All motorboats must carry fully charged and readily accessible, Type-B, portable fire extinguishers. Boat size determines the number of extinguishers required. All boats must have one wearable, Coast Guard-approved, readily accessible personal floatation device for each person on board. Additionally, boats 16 feet and greater must have a Coast Guard-approved Type IV throwable device such as a life ring or float cushion. Lights All boats operating after sunset and before sunrise must display lights visible to other boats.
All power boats require a white light visible from all directions.
Motorboats and powered sailboats built since 1981 require both stern and masthead lights. Smaller sailboats under sail alone and all unpowered craft require at least one lantern-style white light, visible in all directions. When closer than 150 feet a boat must slow to no wake or headway speed. Maximum headway speed is 6 miles per hour. Remember, you are responsible for any damage caused by your wake.