Coast Guard Boat Requirements When You Use a Platform

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The pontoon drops anchor in the cove, the inflatable deck comes out of its bag, and soon six people are in the water. Then a sheriff’s patrol boat idles past and the owner wonders what he is supposed to have aboard. The Coast Guard boat requirements are written for vessels, and the boat you brought the platform on is one. Here is what it must carry, how a platform fits in, and where state rules for swim rafts and anchored floats take over.

In short: every recreational boat needs a Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket for each person, plus a throwable device if it is 16 ft or longer. Powered boats need the fire extinguishers their length calls for, all boats need navigation lights between sunset and sunrise and a way to make a sound signal, and boats on coastal waters and the Great Lakes need visual distress signals. A floating mat or swim platform has no federal equipment list of its own; state rules may cover rafts and floats left in the water.

How a platform fits into the rules

The Navigation Rules define a vessel as watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. A swim platform tied to your stern is for swimming and lounging, so the equipment list below belongs to the boat, and the boat’s life jackets have to cover the people on the platform too, since they came on your boat. The Coast Guard’s guide also notes what it doesn’t regulate, including anchors and diver or ski flags. How your state treats a particular float is for your state to answer; this page is general information, not legal advice.

Coast Guard boat requirements: the checklist

Federal carriage rules for recreational boats (33 CFR 175 and 33 CFR 83), from the eCFR and the Coast Guard’s boater’s guide. Your state may require more.

Item	Federal rule (recreational boats)	Platform-day note
Wearable life jackets	One Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket aboard for each person, right size, serviceable, readily accessible	Count the people on the platform too
Children’s life jackets	Children under 13 must wear one while the boat is underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin; a state age rule replaces this on state waters	See the “underway” note below
Throwable device	One throwable (Type IV) on boats 16 ft and longer, except canoes and kayaks; must be immediately available	Keep it on deck facing the platform, not in a locker
Fire extinguishers	Powered boats: one 5-B under 26 ft, two 26 to under 40 ft, three 40 to 65 ft (fewer with a fixed system; one 20-B can replace two 5-B). Outboard boats under 26 ft built so vapors can’t be trapped are exempt	Gauge in the operable range, pin in place
Visual distress signals	Coastal waters and the Great Lakes: boats 16 ft and longer carry day and night signals; smaller boats carry night signals between sunset and sunrise	Not a federal requirement on inland lakes, but check your state
Navigation lights	Displayed from sunset to sunrise and in restricted visibility	At anchor after dark: an all-round white light (boats under 23 ft / 7 m away from channels and anchorages are exempt)
Sound signal	Boats under 39.4 ft (12 m): some means of making an efficient sound signal (horn or whistle; a voice doesn’t count)	Handy for calling swimmers back
Engine cut-off switch	Operators of boats under 26 ft use the installed cut-off link when on plane or above displacement speed	Engines off entirely while people are in the water
Ventilation and backfire flame control	Boats that use gasoline for power or generation need a working ventilation system; gasoline engines other than outboards need backfire flame control	Fueling, never with people on the platform

Life jackets: what “underway” means at anchor

The federal child wear rule applies while the boat is underway, which the Navigation Rules define as not at anchor, not made fast to the shore and not aground. States can differ. Minnesota’s 2026 Boating Guide requires children under 10 to wear a life jacket while a boat is underway and defines underway as not attached to a permanent mooring or tied to a dock. Ask your state agency how its rule applies to an anchored boat. Either way, the Coast Guard, the Red Cross and the CDC all recommend the jacket on the child around open water. Our life jackets on platforms page covers sizes and types.

State rules for swim rafts and anchored floats

Once a platform stays in the water on its own, states take over. These are rules we read on official or published state pages: examples, not a complete list. Rules change, so confirm the current text with the agency.

• Minnesota (Rule 6110.1800 and the 2026 Boating Guide): a temporary structure that doesn’t extend from shore, such as a swimming raft, or a buoy can’t be left in the water between sunset and sunrise without a written permit from the county sheriff. Permitted structures carry the permit number and a light visible in all directions or reflective material. On joint federal-state waters, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit may also be needed.
• Wisconsin (NR 326.08): swim rafts larger than 200 sq ft or taller than 38 in may need a permit; diving boards, ramps and slides count toward the area. Rafts pulled ashore every day, or placed in a marked and approved swim area, are exempt.
• New Jersey (N.J.A.C. 13:82-1.18, as adopted in 2010): placing or anchoring a float or diving platform more than 25 ft from shore on waters where power vessels are allowed needs written State Police approval, and permitted floats left out overnight must be marked with warning lights.
• Washington (WAC 332-30-148, state-owned aquatic lands): swim rafts aren’t authorized on heavily traveled boating routes, may be authorized within 200 ft of extreme low water, and must float at least 12 in above the water in a light or bright color.

Marking a swim area is regulated too: a white buoy with orange bands and an orange diamond with a cross means boats keep out (33 CFR 62.33), Minnesota requires a sheriff’s permit for swim-area markers, and a private aid to navigation on federal waters needs a Coast Guard District application (33 CFR 66.01-5). Our guide to anchoring an inflatable platform covers the hardware side.

Get a free Vessel Safety Check

Not sure your boat is equipped right? The Coast Guard suggests a Vessel Safety Check: a free courtesy exam by Coast Guard Auxiliary or America’s Boating Club volunteers. No citations are given if the boat doesn’t pass. Request one at safetyseal.net.

Gear for the boat

About $36 for the Bradley cushion, about $88 for the Taylor Made ring (only a few left when we checked) and about $50 for the O’Neill vest, seen October 2026. Check that every device is labeled Coast Guard approved and sized for the wearer.

Coast Guard requirement questions

Does the Coast Guard require anything on a floating mat or swim platform?

We found no federal equipment list for play platforms; the requirements apply to the boat. State and local rules can apply to rafts and floats left in the water.

Do I need a throwable device on my boat?

Yes if the boat is 16 ft or longer (canoes and kayaks excepted). It has to be immediately available, which the Coast Guard describes as on the main deck within arm’s reach.

Do I need flares on a lake?

The federal rule covers coastal waters, the Great Lakes and connected waters with entrances wider than 2 nautical miles. Other inland lakes aren’t covered federally; your state may have its own rule.

Can I leave my swim raft out overnight?

It depends on the state. Minnesota needs a sheriff’s permit for that; New Jersey requires warning lights on permitted floats left out overnight. Ask your state boating agency or county.

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