Got "pulled over" by the local lake police

[Beas]

I'm still very new to the boating world. Got the boat last year. I'm super safe and conservative when it comes to anything safety and I feel like I know al the rules. But Maybe I don't.

So yesterday, My wife and I were surfing. Had our 7 and 10 year old on the boat with us. I was surfing and my wife was driving. All of the sudden the blue lights come up probably 15-20 yards beside me on the rope. I wave to my wife and I drop the rope.

I swim back to the boat....we get a lecture. It was all very civil. They said that we had to have a spotter (at least 10 years old) at all times. my 10 year old had actually laid down to take a nap. I didn't think anything of it. My wife and I have been out dozens of times where its just us 2. We toss the rope to the side and when the surfer falls we put it in neutral, pull in the rope and pick up the surfer. We have the standard (huge) rearview mirror. I had always been told by friends and other surfers that is okay and you don't have to have a spotter. He lectured me and the 10 year old about how she couldn't rest her eyes.

I never get argumentative with authority, but was I in the wrong? do you always have to have a 3rd person on the boat? I see it literally every time I go out, 1 driver and one surfer all the time. I did not as the police for a clarification because I felt like the less I said the less likely we'd get a ticket...and we did not get one. Just a lecture.

Best I can find in Mississippi is that the 3rd person/spotter rule only applies to towing on a PWC which makes sense.

[trayson]

Laws are state by state. Some states you only have to have a mirror. Other states require a spotter. Some states will have an age requirement for the spotter.

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[trayson]

Sometimes this is helpful
https://www.uscgboating.org/regulations/state-boating-laws-details.php?id=18&title=

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[SONIC]

Oddly formatted on their site making it look like it's for PWC's only but I believe it applies to PWC's and towing;

"Every vessel towing a person(s) on water skis, a surfboard or a similar device must have a person older than 10 years of age, in addition to the operator, observing the towed person(s) at all times."

[sandm]

tray is right. every state is different.
out west you have to have a spotter and even ages vary from state to state. wisconsin was no WITH a mirror.

best advice is to call the local DNR and ask for clarification and then get it in print to keep if it happens again but also know that some waterways, like lake winnebago in wisconsin, fall under dnr but the bay of green bay which is loosely connected to 'bago thru the fox river falls under coast guard since it's part of the great lakes chain. that means you have to carry more safety gear such as flares when under CG rules.

I would suspect something similar in mississippi IF the waterway is CG not DNR ran.

[haknslash]

As mentioned it depends on the state. Here in Alabama our law is:

Operating a vessel towing a person or persons on water skis, or an aquaplane or similar device unless there is in the vessel a person, in addition to the operator who is at least 12 years of age and is observing and is capable of communicating to the operator the progress of the person being towed or unless the vessel is equipped with a wide-angle mirror with a viewing surface of at least 500 sq. centimeters (78 square inches) and a field of vision of at least a 170 degrees.

[Beas]

Looks like Mississippi does require a spotter and the mirror doesnt count.

State Boat Laws (https://www.uscgboating.org/regulations/state-boating-laws-details.php?id=17&title=)

I guess my next question is whats the fine??? Ha. We don't get to do it often, but I love just going out with my wife.

[j.mo]

Boating laws in the south and mid west have always intrigued me. I’ve never lived/boated in a state where you didn’t have to have a flagger and the driver could operate as one with the mirror. Foreign to me lol.
California and Nevada, if you are below age 45 you have to have a boater card. Essentially a boating drivers license after completing a boaters drivers Ed.
Your flagger also has to be 13 or 16, I believe.
Every person under 13 also has to have a life jacket on at all times. Whether the boat is in motion, or not.

I notice other states have pretty laxed boating law.


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[Beas]

Boating laws in the south and mid west have always intrigued me. I’ve never lived/boated in a state where you didn’t have to have a flagger and the driver could operate as one with the mirror. Foreign to me lol.
California and Nevada, if you are below age 45 you have to have a boater card. Essentially a boating drivers license after completing a boaters drivers Ed.
Your flagger also has to be 13 or 16, I believe.
Every person under 13 also has to have a life jacket on at all times. Whether the boat is in motion, or not.

I notice other states have pretty laxed boating law.


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Yeah, it def varies. You have to have the boaters certification course here if you were born after June 1, 1980. Just a very random date.

kids 12 and under always have to have on a life jacket.

and apparently, you need a 10 year old spotter, and spotter must not fall asleep. :rolleyes:

[larry_arizona]

Sounds like you got off with a warning which is a bonus, now you know the law, the good news is your 10yo qualifies.

If that was my kid, no naps until we get home, lol


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[sandm]

I guess my next question is whats the fine??? Ha. We don't get to do it often, but I love just going out with my wife.

