Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Unlawful Operation of a Vessel
Missouri law designates these dangerous operating practices as
illegal:
Reckless Operation of a vessel or the reckless manipulation
of water-skis, a surfboard or similar device is defined as the
failure to exercise the care necessary to prevent the endangerment
of life, limb, or property of any person. Examples of illegal reckless
operation are:
- Boating in restricted areas without regard for other boaters
or persons, posted speeds and wake restrictions, diver down flags,
etc.
- Boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Chasing, harassing or disturbing wildlife with your vessel.
Improper Speed or Distance is not maintaining a proper
speed or distance while operating a motorboat or PWC or while towing
a person on water-skis or any similar device. Specifically, it
is illegal to:
- Operate a motorboat or PWC at speeds that may cause danger,
injury, damage, or unnecessary inconvenience. Be aware of and
obey all regulatory markers, including those marked as idle
speed or no wake.
- Operate a vessel at speeds greater than idle
speed or slow -
no wake speed within 100 feet of:
- A dock or pier
- An occupied, anchored vessel
- A buoyed restricted area.
- Areas where damage may be caused from the wake
of your motorboat.
Exceeding Night Speed Limit is operating a motorboat or
PWC in excess of 30 miles per hour any time from one half-hour
after sunset until one hour before sunrise when on the waters of
the Mississippi River and Missouri River, and on lakes with a shoreline
of more than 160 miles (Lake of the Ozarks, Bull Shoals, Mark Twain,
Truman, Table Rock, Stockton, Smithville, and Wappapello).
Overloading is defined as loading the vessel beyond the
recommended capacity shown on the capacity
plate installed by the vessel manufacturer.
Riding on Bow, Deck or Gunwale is allowing passengers to
ride on the bow, gunwale, transom,
seat backs, seats on raised decks, or any other place where there
may be a chance of falling overboard,
unless the vessel has adequate guards or railing. Guards or railings
must be at least 6 inches high (not to exceed 18 inches in height)
to be considered adequate.
Violating “Skier Down” Flag Requirement is
defined as failure to properly display the “skier down” flag
or failure to keep a proper distance from a displayed skier down
flag. Specifically:
- An operator of a motorboat (other than a PWC) on the waters
of the Mississippi River, Missouri River and Missouri lakes between
the hours of 11:00 AM and sunset must clearly display a red or
orange flag, at least 12 inches by 12 inches in size, whenever
a person enters the water before or after being towed on water-skis
or other similar devices. Once the skier is up and being towed,
the flag must be lowered. The flag must be raised again when
the skier falls or stops skiing and enters the water in order
to return to the motorboat.
- Operators of vessels must not knowingly operate within 50 yards
of a displayed skier down flag, unless operating at idle speed
or no wake speed
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