More boaties have been getting into trouble at sea, with the Hawke's Bay Coastguard saying small, cheap vessels are often to blame.
Coastguard Hawke's Bay rescued 53 people in the year to June, an increase on the 46 of the previous year.
Many had bought cheap, old yachts elsewhere in the country
then hit trouble on their way home, or been blown out to sea in small vessels such as kayaks, chief executive Bryce Lawrence said.
"People are buying these boats they wouldn't usually buy and then taking them out on the water before doing upgrades."
The organisation has increased its total volunteer hours from 8000 last year to 9363 this year to provide more education about boating safety.
Nationally, the coastguard has saved more Kiwis than ever this year, despite the actual number of rescue missions decreasing.
For the year to June, 6996 people were brought safely back to land, a 6 per cent increase, but the number of rescues has fallen from 3672 to 3337.
