Most requirements for transporting government equipment are similar to federal legislation. This main list includes supervisors, fire extinguishers, signalling devices, visual distress signals and navigation lights. In Massachusetts, lifeguards must be carried by: (1) youth under the age of 12 (2) boat users (3) water skiers (4) canoeists/kayakers from September 15 to May 15. A vessel owner or operator is responsible for ensuring that passengers on board carry lifeguards as required. In addition, the Crown requires that all powerboats (except personal watercraft) be equipped with an anchor, a manual scoop and a line. A paddle or oar is required on boats less than 16 feet in length. Motorboats that pull skiers must also be equipped with an entrance ladder. Registration and numbering of all boats propelled by machinery is mandatory. Any shipping accident resulting in death or injury requiring medical treatment other than first aid or disappearance of a person must be reported as soon as possible and must be reported within 48 hours. All accidents involving property damage over $2000 (to a vessel or a combination of both) must be reported within 10 days. The operator of any vessel involved in a reportable vessel accident must submit an accident form to TWRA. Failure to report a boat accident is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution by TWRA.
Help is needed. If a vessel is involved in an accident, it is the duty of the operator to provide the necessary assistance, as long as this does not endanger the operator, passengers or ship personally. Incidents resulting in serious injury or death: Vessel operators involved in incidents in which individuals are seriously injured or killed may be charged with a crime resulting in a fine of $10,000 and 15 years in prison. There is no minimum age to drive a boat. However, the boating regulations listed below and the safety requirements for boats are age-specific and would apply. Visual distress signals are not required for boaters using Tennessee waters. It is desirable to have them on any boat, but they are only required for vessels that use coastal waters and the Great Lakes. Boaters who use these waters should be given the exact requirements based on the length of their boat and whether or not they operate at night. Boat operators who drive drunk (DWI) with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more are subject to the same penalties as a person who drives a vehicle while intoxicated on the road. Penalties include suspension or revocation of recreational boating privileges and driver`s licences.
Both the roadway and waterway require a designated operator who is sober. You may not operate a motorboat or boat or alter water skiing, surfboards or similar equipment while drunk or under the influence of narcotics, barbiturates or marijuana. It is also illegal for a person who owns or is in charge of a vessel to knowingly permit or permit any person who is intoxicated or under the influence of a narcotic, barbiturate or marijuana to operate the vessel. In 1992, Congress passed the Clean Vessel Act to reduce pollution from ships` sewage discharges into U.S. waters. The purpose of the grant program established by the Act is to fund the construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of pumping stations, landfills and pump tanks for the maintenance of pleasure craft. As part of its commitment to providing clean, safe, and enjoyable recreational craft in Tennessee, TWRA serves as the state grant coordinator. The ministry will also provide training programs for boaters to raise public awareness of boat wastewater and its proper disposal. Note: This information is current as of September 2017 and is subject to change in May of each year. Please call SBB Boating Safety at 850-488-5600 for annual updates on this information or questions about boating safety course requirements.
Personal watercraft are legally considered powerboats and must comply with all boat laws and navigational rules, including the speed and operating regulations above.
