Termination of use for especially hazardous conditions

Operating the boat & enforcement · Power & sail

If a boarding officer sees a recreational boat in an unsafe condition that creates an especially hazardous situation, the officer can order the operator to fix it at once, go to a mooring, dock or anchorage, or stop using the boat until it is corrected (46 U.S.C. 4308; 33 CFR 177.05).

Commonly missed

Test your navigation lights before dusk. Lights not displayed as required between sunset and sunrise are a listed termination condition.
Local rules can add conditions. Coast Guard District 13 (Pacific Northwest) also lists operating in a regulated navigation area during preset adverse conditions.
This part applies to recreational boats and uninspected passenger vessels on U.S. waters, and to U.S.-owned boats on the high seas (33 CFR 177.01).

Conditions that can end your trip

Not enough lifesaving devices such as life jackets, or not enough fire-fighting equipment (46 U.S.C. 4308).
An overloaded boat (46 U.S.C. 4308).
Navigation lights not shown as the Navigation Rules require between sunset and sunrise (33 CFR 177.07(a)).
An operator apparently under the influence of alcohol or a dangerous drug, where the officer judges that continuing would be unsafe (33 CFR 177.07(b)).
Fuel leaking from the fuel system or engine, or fuel collected in the bilges (33 CFR 177.07(c)).
Tank and engine-space ventilation, or backfire flame control, that does not meet the applicable rules (33 CFR 177.07(d), (e)).
A District Commander's order declaring the boat manifestly unsafe for a specific voyage on a specific body of water (33 CFR 177.07(f)).

What the operator must do

Follow the boarding officer's directions. They can include correcting the hazard immediately, going to a mooring, dock or anchorage, or suspending use of the boat until the hazard is corrected (33 CFR 177.05).
The law lets the officer send you back to a mooring and keep you there until the hazard is corrected or ended (46 U.S.C. 4308).
Refusing exposes you to civil and criminal penalties on top of any penalty for the underlying violation (33 CFR 177.08).

Manifestly unsafe voyage orders

A Coast Guard District Commander can issue an order naming a specific boat unsafe for a specific voyage on a specific body of water, because of unsuitable design, poor construction or material condition, or inadequate operating or safety equipment (33 CFR 177.04, 177.07(f)).
The order must tell you that you may petition the District Commander to reconsider and repeal it, and where to send the petition (33 CFR 177.04(b)).

The rules: 46 U.S.C. 4308 · 33 CFR 177.01 · 33 CFR 177.04 · 33 CFR 177.05 · 33 CFR 177.07 · 33 CFR 177.08 · 46 CFR 25.35-1

Sources (5)

law.cornell.edu · ecfr.gov · navcen.uscg.gov · dnr.maryland.gov · ecfr.gov

A plain-language summary of federal rules for recreational boats, checked against the rules’ own text and a second source, and written in our own words. It isn’t legal advice. States add rules of their own, and rules change — the links above go to the current official text.