For many privately owned leisure boats in UK waters, there isn’t a blanket legal requirement to carry pyrotechnic flares. That doesn’t mean every boat should go without them.
Whether flares are appropriate depends on the boat, where you use it and how easily you could raise the alarm if something went wrong. A small motorboat used for short daytime trips in sheltered water presents a different situation from a boat making longer coastal passages or travelling after dark.
Are flares a legal requirement in the UK?
Private pleasure boats under 13.7 metres are not legally required to carry flares in UK waters. However, different rules apply to larger vessels.
Under current Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) guidance, pleasure vessels measuring 13.7 metres or more fall within Class XII regulations. These vessels must meet the relevant life-saving equipment requirements or comply with the MCA’s published exemption.
For vessels operating in Category C waters and seaward, the exemption requires four red handheld flares and two orange smoke flares, alongside suitable maritime radio equipment and another recognised distress alerting device, such as an EPIRB or personal locator beacon (PLB).
Different requirements can apply to commercially operated, coded or charter vessels. There may also be requirements connected with the vessel’s operating area, insurance or use.
If you’re taking a boat abroad, check the rules for the countries and waters you’ll be visiting rather than assuming the UK position applies everywhere.
For a privately owned leisure boat, the decision should also take account of how you would attract attention if your normal means of communication failed.
What are marine flares used for?
Flares are visual distress signals. They can attract attention and help other vessels or search and rescue teams locate you.
Different types serve different purposes:
- Red parachute flares are designed to attract attention over a greater distance and can be particularly useful at night.
- Red handheld flares can help rescuers identify your position once they are closer.
- Orange smoke is intended for use during daylight and can make a boat or position easier to locate.
- Buoyant smoke is deployed on the water and can be used to mark a position.
They all have limitations. Smoke is ineffective at night, bright daylight can make some visual signals harder to see and weather conditions can affect visibility.
Flares also involve pyrotechnics, so they bring risks that electronic equipment doesn’t, including burns and fire aboard the boat.
Do flares replace VHF?
No. Ideally, you should have more than one reliable way of raising the alarm.
A marine VHF allows you to communicate the boat’s position, what has happened, how many people are aboard and what assistance is required. A flare can’t provide any of that information, but it can make your position much easier to identify.
Knowing how to make a VHF distress call is therefore important even when visual distress signals are carried.
A mobile phone can also be useful, but reception, battery life and water damage all need to be considered. Depending on the type of boating you do, additional distress equipment may include a DSC-equipped VHF radio, a personal locator beacon (PLB), an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or electronic visual distress signals (EVDS), sometimes called electronic flares.
These devices serve different purposes. DSC VHF, PLBs and EPIRBs can help raise an alert, while electronic flares are designed to attract visual attention. Electronic flares are not automatically accepted as replacements for pyrotechnic flares where regulations require them.
The aim is to avoid relying entirely on one method of calling for help.
When are flares worth carrying?
Consider the journeys you actually make rather than buying a flare pack simply because it seems like something every boat should have.
Flares may become more useful when you’re:
- Travelling farther from immediate assistance
- Boating after dark
- Making longer coastal passages
- Operating in areas where mobile coverage may be unreliable
- Travelling in conditions where locating the boat could become difficult
For short daytime trips in sheltered water, your equipment requirements may look quite different.
The decision also needs to reflect any regulations that apply to the vessel. Where a boat is coded or commercially operated, personal preference doesn’t override its required safety equipment.
How should flares be stored?
If you carry flares, they need to remain accessible.
They shouldn’t be buried beneath bags, ropes or equipment that would have to be moved during an emergency. Other people aboard should also know where they are kept.
Flares need to be protected from moisture and damage, and their packaging should be checked periodically. Look at the expiry dates as part of your normal safety checks rather than discovering an expired pack when you need it.
It’s also worth reading the manufacturer’s instructions before going afloat. Different products can have different methods of operation, and an emergency is a poor time to work out how a particular flare is activated.
Because flares burn at very high temperatures, wind direction and the surrounding area matter when one is used. Fuel, clothing, canopies and other combustible materials need to be kept clear.
What should you do with expired flares?
Expired flares shouldn’t go into household rubbish, marina bins or skips. They also shouldn’t be dismantled, burned or thrown overboard.
They remain hazardous after their expiry date and need to be disposed of through an appropriate service.
HM Coastguard stopped accepting expired or unwanted flares from private individuals at the end of December 2022, with the new disposal arrangements taking effect in January 2023.
Boat owners must now arrange disposal through an appropriate third-party provider. Depending on local availability, this could include a marine chandlery, marina, liferaft servicing company or specialist disposal service.
Before taking expired flares anywhere, contact the organisation first and check that it currently accepts them.
It’s worth considering this when buying flares in the first place. Buying more than you realistically need can leave you with a larger disposal problem when the whole pack eventually expires.
What else should you carry?
Flares are only one part of the safety equipment you carry on a motorboat.
Lifejackets, suitable communications equipment, fire-fighting equipment, navigation lights, first-aid supplies and person-overboard recovery equipment may all be relevant depending on the boat and the journeys you make.
For longer or more exposed passages, additional equipment such as DSC VHF, a PLB or EPIRB, and electronic visual distress signals (EVDS) may also be appropriate, depending on the vessel and its operating area.
The important distinction is that a flare serves a particular purpose: attracting attention and helping others locate you. It doesn’t replace the equipment needed to communicate, keep people safe aboard or deal with other emergencies.
So do you need flares on your boat?
For many private leisure boats in UK waters, the answer isn’t simply “yes, because the law says so”.
Look at how you use the boat. A short summer trip around sheltered waters is very different from crossing open water at night or making a longer coastal passage.
If flares form part of your safety equipment, make sure they’re in date, stored correctly, easy to reach and understood by the people who may need to use them. If you decide not to carry them, make sure you still have reliable alternatives for raising the alarm and helping rescuers find you.
The important thing is knowing what will work on your boat if you actually need help.
FAQs about marine flares
What should you do if a marine flare fails to activate?
Do not dismantle or attempt to repair a flare that has failed to operate. Keep it pointed safely away from people and combustible materials and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dealing with a misfire. It should subsequently be handled as hazardous pyrotechnic equipment.
Can damaged flares still be kept as emergency equipment?
A flare with damaged packaging, signs of water ingress, corrosion or other deterioration should not be relied upon. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance and arrange appropriate disposal where necessary rather than assuming it will work correctly in an emergency.
Should marine flares be kept in an emergency grab bag?
They may form part of a grab bag if the storage arrangement keeps them dry, protected and quickly accessible. The most suitable location depends on the boat, but emergency equipment should be somewhere the crew can reach without searching through lockers.
Should you practise firing a marine flare before an emergency?
Pyrotechnic flares should not be fired simply for informal practice. Familiarise yourself with the manufacturer’s instructions beforehand so you understand how the equipment is intended to operate without unnecessarily activating a live distress signal.
Do you need to replace an entire flare pack when one flare is used?
Not necessarily, but the remaining equipment should still provide an appropriate range of distress signals for the boating you undertake and comply with any requirements that apply to the vessel. Check the remaining flares for condition and expiry dates and replace what is needed before the next passage.