Boating Laws in WA

[johnbenj]

Hello all,

Is it legal to allow a passenger to ride on the bow of a c-dory while underway such as when moving slowly in a marina or through a harbor area?

Thanks in advance,
John

[dotnmarty]

I can't cite the exact WA law, but a quick search brought this quote;

"Allowing a passenger to ride on the gunwale, bow, transom or in any other position obviously dangerous while underway may be considered negligent operation if the boat does not have adequate railings."

Subsequent discussion left the impression that the interpretation of "position obviously dangerous" and "adequate railings" is at the discretion of the law enforcement officers.

[thataway]

Not a good idea--a few years back a young boy was riding with his feet over the bow of a 40 foot commercial charter boat on the ICW--just before the boat was to dock, in a no wake zone. There was a minimal wake, and the boy lost his grip on the bow rail--fell under the boat, and was chopped up by the props.

Washington specifically:

[johnbenj]

Thank you for those responses dotnmarty and thataway. Question asked and answered.

[DuckDogTitus]

I'm glad you brought the discussion up though.. it always makes me cringe when I see people doing this. particularly at planing speed.