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Boat safety check planner: what is due on board, and when?

When is your automatic life jacket due for its service, when do your flares expire, and what is actually mandatory on board? This boat safety check planner covers boats kept on German waters: tick what you carry, enter the date of the last check and see every due date in order. If you like, they go into your calendar with a reminder. Each interval names its source and says whether it is a legal duty, a recommendation or a manufacturer's figure.

Equipment on board

Fire extinguisher

Legal dutyApplies to: workplaces; for private boats only a benchmark. Source [8]

Serviced by a competent person every two years; a shorter interval set by the manufacturer takes precedence. Outside Lake Constance and charter, Germany has no inspection duty of its own for private boats.

  • Legal dutyLake Constance: type-approved extinguishers of at least 2 kg only, to be checked at regular intervals with proof. The rules give no figure. Source [3]
  • Legal dutyCharter: the acceptance report lists the last check date of every portable extinguisher; on the coast, proof of inspection is part of the minimum equipment. Neither regulation sets an interval. Source [2]

LPG system

Legal dutyApplies to: registered craft on Lake Constance. Source [3]

For private boats in Germany outside Lake Constance and charter, no statutory inspection interval could be found. On Lake Constance a recognised expert checks the system before first use and then at regular intervals, without a fixed figure.

  • Legal dutyCharter on inland waterways: a valid expert certificate on board, plus carbon monoxide and gas alarms in enclosed spaces. Source [2]
  • Legal dutyCharter on the coast: a gas inspection certificate for the boat certificate, which runs for two years, so it is shown again at every renewal at the latest. Source [1]

Enter the interval from the service label

Automatic life jacket: service

ManufacturerApplies to: automatically inflating life jackets. Source [4]

Usually every two years at the manufacturer or an authorised service station. The service label shows the year and month of the next service.

  • Legal dutyIn commercial use there is also a documented check at least once a year. Source [4]
  • ManufacturerAccording to the manufacturer, ten years is the maximum service life. Source [9]

Automatic life jacket: own check

RecommendationApplies to: owners of automatic life jackets. Source [7]

About every six months, inflate it with the oral tube and see after a day whether it holds the air. Check the gas cylinder for fill, tight fit and corrosion at the same time.

Life raft

ManufacturerApplies to: ISO 9650 life rafts on leisure boats. Source [5]

For this manufacturer the first service is three years after purchase, then every three years. Other makers may differ; the label on your raft is what counts.

  • Legal dutyCharter on the coast: a life raft with proof of inspection is part of the minimum equipment; no interval is given. Source [1]

Hand flares and rockets

RecommendationApplies to: pyrotechnic distress signals approved by BAM. Source [6]

Usable for three years at most if stored properly, unless the signal states otherwise. Damp, rust and heat shorten that. Return expired signals to the shop or a disposal company, never let them off as fireworks.

  • RecommendationThe German sea rescue service gives about four years; after that, safe function is no longer guaranteed. Source [7]

Usual shelf life according to the source: 36 months

EPIRB: battery

ManufacturerApplies to: emergency beacons (example of a current model). Source [10]

One current model states a ten-year battery life; older units often less. What counts is the battery date on your beacon; replacement goes through a dealer.

  • Legal dutyIn Germany an EPIRB is a radio installation that has to be registered, which requires a valid Ship Station Licence from the Federal Network Agency. Source [11]

Usual shelf life according to the source: 120 months

EPIRB: hydrostatic release

RecommendationApplies to: EPIRB in a bracket with hydrostatic release. Source [12]

Replace every two years together with bolt, springs and spacers; the expiry date must be visible. The source is the US Coast Guard; your manufacturer's instructions come first.

EPIRB: self-test

RecommendationApplies to: emergency beacons. Source [12]

Once a month, look over the casing, bracket, release date and lanyard and run the self-test as the manufacturer describes. Beware of false alerts.

First aid kit

RecommendationApplies to: first aid material on board, benchmark from workplace safety. Source [13]

Top up after use and replace once the use-by date has passed, for example sterile dressings and eye wash. Store dry, clean and away from heat.

  • Legal dutyCharter on inland waterways: a first aid kit to DIN 13157 or DIN 13169, within easy reach. Source [2]

The expiry date is printed on the item.

