As a result of alcohol’s eects, a boat operator with a blood alcohol
concentration of approximately .10 percent is estimated to be
more than 10 times as likely to die in a boating accident than an
operator with zero blood alcohol concentration. Passengers are
also at greatly increased risk for injury or death, especially if they
are also using alcohol.
The Coast Guard and every state has stringent penalties for violat-
ing BUI laws. Penalties can include fines, suspension or revocation
of boat operator privileges, and jail time. The Coast Guard and
individual states cooperate fully in enforcement of BUI laws in order
to remove impaired boat operators from the waters.
In waters that are overseen solely by the states, the states have
the authority to enforce their own BUI statutes. In state waters that
are also subject to U.S. jurisdiction, there is concurrent jurisdiction.
That means if a boater is apprehended under Federal law in these
waters, the Coast Guard will (unless precluded by state law) request
that state law enforcement ocers take the intoxicated boater into
custody. Depending on the circumstances, the operator may be
arrested. Penalties vary, but in many jurisdictions operators found
guilty of BUI can expect a civil penalty of at least $1,000 or criminal
penalty of $5,000, one year of imprisonment or both. Civil lawsuits
in cases of property damage or injury/death to others can result in
significantly more serious penalties.
Intoxication from drugs, including legal prescription drugs, is an
equally serious matter and is dealt with as seriously as alcohol.
REGISTRATION, NUMBERING
AND DOCUMENTATION
Although it might not be immediately obvious as to how this re-
lates to boating safety, in fact it can be critical in emergencies. All
undocumented vessels equipped with propulsion machinery must
be registered in the state of principal use. A certificate of number
will be issued upon registering the vehicle. These numbers must
be displayed on your vessel. The owner/operator of the vessel
must carry a valid certificate of number whenever the vessel is in
use. When moving to a new state of principal use, the certificate
is valid for 60 days. Check with your state boating authority for
registration requirements.
Numbers must be painted or permanently attached to each side
of the forward half of the vessel. The validation stickers must be
axed within six inches of the registration number. With the ex-
ception of the vessel fee decal, no other letters or numbers may be
displayed nearby. Lettering must be in plain, vertical block charac-
ters of not less than three (3) inches in height. Spaces or hyphens
between letter and number groupings must be equal to the width of
a letter other than “i” or a number other than “1.”
The owner of a vessel must notify the agency which issued the
certificate of number within fifteen (15) days if the vessel is
transferred, destroyed, abandoned, lost, stolen or recovered, or if
the certificate of number is lost, destroyed or the owner’s address
2021MCOwnerManualFINAL.indd 27 8/26/20 1:51 PM
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