Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Requirements Specific to Personal Watercraft (PWCs)

In addition to adhering to all boating laws, PWC operators have requirements specific to their vessel.

• Each person riding on or being towed behind a PWC must wear a U.S. Coast Guard–approved Type I, II, or III personal flotation device.
• An operator of a PWC equipped with a lanyard-type ignition safety switch must attach the lanyard to his or her person, clothing, or PFD.
• It is illegal to operate a PWC between sunset and sunrise or during periods of restricted visibility (such as fog) unless the PWC comes equipped by the manufacturer with the required navigation lights.
• PWCs must be operated in a reasonable and prudent manner at all times. It is illegal to operate in a negligent manner; for example, it is illegal to:
  • Weave your PWC through congested traffic.
  • Jump the wake of another vessel at an unsafe distance from the other vessel.
  • Swerve at the last moment to avoid a collision in order to splash another vessel or person.
  • Operate in such a way as to require another vessel to swerve at the last possible moment to avoid a collision.
• A PWC should give way to any powerboat towing a skier by altering course and/or reducing speed to five miles per hour.
• It is illegal to chase, harass, or disturb wildlife with your PWC.

Remember ... As an owner of a PWC, you may be held liable if you consent to allow anyone else to operate your PWC in such a way that it violates the laws of Idaho.

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.)

Towing a Person with a Vessel Legally

In addition to adhering to laws as they apply to all vessels, operators towing a person(s) on water skis, an aquaplane, or a similar device must obey these laws.

• Each person being towed behind a vessel must wear a U.S. Coast Guard–approved personal flotation device.
• It is illegal to tow a water-skier between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise.
• Every vessel towing a person(s) on water skis or a similar device must have a competent person, in addition to the vessel operator, continuously observing the towed person(s).
• If the towing vessel is a PWC, the PWC must be rated by the manufacturer for at least three people—the driver, the observer, and the retrieved skier.
• It is illegal to exceed “no wake speed” (maximum of five miles per hour) while within 100 feet of a dock, a swimmer, or a person in the water, except when:
  • You are safely pulling a water-skier from a dock or …
  • You are safely dropping a water-skier at or near a dock or …
  • The swimmer or other person in the water is the vessel’s skier.
• Vessels towing a person(s) on water skis or similar device must carry on board a red or orange skier-down flag. The observer must display the flag whenever the skier is in the water.
• Vessel operators are responsible for the actions of any person they are towing.

Since an observer must be on board while towing a skier with a personal watercraft, the PWC must be rated for at least three people—the operator, the observer, and the skier.