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2023 OWNER’S MANUAL
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
violating 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
relates to boating safety, it can in fact 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 vessel. 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
exception of the vessel fee decal, no other letters or numbers
may be displayed nearby. Lettering must be in plain, vertical block
characters of no 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;
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