or an even higher standard will help make every trip a safe one.

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