Start with what the rules actually require

On most UK inland waterways, your boat needs a valid boat safety certificate, and that certificate depends on a handful of things being present, in date and in working order: fire extinguishers of the correct rating, a fire blanket where there is a cooker, a means of escape from every cabin, and lights that work. Between sunset and sunrise, and in restricted visibility such as fog or heavy rain, showing the right navigation lights is a legal requirement rather than a courtesy.

What the rules do not insist on is a life jacket for every adult on a canal. That is a gap most experienced boaters cheerfully ignore, and you should too.

Life jackets and buoyancy aids

Cold water is the real danger on inland waterways, not distance from the bank. A few metres out in a November canal is enough to snatch your breath away and leave you unable to climb out, even if you swim well. So the rule is simple: wear something that floats, and wear it properly done up.

• Adults: a 150N automatically inflating life jacket with a crutch strap is the sensible default. Without the crutch strap, an inflated jacket can ride up and leave your face in the water.
• Children and non-swimmers: a life jacket at all times on deck, in locks and on the pontoon — no exceptions, no "just for a minute".
• Confident swimmers on a calm canal in summer: a 50N foam buoyancy aid can be enough, but a life jacket is never the wrong choice.
• Checks: inspect the gas cylinder, the firing mechanism and the indicator before each season, top up by mouth to test for leaks, and replace the cylinder after any inflation.

Store jackets where they will actually be worn — hanging by the stern doors, not buried in a bow locker under three tarpaulins. If you have a dog aboard, it needs its own buoyancy aid too.

Fire extinguishers and fire blankets

Fire is the risk boaters most often underestimate. A narrowboat cabin is small, full of soft furnishings, and frequently has a gas hob, a solid fuel stove and an engine all within a few paces of one another.

• Rating: look for 5A/34B on the label. Anything lower is not worth the bracket it sits in.
• How many: a boat with an engine or a fuel-burning appliance needs at least two. Add another, or a fire blanket, if there is a cooker or heater.
• Where: one close to the main exit, one near the galley or engine space. Keep them by the way out, not deep inside the compartment where the fire is.
• Also essential: a smoke alarm, a carbon monoxide alarm near the stove and sleeping area, and a fire blanket on the galley wall.

Get everyone off the boat first, then call the fire service and shut off the gas and fuel at the isolator if it is safe to do so. Do not open an engine hatch onto a fire, and do not go back inside for possessions.

First aid kits

Build your kit around the injuries that genuinely happen afloat: burns from the kettle and the stove, cuts from mooring pins and lock gear, sprains from a wet stern deck, splinters, stings and the occasional bash on a low bridge.

• Assorted plasters, blister plasters and a roll of micropore tape
• Sterile dressings, gauze swabs, a conforming bandage and a triangular bandage
• Burn gel dressings — the classic galley injury, and nothing else soothes it as well
• Antiseptic wipes and cream, plus saline pods for flushing wounds or eyes
• Tweezers, small scissors, safety pins and disposable nitrile gloves
• Painkillers, rehydration sachets, and a spare supply of any personal medication
• A foil blanket, a CPR face shield and a written list of emergency numbers and your location

Keep it all in a bright, clearly marked waterproof grab bag that lives in one known place. Check expiry dates every spring, and consider a basic first aid course — a kit is only as good as the person opening it.

Lights and visibility

Tunnels, dusk and winter afternoons all demand light, and a surprising number of incidents happen simply because nobody could see or be seen.

• Tunnel light: a forward-facing beam bright enough to pick out the tunnel wall, angled slightly down so it does not dazzle oncoming boats.
• Navigation lights: red to port, green to starboard, white at the stern, plus a masthead or all-round white. Required between sunset and sunrise and in poor visibility.
• Hand torches: a head torch for every member of lock crew, plus one kept by the bed and one at the helm, with spare batteries.
• When moored: on rivers or busy stretches, a light at the stern helps passing boats see you in the dark.

Test every light before you cast off, and carry spare bulbs, fuses and batteries — the middle of a tunnel is a poor place to discover a failure.

The extras that earn their space

Once the essentials are sorted, a few inexpensive additions make a real difference.

• A throwing line of 15 to 20 metres, kept by the stern alongside the boat hook, for the person you cannot reach.
• A carbon monoxide alarm, whatever the certificate says — stoves and gas appliances can produce it silently.
• A bilge pump or bailer, and a sharp deck knife within easy reach.
• A waterproof pouch for your phone and keys, and a small grab bag with a change of clothes, a towel and a torch.
• Hi-vis vests for anyone working locks, especially in fading light.

And the most important piece of safety equipment is a plan: tell someone your route and expected arrival, know where you can moor for the night, and check the weather and river levels before casting off. Good kit buys you time; good judgement means you rarely need it.