Safe Boating Guide: Study Notes

Transport Canada's Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E) is the reference every PCOC course is built on, and you can keep it open during the online test. It is also long. These notes condense the Safe Boating Guide Canada boaters use into the facts that appear on the test most often, so you can review in an hour rather than an afternoon. When you're done, check yourself with our free boating licence practice test.

The full guide is free from Transport Canada as a PDF (TP 511E). These notes are an independent summary, paraphrased from the guide and the regulations behind it: the Small Vessel Regulations, the Collision Regulations and the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations. For anything you need to rely on out on the water, check the official text.

Required safety equipment by boat length

The Small Vessel Regulations set what a pleasure craft must carry, based on its length and type. All equipment must be in good working order and easy to reach. The table covers powerboats and sailboats; paddle craft and PWCs follow below.

Equipment	Up to 6 m	Over 6 m to 9 m	Over 9 m to 12 m	Over 12 m
Lifejacket or PFD	1 per person, right size	1 per person	1 per person	1 per person
Buoyant heaving line (15 m)	Yes	Line or lifebuoy on 15 m line	Line and lifebuoy on 15 m line	Line and lifebuoy (with light or on line)
Reboarding device	If climb is over 0.5 m	If climb is over 0.5 m	If climb is over 0.5 m	If climb is over 0.5 m
Visual signals	Watertight flashlight or 3 flares	Flashlight and 6 flares	Flashlight and 12 flares	Flashlight and 12 flares
Paddle or anchor	Paddle or anchor with 15 m line	Paddle or anchor with 15 m line	Anchor with 30 m line	Anchor with 50 m line
Bailing	Bailer or manual bilge pump	Bailer or manual bilge pump	Manual pump or bilge-pumping system	Bilge-pumping system
Sound signal	Whistle or horn	Whistle or horn	Whistle or horn	Appliance meeting Collision Regulations
Navigation lights	At night or poor visibility	At night or poor visibility	Always	Always
Magnetic compass	Yes (see exception)	Yes (see exception)	Yes	Yes
Fire extinguisher	5B:C if inboard engine, fixed tank or fuel-burning appliance	5B:C if power-driven, plus 1 per fuel-burning appliance	10B:C if power-driven, plus 1 per fuel-burning appliance	10B:C at key spaces, plus axe and 2 buckets

Exceptions and details the test likes

• Compass: not needed on a boat 8 m or under that stays within sight of seamarks.
• Flares: not needed on a river, canal or lake where you can never be more than 1 nautical mile from shore, and not needed on a boat up to 6 m with no engine.
• Flare reduction: over 6 m, you may carry up to 50% fewer flares if you have a two-way radio, a 406 MHz personal locator beacon worn by the operator, or an EPIRB.
• Smoke limits: of the required flares, no more than 1 (of 3), 2 (of 6) or 6 (of 12) may be smoke signals.
• Flares expire 4 years after manufacture.
• Bailer: not needed if the boat cannot hold enough water to capsize, or has sealed buoyancy compartments.
• Extinguishers: two smaller approved extinguishers with the same total rating can replace one larger one.

Lifejackets and PFDs

• A lifejacket is designed to turn an unconscious person face up. A PFD is more comfortable for activities but may not turn you over.
• Inflatable PFDs are approved only for people 16 and older, and are not allowed on a PWC or in whitewater.
• Anyone under 16 needs an inherently buoyant PFD or lifejacket.
• Non-residents may use lifejackets approved in their own country.

Personal watercraft

If everyone on board wears a lifejacket or PFD, a PWC needs only a sound-signalling device, a watertight flashlight or 3 flares, a compass if out of sight of seamarks, and navigation lights if used at night or in restricted visibility.

Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards

Human-powered craft need a lifejacket or PFD for each person (inherently buoyant in whitewater), a 15 m buoyant heaving line, a reboarding device if needed, a bailer or manual pump, a sound-signalling device, navigation lights at night or in poor visibility, and a compass unless 8 m or under and within sight of seamarks. Over 6 m, add a flashlight and 6 flares.

