Boat Distress Flag | Daytime Visual Distress Signal

The orange distress flag is the Coast Guard’s daytime visual distress signal for recreational boats. It is a bright orange panel marked with a black square and a black circle. It works in daylight only and does not cover the Coast Guard requirement after dark.

One orange flag meeting 46 CFR 160.072 covers the day requirement. An approved electronic distress light covers the night requirement. Together they can replace a full set of pyrotechnic flares on boats that must carry visual distress signals.

What is a distress signal flag for boats?

It is an orange flag built to Coast Guard standard 46 CFR 160.072 and listed as an accepted day signal in 33 CFR 175.130.

The flag must measure at least 36 inches by 36 inches. At least 70 percent of the surface is bright red-orange. Both sides show a black disc and a black square, and each shape is at least 12 inches across. The corners are reinforced with grommets so you can tie it down or wave it.

Use it in daylight. Spread it across the cabin top or deck so aircraft can spot it, or wave it from a paddle, boat hook, or mast. Stow it somewhere you can grab it with one hand.

Orange flag for boat: day or night?

Day. The orange flag is a day-only signal. It shows up best in bright sun. Once the sun goes down, it no longer meets the night requirement.

For night you need approved pyrotechnic night signals or an approved electronic distress light. If you run an electronic light at night, keep the flag on board for daytime. One device will not cover both periods.

Do electronic flares include a distress flag?

Yes. Sirius Signal electronic distress light kits include the orange daytime flag. The light handles the night signal and the flag handles the day signal. That is the pair the Coast Guard accepts when you are not carrying a full pyrotechnic kit.

Boats 16 feet and longer on coastal waters, the Great Lakes, the territorial seas, and connected waters up to two nautical miles wide must carry both day and night signals. Boats under 16 feet need night signals if they run between sunset and sunrise, but they are not required to carry a day flag. Inland lakes that do not connect to those waters fall outside this federal rule.

Boat distress flag vs smoke signals

Both count as accepted day signals. You need one day option, not both.

• Orange distress flag: no expiration date, no flame, and reusable. It needs daylight and someone to display it.
• Orange smoke: handheld or floating pyrotechnic. It shows as a cloud, burns for a short time, expires, and has to be replaced and disposed of.

Three handheld orange smokes paired with an electronic night light is another legal combination. The flag paired with an electronic night light is the combination that ships in a Sirius Signal kit.

Keep the flag for day and the light for night. See Coast Guard approved replacements for boat flares for the night-signal rules, the Sirius Signal distress flag, or a kit that includes the flag.