First trip in a rental boat: the checklist
Before you leave: keep the signed rental declaration on you, check the lifejackets, light, fire extinguisher and kill cord, have someone show you how to stop the boat and drop the anchor, tell someone close to you your route, and set off with a full tank. On the water: 5 knots within the 300 m, go around yellow buoys, and if something goes wrong: 196 or channel 16.
At the counter: the paperwork
- The prior rental declaration: you fill it in and sign it, the rental company countersigns it; keep your copy on you, it must be shown at any inspection. Nobody else drives unless they are registered as an additional driver (Division 240, art. 240-3.02).
- The boat’s annual inspection report is attached to the contract; the rental company shows you the logbook at the latest when you board.
- The boat’s registration certificate must be on board (French Ministry for the Sea).
- Your licence, if the boat requires one: its type and number are entered on the declaration.
On the pontoon: the equipment
Within 2 nautical miles of a shelter, the boat carries basic equipment (art. 240-2.03); check it before casting off:
- one lifejacket per person (level 50), and a level 100 lifejacket for each child of 30 kg or less;
- a waterproof torch lasting at least 6 hours;
- a fire extinguisher;
- a bailer, bucket or pump;
- a towing line and an anchor line;
- the kill cord attached to the helmsman whenever the engine is running, and the spare within reach.
Beyond 2 nautical miles, coastal equipment adds a horseshoe lifebuoy, three red hand flares, a compass and nautical charts.
Before casting off: the briefing and preparation
- Have someone show you how to stop the boat, drop the anchor and make a distress call (SNSM), and explain to the crew what to do in the event of a leak, a fire or someone overboard (French Ministry for the Sea).
- Tell someone close to you your route, your departure and return times, and then any change (SNSM).
- The weather: in the Mediterranean, VHF channels 63 and 64 broadcast the coastal forecast continuously.
- Fuel: set off with a full tank and keep a margin, especially with an offshore wind, which carries you out to sea.
- Your phone charged, in a waterproof pouch.
On the water: right of way and buoys
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You are overtaking a boat | You keep clear. |
| Two motor boats meeting head-on | Each turns to its right (starboard). |
| Crossing courses | The one that has the other on its right keeps clear. |
| Sailing boat or fishing boat | The motor boat keeps clear. |
| Narrow channel | Keep to the right, and do not impede large vessels. |
| Yellow buoys along a beach | Swimming zone: closed to boats. |
| Beach channel | Cylindrical buoys on your left, conical ones on your right as you head towards the shore; cross it without stopping. |
| Yellow and black buoy (cardinal) | Pass on the side it is named after: it marks a danger. |
Sources: international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, buoyage, buoyage of leisure zones, order 109/2024. Never moor to a navigation buoy, and keep to 5 knots within the 300 m and 100 m away from a dive flag.
If something goes wrong
- Person overboard: shout, appoint someone to point at them without taking their eyes off them, throw a lifebuoy, stop the boat, come back towards them bow first — never stern first, because of the propeller (SNSM).
- Leak: start the pumps, look for the leak, check the seacocks, plug the breach from inside with a cushion, and call for help (SNSM).
- Engine failure: drop anchor away from the middle of a channel and call the rental company; rescuing people is free, towing is not (SNSM).
- Emergency: 196 from a phone, channel 16 on the VHF — see the Safety without a licence guide.
For the sea’s sake: waste and toilets
Nothing goes overboard. Avoid using marine toilets near the coast and only empty holding tanks at harbour facilities (French Ministry for the Sea). Some anchoring zones are reserved for boats fitted with a black-water tank (order 109/2024).
Frequently asked questions
What paperwork do you need to rent a boat?
The prior rental declaration, signed by you and countersigned by the rental company, to keep on you; your licence if the boat requires one; the boat’s registration certificate stays on board.
What should you check before setting off in a rental boat?
One lifejacket per person (level 100 for children of 30 kg or less), the torch, the fire extinguisher, the bailer, the towing line, the anchor, and the kill cord attached to the helmsman.
What should you do if someone falls overboard?
Shout, keep the person in sight by pointing at them, throw a lifebuoy, stop the boat and come back towards them bow first, never stern first because of the propeller.
Official sources
- Division 240 — edition of 21 May 2026
- French Ministry for the Sea — safety rules for water sports
- French Ministry for the Sea — registration of leisure vessels
- SNSM — preparing your trip at sea
- SNSM — person overboard
- SNSM — leaks
- International regulations for preventing collisions at sea
- Prefectoral order 109/2024 — coastal strip
Sources consulted on 26 September 2026. This guide helps you prepare a trip; it replaces neither the texts in force, nor the rental company’s instructions, nor the day’s weather forecast.