BOATING IN HAWAII
(Links to General Information)
Pleasure boating as a family sport is growing in popularity every year. The U.S. Coast Guard estimated the total number of recreational boats in 1962 at 5.85 million. This number has grown to a current estimate of more than 20 million pleasure boats. Each year, an estimated 75 million people go boating. Today recreational boats are used for a wide variety of activities, including fishing, water skiing, hunting, sailing, paddling, or just plain cruising.
Unfortunately,
many pleasure boaters will have problems. U.S. Coast Guard national
statistics show that there are approximately 7,000 boating accidents
reported each year, involving about 9,000 boats, which result in
nearly 1,000 fatalities and about $25 million in property damage. Can
these accidents be prevented? The answer is an emphatic YES.
Education is a key element in your safety on the water. The more you
know about boating, the more you will enjoy it.
Boat Basics (General information about boats)
Per Act 54: effective January 1, 2004, all vessels more than 1 mile offshore must have a EPIRB or VHF radio on board, for details visit:
www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dbor/bor_SB42.htm
As of January 1, 2007, older Emergency Positioning Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) operating on the 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz frequencies were prohibited from use by the U.S. Coast Guard. Commercial boats operating more than three miles off shore are required to carry 406 MHz digital EPIRBs. In Hawaii, recreational vessels operating more than one mile offshore, unless otherwise equipped with a VHF radio, are required to carry a USCG approved EPIRB as well.
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