Lake Havasu City Real Estate

In General

• All motorized watercraft must be registered with Arizona Game and Fish Department.
• Personal watercraft are considered Class A boats and must observe the same laws as other motorized watercraft.
• No one younger than 12 may pilot a watercraft whose motor is 8 horsepower or greater, unless in an emergency or when accompanied by someone 18 years or older.  Personal watercrafts´ motors are greater than 8 horsepower.
• Watercraft may not go faster than is reasonable and prudent for the lake conditions, or in excess of the posted speed limit.
• Watercraft operators must not be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics;  one is considered under the influence if tested to have .08 or greater blood alcohol content.
• People may not operate their watercrafts above a wake less speed while passengers are riding on the gunwales, transom or decked over bow, unless that part of the boat was designed for the purpose of carrying passengers or if the boat is preparing to moor, anchor or cast off.  Also, passengers must not obstruct view of the operator by sitting on the bow.
• Boats that are being used to tow riders on a water toy must have at least two people in the boat, one as an operator and one as an observer.  Whenever someone is down in the water, the observer must display a bright orange or red flag that is mounted on a handle and measures at least 12 inches to a side.
• Water-skiing is not permitted between sunset and sunrise.
• Water-skiers must wear a lifejacket or buoyant belt.
• No one may use water skis or other water toys to endanger anyone´s life or property.
• If in an accident, the watercraft´s operator must immediately render reasonable assistance to the people affected; give his name, address and watercraft identification to injured people or owners of any damaged property; and must file a boating accident report with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
• All watercraft 20 feet or less in length sold or manufactured in Arizona after January 1, 1971, must have a capacity plate easily visible by the pilot.

 

Personal Watercraft

• Each person on board a personal watercraft (PWC) must wear a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket, and the PWC must have an automatic cutoff switch.  If the automatic cutoff is a lanyard, the PWC operator must attach the lanyard to his body, clothing or lifejacket.
• PWCs must not be operated recklessly, which includes doing two or more of the following things simultaneously: operating a PWC closer than 60 feet to another watercraft.

 

Required Equipment

• Watercraft must have at least one Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device for each passenger.  The devices must be in good condition, easily accessible and the proper size for its intended use.  Watercraft 16 feet and longer must also have at least one throw able device.  Children 12 and younger must always wear flotation devices when the watercraft is underway.
• One type B-I fire extinguisher is required for watercraft under 26 feet long using a volatile liquid with a flashpoint of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or loess as fuel, if the watercraft has any of the following:  an inboard engine, closed compartments for portable fuel tanks or other combustible materials, double bottoms not sealed to the hull or not completely filled with flotation material, closed living spaces or permanently installed fuel tanks.
• Two B-I fire extinguishers or one B-II fire extinguisher are required for watercraft from 26 to 40 feet long.  If the boat has a fixed fire extinguishing systems, it must have at least one B-I portable fire extinguisher.
• Three B-I fire extinguishers or at least one B-I plus one B-II fire extinguishers are required for watercraft measuring 40 to 65 feet long.  If the boat has a fixed fire extinguishing system, at least two B-I or at lease one B-II portable fire extinguishers are required.
• Navigation lights are required for all watercraft during the time between sunset and sunrise.
• Motorboats under 26 feet must have a red and green combination light forward, and a bright white light aft to show around the 360 degree horizon.
• Motorboats between 26 and 65 feet in length must have a 20-point light on the bow, as close to the stem as is practical, and a white 32-point light aft, higher than the bow light, to show around the horizon.  Sidelights must be used, showing red 10 points to port and green 10 points to starboard, with screens to prevent the lights from being seen across the bow.
• Sailboats without an auxiliary engine must have separate red and green lights forward and a white 12-point light aft.
• Manually prepared watercraft must have a lantern or flashlight to show in sufficient time to aver collision.
• Anchored watercraft, unless in a special anchorage area, must display a steady white light visible for no less than two miles from sunset to sunrise.
• Backfire flame arrestors are required for all inboard gasoline engines.  If not a flame arrestor, the engine must have a metallic device securely fastened to each carburetor air intake that´s designed and installed to direct any backfire flame into the open atmosphere.
• Ventilation in required for all boats using gasoline as a fuel that have enclosed engine or fuel storage compartments.  The bilge areas of the engine or fuel storage compartments must be ventilated to remove flammable or explosive gases.
• Muffling devices are required for all motorized watercraft, unless the watercraft is competing in an approved race or has a race-testing permit from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.  No watercraft may emit a sound level of more than 86 decibels on the standard “A” scale when measured from 50 feet away or farther.

 

* From Today´s News Herald