The USCG requires you to carry (a) visual distress signal(s) in some circumstances. Click to read about them in, Visual Distress Signals [33 CFR § 175.101], from A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats. Also, US SAILING describes the following requirements for US Ocean, US Coastal, and US Nearshore race categories. Expired flares may be carried but are not counted toward required number.
| USSER section | Required VDS | US Ocean | US Coastal | US Nearshore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| § 3.6.1 | A boat shall carry two SOLAS orange smoke flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.2 | A boat shall carry one SOLAS orange smoke flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.3 | A boat shall carry six SOLAS red parachute flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.4 | A boat shall carry two SOLAS red parachute flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.5 | A boat shall carry four SOLAS red hand flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.6 | A boat shall carry two SOLAS red hand flares not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.4 | A boat shall carry U.S. Coast Guard (or applicable government entity) flares meeting day-night requirements not older than the expiration date. | x | ||
| § 3.6.5 | Boat flares stored inside of life rafts may not be used to satisfy the flare requirement. | x | x | |
| Source of data in this table: US Sailing USSER 2016 | ||||
What Are My Flare Requirements? was last modified: April 27th, 2016 by