Illegal Operation in Small Boat Harbors

Vessels entering a small boat harbor in Hawaii must obey additional laws in accordance with the directions of the small boat harbor authorities. The following activities are illegal.

• Improper Speed is not maintaining a proper speed within the harbor. A vessel must be operated slow enough that its wake does not disturb any other vessel or property.
• Interference With Navigation is operating a vessel in a way that interferes unreasonably with other vessels or with free and proper navigation of the waterways. No log, boom, float, pier, dock, fence, pile, anchorage, or other obstruction shall be installed or placed in a small boat harbor without a permit from the Hawaii DLNR.
• Improper Operation in a Vessel Loading Zone is using a vessel loading zone for other than its intended purpose. Specifically, a vessel operator may not:
  • Stop or moor a vessel in a marked vessel loading zone during the posted hours for any purpose other than the expeditious loading, unloading, or fueling of the vessel.
  • Leave a vessel unattended in a vessel loading zone.
• Mooring Without a Permit is mooring a vessel in a small boat harbor when the vessel does not meet the minimum requirements to moor in the harbor. Any vessel mooring in a small boat harbor must be inspected by either an approved marine surveyor or a DOBOR Harbor Agent in order to obtain a mooring permit. In addition:
  • No houseboat moored in Ke’ehi Lagoon may be modified or altered in a way that changes the length, beam, or size of the silhouette area from that which existed when the initial mooring permit was issued.
  • No vessel of any size is allowed to moor on the makai side of the dock in the Lahaina small boat harbor from sunset to sunrise. From sunrise to sunset, vessels may not moor for more than 15 minutes.