Exam tip: Read the boat's length and engine set-up before the answer options. A 5.5 m boat with a portable tank and an outboard needs no extinguisher; the same boat with a fixed tank does.

Drill this table with the required equipment practice topic. Our equipment note works through a full example.

Buoys canada: the Canadian buoy system

Canada uses the IALA Region B buoyage system, the same one used in the United States. The buoys note has the full chart; here is what you need for the test.

Lateral buoys: red right returning

Lateral buoys mark the sides of a channel. Their meaning depends on your direction: they are set for a boat travelling upstream, or returning from sea into a harbour.

Buoy	Look	Numbers and light	Going upstream
Port hand	Green, flat top (can)	Odd numbers, green light	Keep on your left (port)
Starboard hand	Red, pointed top (cone or nun)	Even numbers, red light	Keep on your right (starboard)
Junction (bifurcation)	Red and green horizontal bands	None	Pass either side; top band shows the main channel
Fairway (safe water)	Red and white vertical stripes	None	Safe water; keep it on your port side
Isolated danger	Black with red bands, two black balls on top	None	Small danger with water all around; keep clear

Going downstream or out to sea, the rule reverses: red on your left, green on your right. Fixed daybeacons follow the same colours: green square for port hand, red triangle for starboard hand.

Cardinal buoys

Cardinal buoys are yellow and black and tell you which compass direction holds safe water.

Buoy	Topmark cones	Colours	Safe water lies
North	Both point up	Black over yellow	North of the buoy
East	Point away from each other	Black, yellow, black	East
South	Both point down	Yellow over black	South
West	Point toward each other	Yellow, black, yellow	West

Memory aid: the cones point toward the black bands. Cardinal buoys carry letters, not numbers, and show white flashing lights.

Special-purpose buoys

Special-purpose buoys are mostly yellow, or white with orange symbols.

Buoy	Look	Meaning
Hazard	White with an orange diamond	Rocks, shoals, dams; the hazard is named inside
Control	White with an orange circle	Restriction such as a speed limit or no wake
Information	White with an orange square	Place names, marinas, services
Keep out	White with an orange diamond containing a cross	Boats may not enter
Swimming	White	Outer edge of a swimming area
Diving	Shows the diver-down flag	Divers below; slow down and keep away
Cautionary	Yellow	Firing ranges, pipelines, race courses, seaplane bases
Anchorage	Yellow	Edge of a designated anchorage
Mooring	White, often with a blue band	You may tie up to it

Never tie up to a navigation buoy, only to a mooring buoy. Buoys can drift or be removed for winter, so always carry an up-to-date chart.

Sound signals

A short blast lasts about 1 second; a prolonged blast lasts 4 to 6 seconds.

Signal (boats in sight of each other)	Meaning
1 short	I am altering course to starboard
2 short	I am altering course to port
3 short	I am operating astern propulsion (reversing)
5 or more short	Danger, or I don't understand your intentions

Restricted visibility (fog, heavy rain)	Signal, at least every 2 minutes
Power-driven, making way	1 prolonged
Power-driven, underway but stopped	2 prolonged
Sailing, fishing, restricted or not under command	1 prolonged + 2 short

Key fact: Five or more short blasts is the danger signal. Continuous sounding of a horn is a distress signal.

Navigation lights

Lights are required from sunset to sunrise and in restricted visibility.

Light	Colour and arc
Sidelights	Red on port, green on starboard, 112.5° each
Sternlight	White, 135°, facing aft
Masthead light	White, 225°, facing forward, above the sidelights
All-round light	White, 360°

Vessel	Lights to show
Power-driven, under 12 m	Sidelights + masthead + sternlight, or sidelights + all-round white
Power-driven, under 7 m, max speed 7 knots or less	All-round white (sidelights if practicable)
Sailing vessel under sail	Sidelights + sternlight (tricolour allowed under 20 m); no masthead light
Paddled or rowed	Sail lights, or a white flashlight or lantern ready to show
At anchor (under 50 m)	One all-round white

Reading lights at night: red and green together means a boat is coming straight at you. Only green means you see its starboard side. Only red means you see its port side, and in a crossing you give way. Only white usually means you are overtaking it.

