§ 73-a. Regulations of personal watercraft and specialty prop-craft.\n1. Personal watercraft and specialty prop-craft. a. No person shall\noperate a personal watercraft or a specialty prop-craft unless each\nperson riding on such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United\nStates Coast Guard approved personal flotation device.\n b. No person shall operate a personal watercraft or a specialty\nprop-craft unless such vessel is equipped and fitted with a United\nStates Coast Guard approved device for arresting carburetor backfire.\n c. No person shall operate a personal watercraft or a specialty\nprop-craft unless such vessel is equipped with:\n (i) at least two ventilators fitted with cowls or their equivalent for\nthe purpose of properly and efficiently ventilating the bilges of every\nengine and fuel tank compartment in order to remove any inflammable or\nexplosive gases provided, however, if the vessel is so constructed as to\nhave the greater portion of the bilges under the engine and fuel tanks\nopen and exposed to the natural atmosphere at all times such vessel need\nnot be required to be fitted with such ventilators; and\n (ii) an efficient sound producing mechanical appliance, except sirens,\ncapable of producing a blast of two seconds or more in duration and of\nsuch strength as to be heard plainly for a distance of at least one-half\nmile in still weather; and\n (iii) a fluorescent-orange distress flag which shall be a minimum of\none foot square or other appropriate United States Coast Guard approved\nvisual distress signal.\n d. Any person operating a personal watercraft or a specialty\nprop-craft equipped by the manufacturer with a lanyard type engine\ncut-off switch shall attach such lanyard to his or her person, clothing,\nor personal flotation device as is appropriate for the specific vessel.\n e. No person shall operate a personal watercraft or a specialty\nprop-craft at any time from sunset to sunrise.\n f. No person shall operate a personal watercraft or a specialty\nprop-craft within five hundred feet of any designated bathing area,\nexcept in bodies of water where the opposing shoreline is less than five\nhundred feet from such designated area and in accordance with speed\nregulations and restrictions as provided by local law or ordinance but\nin no event at a speed in excess of ten miles per hour, provided,\nhowever, that nothing contained in this subdivision shall be construed\nto prohibit the launching of such vessel from designated launching areas\nor sites.\n g. Every personal watercraft and specialty prop-craft shall at all\ntimes be operated in a reasonable and prudent manner. Maneuvers which\nunreasonably or unnecessarily endanger life, limb, or property,\nincluding, but not limited to, (i) weaving through congested vessel\ntraffic, or (ii) jumping the wake of another vessel unreasonably or\nunnecessarily close to such other vessel or when visibility around such\nother vessel is obstructed, or (iii) swerving at the last possible\nmoment to avoid collision shall constitute reckless operation of a\nvessel, as provided in section forty-five of this article.\n h. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any performer\nengaged in a professional exhibition or any person preparing to\nparticipate or participating in a regatta, race, marine parade,\ntournament, or exhibition authorized under section thirty-four of this\nchapter.\n i. The provisions of this section shall apply to the operation of a\npersonal watercraft and a specialty prop-craft on any waterway or body\nof water located within New York state and not privately owned and any\npart of any body of water adjacent to New York state over which the\nstate has territorial jurisdiction, including all tidewaters bordering\non and lying within the boundaries of Nassau and Suffolk counties.\n j. The provisions of section forty of this chapter shall not apply to\npersonal watercraft or specialty prop-craft.\n 2. Liveries. Notwithst
‹ Prev All New York sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.