Oklahoma Boating Handbook Table of Contents

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• Boater Education

Boating Basics

Boating Basics: Before Going Out

• Vessel Length Classes
• Vessel Capacity
• Fueling a Vessel
  • Additional Safety Procedures for PWCs
  • Fuel Selector Switch on a PWC
• Preventing Theft
• Filing a Float Plan
• Pre-Departure Checklist
• Sample Float Plan

Boating Basics: On the Water

• Encountering Other Vessels
• Navigation Rules
• Nighttime Navigation
• U.S. Aids to Navigation System (ATON)
  • Lateral Markers
  • Western Rivers System
  • Non-Lateral Markers
• Weather Emergencies

Boating Basics: Specifically for PWCs

• Steering and Stopping a PWC
• Ignition Safety Switches
• Reboarding a Capsized PWC
• Courtesy When Encountering Other Vessels
• Environmental Considerations
• Other PWC Considerations

It's the Law!

It's the Law: Before Going Out

• Registering Your Vessel
  • Registering and Titling Outboard Motors
  • Other Facts about Titling and Registering
  • Registration Fees
  • Applications for Titles and Registration
• Hull Identification Number
• Who May Operate a Vessel
• Marine Events
• Local Regulations
• Enforcement
• Courtesy Boat Inspection

It's the Law: Required Equipment

• Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
• Navigation Lights
• Fire Extinguishers
• Backfire Flame Arrestors
• Ventilation Systems
• Mufflers
• Sound-Producing Devices
  • Sound Signals
• Visual Distress Signals (VDSs)

It's the Law: On the Water

• Unlawful Operation
• Obstructing Navigation
• Firearms in a Vessel
• Homeland Security Restrictions
• Diver-Down Flags
• Inner Tubes, Floating Chairs, or Similar Devices
• Alcohol and Drugs
• Accidents and Casualties
• Discharge of Sewage and Waste
• Discharge of Trash
• Discharge of Oil and Other Hazardous Substances

It's the Law: Specifically for PWCs

• Requirements Specific to PWCs

It's the Law: Specifically for Skiing

• Requirements for Towing Skiers
• Hand Signals for Skiers
• Avoiding Propeller Strike Injuries

Good to Know

• Oklahoma Highway Patrol - Troop W Information
• Required Equipment Checklist
• Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
• PDF Version of this Handbook (prints well)

Boating Terms

In this handbook, these boating terms are used.

Operate means to navigate or be in actual physical control of a vessel or otherwise use a vessel or motor.

Vessel means every device, other than a seaplane, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water (including personal watercraft).

Wake means the track of waves left by a vessel or other object moving through the water, when such waves are greater than the natural waves in the immediate area of the vessel, are cresting and showing white water, or may cause injury or damage to person or property.