Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Personal Watercraft (ORC 1547.41)

In addition to adhering to all boating laws, personal watercraft (PWC) operators have requirements specific to their watercraft.

A personal watercraft (PWC) is defined as a vessel, less than 16 feet in length, that is propelled by machinery and designed to be operated by an individual sitting or kneeling on the vessel rather than sitting or standing in the vessel.

• No person shall operate or permit operation of a personal watercraft unless each person aboard is wearing a personal flotation device (PFD).
• Operators on personal watercraft equipped with a lanyard-type ignition safety (engine cutoff) switch must attach the lanyard to their clothing, PFD, themselves, or as appropriate for the specific devices.
• No person shall operate a personal watercraft between sunset and sunrise.
• No person who owns or has charge over a personal watercraft shall permit operation in violation of laws.

Operators and passengers of personal watercraft must wear a personal flotation device. If the PWC is so equipped, operators also must attach the lanyard of the ignition safety switch to their clothing, life jacket, or wrist.

The lanyard attaches to the ignition safety switch and will shut down the engine if the operator is thrown from the operating position of the personal watercraft.

Be Part of the Action! Learn more about operating a PWC with this interactive animation. (Most students will already have Flash installed. If not, follow this link to install the Flash Player.)