How to File a Float Plan

A float plan is a short record of your trip, where you're going, who's with you, what you're in and when you'll be back, that you leave with a reliable person on shore. If you don't return on time, that person calls for help and gives rescuers the plan. The U.S. Coast Guard says it is a lot easier to find you if someone tells searchers when and where to look (opens in a new tab).

Filing one takes five minutes. It's the one piece of safety gear that works even when you can't call for help yourself.

What a float plan is

The Coast Guard explains why it matters: there are just too many facts that need to be accurately remembered and ultimately conveyed in an emergency situation (opens in a new tab). Without a float plan, you are counting on a friend or family member to remember the details rescuers need.

Its federal requirements guide puts it plainly: let a responsible person know where you are going and when you will be back (opens in a new tab). A float plan contains critical information about your whereabouts for local marine police or the Coast Guard. And it adds: in a survival situation, time is of the essence.

It's not just for big boats. The Coast Guard says a float plan is equally effective for the owner of a 10 foot kayak or flat-bottom skiff (opens in a new tab) as for a large cruiser. It lists kayakers, canoeists, stand up paddlers, rowers, rafters, anglers, hunters, jet skiers, water skiers and family day cruisers among the people who should file one.

What to include

The National Weather Service says a float plan should include details about the trip, boat, passengers, towing or trailer vehicle, communication equipment, and emergency contacts (opens in a new tab). A good one covers:

The trip

• Where you are launching, with the address or landmark
• Your planned route and destination, and any stops
• The date and time you leave
• The time you expect to be back, and the time your contact should call for help if they haven't heard from you

The boat

• Type, length, color and any name or registration number
• A recent photo. The Coast Guard says it is recommended that you include a photo of your vessel (opens in a new tab) with your float plan.

The people

• Names of everyone aboard, and a phone number for each adult
• Any medical conditions rescuers should know about
• What everyone is wearing, including life jacket colors

Vehicle and gear

• Your car or truck (make, color, plate) and trailer, and where they'll be parked
• Communication equipment: phone numbers, VHF radio, any emergency beacon
• Safety gear aboard, such as life jackets, flares or a raft

Contacts

• Who to call if you're overdue: 911, and the local Coast Guard or marine police if you know them

Float Plan Central, the Coast Guard Auxiliary's official float plan site (opens in a new tab), has a fillable form with room for waypoints, passengers and emergency beacon numbers. You can set up a basic plan ahead of time, update it before each trip, and email it to your contact.

Who to give it to

Choose someone who:

• Isn't coming with you. The plan is useless if the person holding it is in the boat.
• Will notice if you're late, and will be reachable at your return time.
• Knows what to do, and is willing to call for help without waiting until they're sure.

Typically the boat's operator prepares the plan. But the Coast Guard says everyone aboard should understand why it matters: don't be afraid to ask the operator if they have left a float plan with a reliable person (opens in a new tab).

Tell them about changes. If you change your route or return time, update your contact before you change plans on the water.

Check in when you're back. Every time. A float plan only works if your contact can trust that silence means trouble.

When to call for help if overdue

Agree on a firm "call for help" time before you leave, for example, an hour after your planned return. If that time passes and your contact can't reach you:

1. Call 911, or the Coast Guard if you have the local number. On a marine radio, the Coast Guard says Channel 16 is the primary VHF-FM marine radio calling and distress channel (opens in a new tab).
2. Say the boater is overdue, and read out the float plan.
3. Stay by the phone so rescuers can call back with questions.

Don't wait hours "just in case." The Coast Guard's guide asks: how long would it be until someone noticed and followed up? (opens in a new tab) A false alarm is better than a late call. See calling 911 near water for how to describe a location.

Float plans for paddlers and day trips

You don't need a long form for a two-hour paddle. A text message works if it has the essentials:

"Kayaking at Lake Pine, launching from the north boat ramp at 9 a.m. Paddling to the island and back with Sam. Red kayak and yellow kayak, blue life jackets. Back by noon. If you haven't heard from me by 1 p.m., call 911. My car is a gray sedan at the ramp."

Paddlers face the same risks as boaters, including cold water. Read kayak and canoe safety and paddleboard safety.

What you can do today

1. Set up a reusable plan on Float Plan Central (opens in a new tab), or write a template in your phone's notes.
2. Take a photo of your boat and save it with the plan.
3. Pick your float plan contact and agree on the "call for help" rule.
4. Add "send float plan" to your pre-trip routine. It's on our Boating Safety Checklist and in our boating safety checklist.
5. Text your contact when you're back, every single time.