Improper Speed or Distance

Pennsylvania law states that it is unlawful to operate a vessel in a reckless, negligent, or dangerous manner. The following dangerous operating practices are illegal.

Improper Speed or Distance is not maintaining a proper speed or distance while operating a vessel or while towing a person on water skis or any similar device. Specifically, it is illegal to:

• Operate at a rate of speed that endangers the life or property of any person.
• Operate a vessel at greater than “slow, no wake speed” if within 100 feet of:
  • A shoreline
  • Docks or launch ramps
  • Swimmers, downed skiers, or persons wading in the water
  • Anchored, moored, or drifting boats or floats
• Operate a boat less than 20 feet in length at greater than “slow, no wake speed” while a person is standing on or in the boat.
• Cause a vessel to become airborne (leave the water completely) while crossing another vessel’s wake when within 100 feet of the vessel creating the wake.
• Operate at faster than “slow, no wake speed” within 100 feet to the rear of or 50 feet to the side of another vessel that is underway (unless in a narrow channel).
• Operate within 100 feet of anyone being towed behind another vessel.
• Operate a motorboat at greater than “slow, no wake speed” with a person riding outside the passenger carrying area or while a person is riding on the bow decking, gunwales, transom, or motor cover.
• Operate a motorboat at any speed with a person or persons sitting, riding, or hanging on a swim platform or swim ladder attached to the motorboat, except when launching, retrieving, docking, or anchoring the motorboat.
• Operate a pontoon boat while a person is riding outside the passenger carrying area.
• Weave your vessel through congested waterway traffic.

Improper Use of Docking Lights is using docking lights while underway. It is illegal to operate a boat using docking lights while underway, except when the boat is:

• Docking and…
• Traveling at “slow, no wake speed” and…
• Operating within 100 feet while approaching a dock, mooring buoy, or shoreline.