New Marine Fire Extinguisher Law for Boats

Kevin Falvey | Boating Magazine | March  2022

A new law regarding the fire extinguishers that must be carried aboard recreational boats goes into effect April 20, 2022. The new regulation, which can be found in the Federal Register at CFR 33 Part175 subpart E breaks down into three main takeaways and applies to recreational boat less than 65 feet LOA. Notably, outboard-powered boats without any closed compartments that could hold explosive vapors or gasses (think: simple skiffs, garveys, etc.) are not required to carry fire extinguishing equipment by federal law.

The first takeaway is that portable fire extinguishers aboard all recreational boats must not be older than 12 years. The age of a fire extinguisher may be stamped on its bottom. This is a reasonable service life, we think, for a device that may save a life. If your extinguishers have no date, we say: replace them.

The second thing to know about the new regulation is that it requires all boats from model year 2018 and newer to carry fire extinguishers labeled as 5-B, 10-B or 20-B. Extinguishers labeled with the old B-I or B-II designations only are no longer acceptable. Boats older than 2018 can still carry extinguishers lableed B-1 and /or B-11, provided they are serviceable and they are not date-stamped as more than 12 years old. Again, we say, replace those 13-year old or older extinguishers anyway.

Third, the number of extinguishers required to be carried aboard any boat type does not change.

Above is a handy chart to help you select the right fire extinguishers for your boat. Like all regulations, these indicate the minimums that must be carried. Carrying more than what is required just makes sense.