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

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

• Every person on board a PWC must wear a U.S. Coast Guard–approved Type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device (PFD) that is in good and serviceable condition.
• If the PWC is equipped with a lanyard-type ignition safety switch, the lanyard must be attached to the person, clothing, or PFD of the operator.
• A PWC may not be operated between sunset and sunrise.
• A PWC operator must always face forward.
• A PWC may not be operated faster than slow, no wake speed within:
  • 100 feet of any other vessel
  • 100 feet of a dock, pier, raft, or restricted area
  • 200 feet of shore on any lake
• There are minimum age and boater education requirements for operators of personal watercraft.
• A PWC must be operated in a responsible manner. Maneuvers that endanger people or property are prohibited, including:
  • Jumping a wake with a PWC within 100 feet of another vessel
  • Operating within 100 feet of a vessel that is towing a skier, tuber, or wakeboarder or the tow rope of the vessel
  • Weaving your PWC through congested waterway traffic
  • Steering toward another object or person in the water and swerving at the last possible moment in order to avoid collision
  • Chasing, harassing or disturbing wildlife with your PWC

Remember—As an owner of a PWC, you are legally responsible if you allow your PWC to be operated by others in violation of Wisconsin law.

Towing a Person Legally with a Vessel

Vessel operators towing a person(s) on water-skis, aquaplanes, surfboards, inner tubes or any similar devices must obey these laws:

• A person may not be towed from sunset to sunrise.
• When a vessel is pulling a person on water-skis, surfboards or similar devices, an operator must have a competent person on board to act as an observer.
• A PWC operator may not tow a person on water-skis or other devices unless the PWC is designed and recommended by the manufacturer to accommodate at least three people.
• Those towing skiers on water-skis, surfboards, or similar devices and those being towed must act in a safe and prudent manner.
  • Vessels towing persons may not come within 100 feet of other vessels, persons in the water, a swimming area, or a public boat landing.
  • It is illegal to operate the vessel or manipulate the towing rope, water-skis, or other devices such that the towed device or person collides with any other person or object.

If towing a skier with a PWC, the PWC must be rated for at least three people—the operator, the observer and the retrieved skier.