Louisiana proposes changes to boating safety rules

(The Center Square) – If you spend time on Louisiana's waterways, a proposed set of boating rule changes could affect what you keep on your boat and what you have to wear while you're underway. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission is proposing updates to the state's boating regulations to bring them in line with federal navigation laws and U.S. Coast Guard rules. Under the proposed rules, anyone operating a motorboat less than 26 feet long that has or is designed to have an engine cut-off switch would have to have the switch's link attached to the operator, the operator's clothing or, if worn, the operator's personal flotation device when operating on plane or above displacement speed. The switch is designed to shut off the engine if the operator is thrown from the controls. Louisiana already requires engine cut-off switches on certain smaller boats, including hand-tiller outboard motors of 10 horsepower or more. The proposed language would broaden the provision to cover motorboats under 26 feet that have or are designed to have a cut-off switch. Children 16 or younger aboard a Class A or Class 1 motorboat must wear a Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket while the boat is underway. The proposed rules continue that requirement. There is an exception for people 13 and older who are engaged in commercial fishing operations on commercial fishing vessels. For the average family heading out for a day on the water, the rule is pretty simple: kids 16 and younger need to have their life jackets on while the boat is underway. Anyone participating in watersports would have to wear a wearable Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device. That includes tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding and wake surfing. Boat operators also could not tow someone who isn't wearing the required flotation device. There are limited exceptions for certain permitted marine events and specialized activities, including barefoot and trick water-skiing. For boats 16 feet or longer, you'll generally need a throwable flotation device on board in addition to the wearable life jackets required for people aboard. Canoes and kayaks that are 16 feet or longer would be exempt from the additional throwable-device requirement. The proposed rules could help some owners of older or unusual boats deal with missing or incorrect hull identification numbers. Louisiana would establish a process for assigning state HINs to certain recreational vessels more than 10 years old that are missing a HIN or have an improper one. The rules also address certain homemade boats, airboats and mudboats designed for shallow-water or marsh use, as well as certain foreign vessels personally imported by their owners. The state-issued identification number would have to be permanently affixed to the boat. Eligible manufacturers could receive state-issued hull identification numbers in blocks of 10 for those that build their boats. The department would charge $25 for each HIN and require manufacturers to keep records of the boats receiving the numbers. Manufacturers also would have to provide buyers with a manufacturer's statement of origin. The proposal would also update Louisiana's fire-extinguisher requirements based on the size and construction of a motorboat. Larger boats would generally require more fire-extinguishing capacity, while certain open outboard boats under 26 feet that cannot trap explosive or flammable gases or vapors would remain exempt. The proposed rules aren't final. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission is accepting written public comments through Oct. 27. And while the proposal contains several changes, not all of them create new requirements for boat owners. Some update or reorganize rules that are already in place.