Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

[lamac]

Me and my family were cruising in the Basin in Louisiana this past weekend and a wildlife officer waved us down. My oldest daughter 25 years old was sunbathing on the rear bench seat. The young officer informed me that she could not ride there while the boat is underway due to the bench being higher than the handrails and she could fly overboard. The bench seat is over five feet in front of the rear handrails and there is a rear fishing chair behind that bench. Regardless most boats don't even have handrails and go alot faster and are more unstable to say the least. I believe in safety but this is getting just silly. Has anyone else run into this type of problem? Obviously the officer has never been on a pontoon boat. It was just fine for all the ski boats and bass boats with no handrails to jump waves while kids sit on flat decks going 40 to 50 miles an hour. Its getting harder and harder to enjoy the outdoors.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

That's a bit absurd. Hopefully, you only received a verbal warning. I got a $75.00 ticket a few weeks ago for a 15 year old not wearing a lifejacket. New law!!! Maybe he wanted to meet your daughter !!!

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

Check your local boating laws. When in doubt, ask the nice officer for the specific line of code so you can check it yourself. I always do.

 

[Jerryh3]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

I believe the law in MD is no arms or legs over the gunwale while underway. And, I believe we need pics of the offender to properly judge this crime.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

You can't ride on the engine cover of an inboard if it's above the gunwale either.

From the Louisiana regulations:

"RIDING ON DECKS AND GUNWALES:
No person operating a motor boat of twenty-six or less feet in length shall allow any person to ride or sit on either the starboard or port gunwales thereof or on the decking over the bow of the vessel while underway unless such motorboat is provided with adequate guards or railing to prevent passengers from being lost overboard.
This activity makes it easy to fall from a boat and leads to serious injuries and death in many cases."

If the place she was riding on was above the height of railing, the officer is correct.

 

[phipps]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

You can't ride there in Ohio. Makes sense to me, especially on the ones that sit right over the motor.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

Although she was five feet from the stern, she was really close to either side, yes??

 

[Micahhaase]

Re: Pontoon sunbathing rear bench seat question?

I acually got stopped last year by the local law, because one of our friends was sitting on that bench. He stated that while underway everyone had to be sitting in a proper seat not on top of it.

I said I had never heard of that law and he pulled out about a 5 pound book and showed me. They gave us a warning and was very nice about the whole thing. He also stated that there was so many rules about boating that they probably didn't even know them all.