Lake Constance and charter

Lake Constance: periodic survey

Legal dutyApplies to: registered craft on Lake Constance. Source [3]

A survey every three years, plus a special survey after major changes or hull repairs. When you sell, report the buyer and the new mooring within two weeks.

Charter on the coast: boat certificate

Legal dutyApplies to: leisure boats and personal watercraft hired out commercially on the coast. Source [1]

The boat certificate (Bootszeugnis) runs for two years, three for new builds from a yard. Each renewal adds two years after a survey.

Charter inland: acceptance report

Legal dutyApplies to: leisure boats hired out commercially on inland waterways. Source [2]

An expert's acceptance report runs for ten years on new boats; for older boats the expert sets the term, ten years at most. Reports by the waterways and shipping office run for six years at most.

Your entries stay in this browser. The calendar file is created here too, nothing is sent anywhere. Not legal advice. What counts is the service label on the equipment and the manufacturer's manual. The planner reflects what regulations, authorities, the German sea rescue service and manufacturers say, as of 12 October 2026.

What is a legal duty and what is a recommendation

Germany has no regular official boat inspection for private leisure craft, nothing like the MOT for cars. We checked the Sea Leisure Boat Ordinance and the inland charter ordinance: both only cover hire and commercial use.[1][2]

Lake Constance is the exception. Registered craft there are surveyed every three years, and gas systems and fire extinguishers must be checked at regular intervals, for which the lake's shipping rules give no figure.[3]

Charter companies need a boat certificate on the coast, valid for two years, and on inland waterways an expert's acceptance report, valid for ten years at most. Gas and extinguisher certificates are part of it; the ordinances set no interval for them.[1][2]

Everything else comes from manufacturers and recommendations: automatic life jackets usually serviced every two years, life rafts every three years, flares replaced after three to four years. The two-year interval for extinguishers comes from workplace safety rules that bind employers; for private boats it is a benchmark.[4][5][6][7][8]

For LPG systems on private boats outside Lake Constance and charter we found no statutory interval. The two-year figure that often comes up is not confirmed from the original for Germany, so the planner leaves it blank: enter the interval from your service label.[3][2]

How the planner works

Tick what is on board and enter when it was last checked or when it expires. The interval is filled in from the sources and you can change it to match your service label. The planner sorts the dates: red is overdue, orange is due within 60 days, green is fine.

Add to calendar creates a calendar file with one all-day entry per due date and reminders 30 days and one day before. It opens in Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple Calendar. Your entries stay in this browser, nothing is sent anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an MOT for boats in Germany?

Not for private leisure boats. Lake Constance has a recurring official survey every three years, and boats hired out commercially are inspected too. All other intervals come from manufacturers and recommendations.

How often does an automatic life jacket need a service?

Usually every two years; the manufacturer's service label is what counts. In between, check it yourself about every six months: inflate it with the oral tube and see after a day whether it holds the air.

How long do flares last?

According to the German pyrotechnics competence questions, three years at most if stored properly, unless the signal says otherwise. The German sea rescue service gives about four years. Expired flares go back to the shop or a disposal company.

What happens to my entries?

They stay in your browser on this device. The calendar file is made there as well, nothing is sent to us or anyone else. Clear all removes everything.

Before the season

Life jacket finder Boat papers checklist Boating abroad Boating accident statistics

Sources

As of 12 October 2026, all sources retrieved on 12 October 2026. The service label, the product label and your manufacturer's manual are what counts.

  1. German Sea Leisure Boat Ordinance (SeeSpbootV)
  2. German inland charter ordinance (BinSch-SportbootVermV)
  3. Lake Constance district office: shipping rules on Lake Constance (as of September 2025)
  4. DGUV Information 212-004, life jackets and buoyancy aids (July 2022)
  5. Manufacturer: Seago Liferaft Owners Operating Handbook (ISO 9650)
  6. German Sailing Federation: question catalogue for the distress signal competence certificate
  7. DGzRS, German Maritime Search and Rescue Service: safety equipment at sea
  8. Technical Rule for Workplaces ASR A2.2, fire protection, no. 7.5.2 (unofficial BAuA version hosted by TU Munich)
  9. Water police forces around Lake Constance: life jacket leaflet
  10. Manufacturer: Ocean Signal SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro data sheet
  11. Federal Network Agency: why must I register my radio?
  12. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center: Monthly EPIRB Inspection Procedures
  13. DGUV Information 204-022, first aid at work (May 2017)
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