Photo Hillebrand Steve, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
Lifejackets and boat kit
The PFD you actually wear, how it should fit, and the kit the law asks for in a canoe or kayak.
What you need
- A Canadian approved PFD or lifejacket that fits, one for every person in the boat
- A buoyant heaving line at least 15 metres long
- A bailer or a hand pump
- A whistle or other sound signal, tied to the PFD
- A light, if you are out after sunset, before sunrise or in fog
- Transport Canada's current Safe Boating Guide, to check the list
How
- Know the difference. A lifejacket has more float and is built to turn a person face up. A PFD has less float and more room to move, and it is what paddlers wear.
- Look for the Canadian approval label inside. No label, it does not count, whatever it cost.
- Try it on over the clothes you paddle in. Do up every buckle and zip and snug the straps from the bottom up.
- Have someone lift it by the shoulders. If it rides up past your chin, it is too big or too loose.
- Sit in the boat and paddle a few strokes in it. A PFD that rubs or blocks your arms ends up behind the seat.
- Test it in shallow water on a warm day. Lean back and relax: it should hold your chin clear.
- Clip the whistle to the PFD and keep the heaving line and bailer where you can reach them from the seat, not packed away.
- Wear it the whole time you are on the water. Nobody gets a PFD on after they go in.
Do and don't
Do
- Pick red, orange or yellow. It is what a searcher sees in the water.
- Rinse it in fresh water after salt water and dry it out of the sun.
- Check it every spring. Pull on the straps and squeeze the foam.
Don't
- Do not use an inflatable PFD on anyone under 16, or in white water.
- Do not sit or kneel on a PFD. Crushed foam loses float.
- Do not cut, alter or repair one yourself. An altered PFD is no longer approved.
Watch for
Danger
- Most people who drown boating were not wearing one. It works only if it is on and done up.
- Foam that is hard, fabric that tears, or a jacket faded by years of sun can fail. Replace it.
- Many inflatables count only when worn, and a fired cartridge means no float until you rearm it. Read the label.
Notes
The heaving line is the piece most people leave home. It is the one that gets somebody else back to the boat.
See Capsize and cold water, Paddling a kayak and Flares and strobes.
Updated 2026-09-29
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