Owner`s manual

• Coast Guard-approved inflatable PFDs are authorized for use on recreational boats by persons at least 16
years of age.
• Some states require children to wear PFDs at all times. Check with your state boating safety officials for
details. Be certain to equip children with a PFD that is appropriate for the size of the child. e label will
indicate the weight limits for use.
Sound Producing Devices
e navigation rules require sound signals to be made under certain circumstances. Meeting, crossing
and overtaking situations, which will be described in some detail shortly, are examples of when sound signals
are required. Recreational vessels are also required to sound signals during periods of reduced visibility. Your
MasterCraft boat is equipped with a horn, but you may also purchase aftermarket devices in case of potential
electrical disconnect or failure.
Note: e requirement to carry a bell on board no longer applies to vessels operating on International Waters.
Visual Distress Signals
All vessels used on coastal waters, the Great Lakes, territorial seas and those waters connected
directly to them up to a point where a body of water is less than two miles wide, must be equipped with
U.S.C.G.-approved visual distress signals. Vessels owned in the United States but operating on the
high seas must be equipped with U.S.C.G.-approved visual distress signals.
Pyrotechnic visual distress signals must be Coast Guard-approved, in serviceable condition and
readily accessible. is means that:
• ey are marked with an expiration date. Expired signals may be carried as extra equipment, but cannot be
counted toward meeting the visual distress signal requirement, since they may be unreliable.
• If pyrotechnic devices are selected, a minimum of three are required. at is, three signals for day use and
three signals for night. Some pyrotechnic signals meet both day and night use requirements.
• Pyrotechnic devices should be stored in a cool, dry location, if possible. A watertight container painted
red or orange and prominently marked “Distress Signals” or “Flares” is recommended.
U.S.C.G.-approved pyrotechnic visual distress signals and associated devices include pyrotechnic red
flairs, hand-held or aerial; pyrotechnic orange smoke, hand-held or floating, or launchers for aerial red mete-
ors or parachute flares.
Non-pyrotechnic devices may be allowed. ese include an orange distress flag (day signal only) or an
electric distress light (which is acceptable for night use). Use of these devices must still meet Coast Guard
requirements, information for which is available online and from the Coast Guard.
Under Inland Navigation Rules, a high intensity white light flashing at regular intervals from 50-70
times per minute is considered a distress signal. Such devices do NOT count toward meeting the visual dis-
tress signal requirement, however. Regulations prohibit display of visual distress signals on the water under
any circumstances except when assistance is required to prevent immediate or potential danger to persons
on board a vessel.
All distress signals have distinct advantages. No single device is ideal under all conditions or suitable for
all purposes. Pyrotechnics are universally recognized as excellent distress signals. However, there is potential
for injury and property damage if not properly handled. ese devices produce a very hot flame and the resi-
due can cause burns and ignite flammable materials.
Pistol launched and hand-held parachute flares and meteors have many characteristics of a firearm and
must be handled with caution. In some states they are considered a firearm and prohibited from use.
Check with local authorities regarding the best visual distress signal for use in the area in which you will
be boating.
Registration, Numbering and Documentation
Although it might not be immediately obvious as to how this relates to boating safety, in fact
it can be critical in emergencies. All undocumented vessels equipped with propulsion machinery
must be registered in the state of principal use. A certificate of number will be issued upon reg-
istering the vehicle. ese numbers must be displayed on your vessel. e owner/operator of the
vessel must carry a valid certificate of number whenever the vessel is in use. When moving to a
new state of principal use, the certificate is valid for 60 days. Check with your state boating author-
ity for registration requirements.
Numbers must be painted or permanently attached to each side of the forward half of the
vessel. e validation stickers must be affixed within six inches of the registration number. With
the exception of the vessel fee decal, no other letters or numbers may be displayed nearby. Letter-
ing must be in plain, vertical block characters of not less than three (3) inches in height. Spaces or hyphens
between letter and number groupings must be equal to the width of a letter other than “i” or a number other
than “1.”
e owner of a vessel must notify the agency which issued the certificate of number within fifteen (15)
days if the vessel is transferred, destroyed, abandoned, lost, stolen or recovered, or if the certificate of number
2011 Owners Manual...Safety Knowledge...Page 1-5