Boating Regulations for CA

[dofthesea]

Does anyone have a link for what is required in CA for Safety regulation. Such as a monohull has to carry PFD's warning devices and such? ANd what i need to have on my Hobie Cat 16' if a search is done by the Coast Guard? They don't make it easy to find this info online.

[TaoJones]

I suppose some might say the USCG would never stop a Hobie 16, so don't worry about it . . . but I can offer this:

I had a Nacra 5.5sl and raced it regularly out of King Harbor (Redondo Beach). One bright and beautiful Saturday morning, just before the racing was to commence and all of the slower boats had already left the harbor and headed out toward the start line, the CG came in just as the Nacra fleet was about to head out.

They were checking that everyone had their numbers on, that they were correctly displayed, that they were the right size, that each boat had its registration with it . . . Needless to say, probably, this delayed the Nacra fleet reaching the start line on time.

As the fastest vessels racing, the Nacras were always the first to start so they didn't have to work their way through the slower vessels during the race. Because we got to the line late, it delayed the start of every subsequent race and there were those who called for the Nacra race to be canceled because of it. It probably added thirty minutes to the day's race schedule.

Of about twenty Nacras, I was the only one who actually carried a laminated copy of my registration in one of the hulls and I was told that I could go. It would have been funny if I was the only boat to show up at the start line that day and won by default, but I waited for the others and we all went to the line as a pack.

I suppose they could have made it a thorough safety inspection, but that day, anyway, they were only checking registration compliance. Good thing, I guess, because none of us could have passed a thorough USCG safety inspection.

TaoJones

[rebel heart]

It's coast guard rules; not the state. You'll need:

- whistle
- life jackets for everyone (worn or otherwise)
- proper lighting if operating at night (portable clip ons are fine)

You don't need to carry any flares unless operating from sunset to sunrise.

I think that's it.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

It's coast guard rules; not the state.

That's a good point, rebel heart, and now that I think back on it (20-25 years), that was probably the Harbor Patrol / LA County Sheriff's Department who interrupted our race, not the USCG.

TaoJones

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

That's a good point, rebel heart, and now that I think back on it (20-25 years), that was probably the Harbor Patrol / LA County Sheriff's Department who interrupted our race, not the USCG.

TaoJones

I'm spending three hours a night studying for my six pac license so all this crap is floating around in my head.

[dofthesea]

Thanks rebel just what i wanted to know.

[daddle]

0.21 seconds on Google: ABCs of California Boating

[avb3]

Did you mean Canada or California?

CA is Canada's country code... yeah, I know it gets confusing, but you need to be specific, as not all on this site view the world from an American (as in U.S. citizen) centric point of view

[rgscpat]

In general, when you're on inland lakes in the USA (other than the Great Lakes) or parts of rivers that don't connect to the ocean, you are in non-federal waters. Otherwise, federal. Federal waters go up into harbors, bays, and up very large river mouths.

Individual US states follow the US Coast Guard lead in most respects, but have various small differences; my home state for example requires a paddle and a length of towing line. States have varying requirements for when PFDs might have to be worn (on paddlecraft or other small craft, in winter, by children, etc.). States vary in their requirements for boating safety education and minimum operator age and have differences in which small non-motor boats need to be registered.

The flares (day and night signals depending on size of boat, time of day) are a requirement in federal waters.

Canada does require a boating education card for people who will be doing a very long cruise in Canadian waters. Canada also has a kinda-sorta requirement for paper charts (I'm simplifying).