Safe boating acts

The safe boating acts refers to the various legal regulations in place to help ensure safer boating practices. Knowledge of the safe boating acts is required for your pleasure craft operator card test.

The Acts

1. Canada Shipping Act
2. Contravention Act
3. Boating Restriction Regulations
4. Charts and Nautical Publications Regulations
5. Collision Regulations
6. Small Vessel Regulations
7. Criminal Code of Canada

Canada Shipping Act

• every pleasure craft operator must render assistance in so far as they are able safely, to every person on the water who is in danger

Contravention Act

• allows for on-the-spot ticketing of boating offences (for example, fines for not having safety equipment)
• payment of fine means a guilty plea and removes the need to appear in court
  

Boating Restriction Regulations

• impose speed limits
• shoreline speed zones
• horsepower limits and other operating restrictions on specified waterways
  

Charts and Nautical Publications Regulations

• all operators must have on board the latest edition of the largest scale chart (vessel under 100 tons may be exempt)
  

Collision Regulations

• specify right-of-way
• require:
• every operator of a vessel to proceed at a safe speed
• maintaining a constant lookout
• using every available means to avoid a collision
• defines sailing vessel and power driven vessel
  

Small Vessel Regulations

Outlines:

• the minimum safety equipment required to be carried on a boat
• safety precautions to follow before and while boating
• construction standards for building a recreational boat

• all safety equipment is required to be well maintained

• defines requirements for licensing of pleasure craft and defines how the vessel licence number must be presented

• defines requirement for load capacity plate
  

Criminal Code of Canada

• the following are criminal offences
• operating a vessel dangerously (for example, unsafe speed)
• operating a vessel when impaired (note, you can loose your drivers licence and have your boat impounded)
• towing water skiers improperly
• failing to stop at the scene of an accident
• operating an unseaworthy vessel