Abstract: A small boat safety lifeline apparatus includes one or more straps, each having an end connected just inside at the upper edge or gunwale of the boat and stored for use in a coil having a readily releasable holder, the other end of the strap having a loop adapted to be tossed over the capsized or partially submerged boat and placed around the body of a person beneath his armpits, the person being partially submerged in water outside of the boat. The loop has a buckle or the like so that it may be adjusted around the person and the distance from the boat adjusted so that the boat lifts the strap and the strap has a combined lifting and holding action on the person in order to prevent the person from drowning.