Buoyant Heaving Lines and Lifebuoys

Buoyant heaving lines and lifebuoys are personal lifesaving appliances that are designed to be thrown to a person in the water.

Buoyant Heaving Lines

A buoyant heaving line is a floating rope that has a soft buoyant object on one end. The line can be thrown toward a person in the water for him or her to hold onto while you pull them alongside. Packing the line in a rescue throw bag will keep the line from getting knotted and make it easier to throw.

• In order for a buoyant heaving line to meet the requirements in the Small Vessel Regulations and be approved for use on your pleasure craft, it must:
• Be made of one continuous piece of rope that is the correct length for your pleasure craft and…
• Float and be in good condition and…
• Be easily accessible in case of an emergency.
• You should practice throwing a buoyant heaving line so that you will be prepared to use it if the need arises.

Lifebuoys

A lifebuoy is a throwable type of flotation device with a line attached. The line is used to pull the lifebuoy once it has been thrown to a person in the water.

• To meet the requirements in the Small Vessel Regulations, the lifebuoy must:
• Be at least 610 mm (24 inches) in diameter and be made of inherently buoyant material and…
• Be attached to a good-quality buoyant line that won’t kink and is at least 9.5 mm in diameter and 15 metres long and…
• Have a Transport Canada approval stamp or label with an approval number in the following format: T.C.xxx.xxx.xxx.
• To increase visibility, make sure you have retro-reflective tape encircling the lifebuoy at four equally spaced points. The retro-reflective tape should be visible on both sides of the device.