I got popped here in nevada a few years ago for riders on the back deck. was a bunch of guys that "rented" my boat/me for the day for a bachelor party. was a $300 fine and it's a misdemeanor. that said since it's on the water it's not chargeable against your auto insurance so even though it sounds bad, pay the fine, move on and no difference in any coverages. as the driver and boat owner, I got the ticket, not the guys on the deck. they paid tho.
unless you get a dui/bui, nothing on the water will hit your auto insurance so it's really nothing more than a "boating tax".

it is interesting from state to state as I've been boarded in idaho, wisconsin and nevada.
idaho=education and teaching from the ada county sheriff but no ticket. lots of respect and polite convo.
wisconsin=boat search, lecture and lots of talking down to by coast guard but no ticket.
nevada=boat search, liquor/drink/cooler check, lecture and overall felt like a kid being lectured by a parent by the US Park Ranger as it was on Mead. ticket and strong accusation that I was drinking and hiding it even after showing my diet dr pepper can in the moomba coozie. didn't have any beer along this outing for me as I was the host.

[Beas]

I got popped here in nevada a few years ago for riders on the back deck. was a bunch of guys that "rented" my boat/me for the day for a bachelor party. was a $300 fine and it's a misdemeanor. that said since it's on the water it's not chargeable against your auto insurance so even though it sounds bad, pay the fine, move on and no difference in any coverages. as the driver and boat owner, I got the ticket, not the guys on the deck. they paid tho.
unless you get a dui/bui, nothing on the water will hit your auto insurance so it's really nothing more than a "boating tax".

it is interesting from state to state as I've been boarded in idaho, wisconsin and nevada.
idaho=education and teaching from the ada county sheriff but no ticket. lots of respect and polite convo.
wisconsin=boat search, lecture and lots of talking down to by coast guard but no ticket.
nevada=boat search, liquor/drink/cooler check, lecture and overall felt like a kid being lectured by a parent by the US Park Ranger as it was on Mead. ticket and strong accusation that I was drinking and hiding it even after showing my diet dr pepper can in the moomba coozie. didn't have any beer along this outing for me as I was the host.

Yeah, I think the fact that I had 2 little girls on the boat, not a drop of alcohol on the boat and didn't argue they let us go.

Not to be a rebel or anything, but its pretty easy to spot the water cops. its not a huge lake and there are really no hiding spots. I definitely still plan to go out just me and the wife, or me and a friend. But if I see them, we'll just anchor down and chill for a bit.

[sandm]

Y
Not to be a rebel or anything, but its pretty easy to spot the water cops. its not a huge lake and there are really no hiding spots. I definitely still plan to go out just me and the wife, or me and a friend. But if I see them, we'll just anchor down and chill for a bit.

good luck but keep in mind I have watched them roll up next to a dock to "hide" and use high power binoculars to search out their next target-they do that here regularly and what got us popped for the guy on the back. roll past them with 2 in the boat and boards in the racks is the first flag. if they think you are out there and have nothing better to do, they will find ya so keep the boards low in the boat when you put in :)

[larry_arizona]

I know a local water cop and they absolutely use binoculars in a vehicle on shore and radio the on water cops.

Water cops here typically are weekends only.

Haven’t seen one all year.


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[Zog]

Ours like to get people coming in and out of the marina area for a safety inspection. You must have everything on their checklist on the boat (jackets, paddle, bail bucket, insurance, registration, etc.). However, if you pass, they give you a green "get out of jail free" card that is good for a year of no more inspections. They will not let you pull your boat from the water without going through the inspection process. My neighbor got a ticket for not having his registration with him on the boat and another for not having his trailer registration as they were sorting through the original issue. My brother in law was able to successfully argue out of a ticket for not having an emergency paddle by knowing that the law says boats <21' and his is 21' so his is not under 21'. When I have been inspected they have been decent since we have plenty of jackets, the little ones are wearing theirs, we are cooperative, and we have quick access to safety equipment. We got a warning on our insurance since the card was a week out of date and I hadn't put the new card in.

[trayson]

Ours like to get people coming in and out of the marina area for a safety inspection. You must have everything on their checklist on the boat (jackets, paddle, bail bucket, insurance, registration, etc.). However, if you pass, they give you a green "get out of jail free" card that is good for a year of no more inspections. They will not let you pull your boat from the water without going through the inspection process. My neighbor got a ticket for not having his registration with him on the boat and another for not having his trailer registration as they were sorting through the original issue. My brother in law was able to successfully argue out of a ticket for not having an emergency paddle by knowing that the law says boats <21' and his is 21' so his is not under 21'. When I have been inspected they have been decent since we have plenty of jackets, the little ones are wearing theirs, we are cooperative, and we have quick access to safety equipment. We got a warning on our insurance since the card was a week out of date and I hadn't put the new card in.They don't check insurance in OR or WA. But OR and ID have an invasive species permit (fee).

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[2in2out]

I’ve only had one encounter in Lassen County, CA at Antelope Lake. It was our 4th outing in 7 days after buying our new Sanger 215. We didn’t have numbers or tags on the boat yet, and we’re running with a temp registration card. The SO that pulled up to us as we were floating a cove checked our reg and safety equipment. He didn’t believe our homunculus of a daughter was over 16 and told us she needed to wear a PFD, but I had a digital copy of her birth certificate on my phone by chance. After that, he left us alone.

My friend had a Sierra Co. SO run into their boat when the SO came to harass them for swimming without their OB flag up. Ruined their summer, damaged their boat bad, and the sheriff put the water patrol on hiatus for review for the rest of the summer.


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