Right of way

The Collision Regulations never give any boat an absolute right of way. Every operator must keep a proper lookout, travel at a safe speed and act early to avoid a collision.

Power boats meeting each other

1. Head-on: both turn to starboard and pass port to port.
2. Crossing: the boat that has the other on its starboard side gives way and avoids crossing ahead.
3. Overtaking: the overtaking boat keeps clear until well past, whatever its type.

Who gives way to whom

Except when overtaking, a power-driven vessel gives way to a vessel not under command, a vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, a vessel fishing with nets or trawls, and a sailing vessel. A sailing vessel gives way to the first three.

Between two sailboats: if the wind is on different sides, the boat with the wind on its port side gives way. If it is on the same side, the windward boat gives way.

In narrow channels, keep to the starboard side, and small boats must not impede large vessels that can only navigate within the channel. Practise these with the navigation rules topic and our rules of the road note.

Cold water: the 1-10-1 principle

Cold water is a major factor in Canadian boating deaths. Most Canadian boaters who drown were in water colder than 20 °C.

Stage	Roughly	What to do
Cold shock	1 minute	Gasping and fast breathing; keep your airway clear and get your breathing under control
Cold incapacitation	10 minutes	Limbs lose strength; use this time to get out or secure yourself to the boat
Hypothermia	1 hour	Core temperature drops toward unconsciousness; a lifejacket keeps you afloat for rescue

If you can't get out, keep still and hold the HELP position (knees to chest, arms crossed) or huddle with others. Don't try to swim far. After a capsize, stay with the boat and get as much of your body out of the water as you can.

Treat a hypothermic person gently: remove wet clothing, warm the core gradually, give warm sweet drinks only if fully conscious, no alcohol, and get medical help.

Alcohol, drugs and the Criminal Code

• The Criminal Code applies to vessels. Impaired operation by alcohol or drugs, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg per 100 mL or more, is a criminal offence with the same range of penalties as impaired driving.
• Other Criminal Code offences: dangerous operation, failing to stop and help at an accident, and operating while prohibited.
• A conviction can bring fines, jail and a ban on operating vessels, and in some provinces it can affect your driver's licence.
• Sun, wind, noise and motion ("boater's fatigue") make alcohol hit harder on the water.
• Each province sets its own rules on alcohol on board. The safest choice is no alcohol while boating.

Protecting the environment

Issue	What to do
Fuelling	Engines off, passengers off, hatches closed, portable tanks filled on the dock; afterwards ventilate, run the blower at least 4 minutes and sniff before starting
Sewage	Discharge is banned in designated areas; use a holding tank and pump-out stations
Garbage	Bring it all back to shore; never throw anything overboard
Oil and fuel	Use absorbent pads; never pump oily bilge water overboard; report spills
Cleaners	Use phosphate-free, biodegradable products sparingly; clean on land where possible
Wake	Slow down near shore to prevent erosion and damage to nests and docks
Invasive species	Clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer and gear before moving to a new waterway
Noise	Keep a muffler in good working order

Carbon monoxide from engines and generators is colourless and odourless. Keep people off the swim platform while engines run, ventilate cabins and fit CO alarms. Our environment note and the environment practice topic cover fuelling in detail.

Your study plan

1. Take the free 15-question diagnostic to see which of these sections you need most.
2. Reread the sections you missed, then drill them: equipment, navigation rules or emergencies.
3. Sit PCOC mock 1 under the timer. All ten mocks are free.
4. Review the PCOC test questions guide for the question types and common traps.
5. When you score 90% on two mocks, follow our guide on how to get your boating licence and book the test with an accredited provider. Keep the official Safe Boating Guide open in another tab during the online test.