Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
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| Required Equipment | Class A |
Class 1 (16 ft. to less than 26 ft.) |
Class 2 (26 ft. to less than 40 ft.) |
Class 3 (40 ft. to less than 65 ft.) |
| Personal Flotation Devices (PFDS)
Must say USCG–approved. Must be in serviceable condition. Must be stowed properly |
One approved Type I, II, or III PFD for each person on board or being towed on water skis, etc. | One approved Type I, II, or III PFD for each person on board or being towed on water skis, etc.; and in addition, one throwable Type IV device. | ||
| Note: A Type V hybrid PFD may be substituted for a Type I, II, or III device, but it must be actually worn whenever the vessel is underway to be U.S. Coast Guard–approved. Children: Each child under 13 years of age must wear a USCG–approved PFD while on board any vessel that has entered the water unless the child is below deck or in an enclosed cabin. Personal Watercraft: Every person operating, riding on, or being towed behind a PWC must wear an approved Type I, II, III, or V PFD. Sailboard: The operator may elect to wear a neoprene wetsuit or similar device that covers the full torso of the body and is capable of providing flotation in lieu of any type of PFD. Skiing: While being towed or surfing on water skis, aquaplane, innertube or similar device, skier shall be required to wear a properly fitting flotation device. River Rafting: To operate a raft for river running, a Type I, II, III, or V Whitewater PFD must be on board for each person. |
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| Fire Extinguisher
Must say USCG-approved. Must be in usable condition. |
At least one B-I type approved hand-portable fire extinguisher. (Not required on outboard boats less than 26 feet in length and not carrying passengers for hire if the construction of such motorboats will not permit the entrapment of explosives or flammable gases or vapors and if fuel tanks are not permanently installed.) | At least two B-I type approved portable fire extinguishers; or at least one B-II type approved portable fire extinguisher. | At least three B-I type approved portable fire extinguishers; or at least one B-I type plus one B-II type approved portable fire extinguishers. | |
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Required on the high sea and coastal waters only; they are not required in Colorado. |
Daytime signals are not required. When operating from sunset to sunrise, must carry approved night distress signals. | Must carry visual distress signals approved for both daytime and nighttime use. | ||
| Note: Coastal waters means the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and all bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc., where any entrance is over two miles wide to the first point where the distance between shorelines narrows to two miles. | ||||
| Must make efficient sound signals during periods of reduced visibility, to avoid collisions, or to signal intentions. | Must carry on board a whistle or horn, and a bell. | |||
| Backfire Flame Arrestor | Gasoline engines installed in a vessel after April 25, 1940, except outboard motors, must be equipped with an acceptable means of backfire flame control. The device must be attached to the air intake with a flame-tight connection and is required to be U.S. Coast Guard–approved or comply with SAE J-1928 or UL 1111 standards and marked accordingly. | |||
| Ventilation
System Boats built before August 1, 1980. |
At least two ventilation ducts fitted with cowls or their equivalent for the purposes of properly and efficiently ventilating the bilges of every closed engine and fuel-tank compartment of boats constructed or decked over after April 25, 1940, using gasoline as fuel or other fuels having a flash point of 110 degrees or less. | |||
| Ventilation
System Boats built on August 1, 1980, or later. |
At least two ventilation ducts for the purpose of efficiently ventilating every closed compartment that contains a gasoline engine and every closed compartment containing a gasoline tank, except those having permanently installed tanks which vent outside the boat and which contain no unprotected electrical devices. Also, engine compartments containing a gasoline engine having a cranking motor must contain power-operated exhaust blowers which can be controlled from the instrument panel. | |||
| Navigation Lights | All vessels are required to display navigation lights when away from the dock between sunset and sunrise and during periods of restricted visibility such as fog or heavy rain. The lights that are required differ depending on length of vessel and type of propulsion. See “Navigation Lights” for details. | |||
| Mufflers and Noise Level Limits | All vessels propelled by gas, gasoline, or naphtha must be manufactured with an underwater exhaust or other device capable of adequately muffling the sounds of the engine exhaust. Vessel noise may not exceed 86 decibels on the “A” weighted scale when measured from a distance of 50 feet or more from the vessel. | |||
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| Colorado State Parks |
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