Requirements to Tow a Person With a Vessel

Vessel operators towing a person(s) on water skis, aquaplane, or a similar device must obey these laws.

• All vessels towing a person(s) on water skis, an aquaplane, or a similar device must have a person on board, in addition to the vessel operator, observing the towed person(s) at all times.
• If towing a person behind a PWC, the PWC must be at least nine (9) feet in length and be rated for at least three people. The total number of people on the PWC and being towed is not more than the capacity of the watercraft.
• All persons being towed behind a PWC on water skis or any other device should wear a USCG–approved PFD. Ski belts are not USCG–approved.
• It is illegal to swim or float while holding onto any portion of the swim deck, swim platform, swim step, or any other portion of the exterior of the transom behind a motorboat that is underway at any speed.
• It is illegal to operate a vessel powered with an outboard motor or equipped with an outdrive while an individual is floating on a board on or in the wake directly behind a motorboat that is underway using the wake itself as the means of propulsion.