Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2022 - 54

Highlights from the
2022
This article reviews key regulatory and safety information that
boaters must know before venturing out on the water. The
annual Boating Regulations Recap brochure also highlights new
regulations that were recently approved by the Pennsylvania Fish
and Boat Commission (PFBC). The Boating Regulations Recap
paired with the 2022 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary/Boating
Handbook provides boaters with comprehensive safety information
to use when operating watercraft on Pennsylvania waterways.
Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
* A United States Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket is
required for each person on board. In addition, one throwable
device is required on boats 16 feet in length or longer.
* Children 12 years of age and younger must wear an approved life
jacket on Commonwealth waters when underway on any boat 20
feet or less in length and in all canoes and kayaks.
* All water skiers and anyone towed behind vessels, personal
watercraft operators and passengers, and sailboarders
(windsurfers) must wear a life jacket. Inflatable life jackets are not
acceptable for these activities.
* Wearable life jackets must be " readily accessible " , which means
that they are out in the open ready to wear or they are stowed
where they can be easily reached. Throwable devices must be
" immediately available " or within arm's reach. A life jacket that is
stored in a protective covering or sealed in its original packaging
is not readily accessible or immediately available.
Mandatory cold weather life jacket wear
From November 1 through April 30, boaters are required by
law to wear life jackets on board boats less than 16 feet in length or
any canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. This regulation is intended to
protect boaters from dangers of cold water shock if they fall into
the water. Recreational boating fatalities that occur in Pennsylvania
from November through April are primarily due to the effects of
cold water immersion. When water temperatures are less than 70
degrees F, cold water shock is a major factor in boating fatalities.
Victims who wear a life jacket when exposed to cold water have
potentially life-saving advantages such as insulation from the cold,
Mandatory boating education
HP OF MOTOR RESTRICTIONS OF USE
PWC
0-25hp
Greater
than 25hp
None
Persons 11 years of age or younger may NOT operate.
Persons born on or after January 1, 1982, may not operate unless
they have obtained and have in possession a Boating Safety
Education Certificate.
54
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * January/February 2022
Boating Regulations
Recap
Information All Boaters Must Know
buoyancy for victims who are unable to tread water, and reduced
risk of aspiration of water. In an effort to reduce the number of
fatalities related to cold water immersion, the PFBC has amended
regulations to require life jackets to be worn on small and unstable
boats during the period most noted for cold temperatures.
Boating accidents
Boating accidents must be reported in writing by the boat
operator or owner to the PFBC when:
* A person dies or disappears.
* A person is injured and requires advanced medical treatment
beyond first aid.
* Damage to the boat and other property totals more than $2,000,
or there is a complete loss of the vessel.
Boating Accident Report Forms (PFBC 260) are available on the
Commission's website. Reports must be sent to:
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Bureau of Boating,
P.O. Box 67000, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000.
Water-skiing and similar activities
* It is unlawful to operate a motorboat at any speed with a person
or persons sitting, riding, or hanging on a swim platform (teak
surfing) or swim ladder attached to the motorboat, except when
launching, retrieving, docking, or anchoring the motorboat.
* It is unlawful to operate a motorboat at any speed when towing
a person on water skis or other devices using a tow rope of 20
feet or less.
* Wake surfing is excluded from the 20-foot tow rope requirement.
* Boats engaged in the activity of wake surfing are limited to
slow, no-wake speed when within 200 feet of the shoreline,
docks, launch ramps, swimmers or downed skiers, persons
wading in the water, anchored, moored or drifting boats, and
other marked areas.
* It is unlawful to operate a motorboat propelled by an outboard
motor, inboard/outboard motor, or water jet while a person is
wake surfing in or on the wake of the motorboat, unless the
propulsion system is specifically designed by the manufacturer
for that activity.
* Skiing is illegal between sunset and sunrise.
* In addition to the operator, a competent observer must be in
the boat in a position to observe the towed person.
All PWC (personal watercraft) operators, regardless of age,
must have a Boating Safety Education Certificate.
Persons 11 years of age or younger may NOT operate.
Persons 12 through 15 years of age may NOT operate with any
passengers on board 15 years of age or younger or rent a PWC.
* Conventional water-ski tow ropes may not exceed a length
of 80 feet.
Specially regulated waters
Additional regulations such as speed limit and slow, no-wake
areas affect boaters on specific waterways. Boaters should read all
regulations posted on the bulletin boards at access areas. Know the
waters you plan to boat before you go.
By understanding boating regulations and safety information,
you will be prepared while on the water. Visit FishandBoat.com.
FishandBoat.com
http://www.FishandBoat.com http://www.FishandBoat.com
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2022

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