My grandpa, a retired Captian in the Navy, is too old to take care of his 40 foot fiberglass hull boat anymore. So the resposibility has come down to my dad and i. The city of Long Beach has informed us that the boat has to be inspected by them, becuase they consider it a safety hazard as it sits in the dock.

Heres what we know so far to get the boat "certified" by them.
1. Have to be able to drive it over to their service dock
2. learned from a freind that we need to have up-to-date emergency flares onboard.

What other kinds of things to we have to do/know? Is a license generally needed to piliot a boat through a harbor? life vests? any required navigation equipment? radio equipment? etc.


Thanks in advance,

Patrick.

Umm...I don't know anything about Florida laws, but just some things to think about- here in Michigan, a boat does need to have life vests for everyone on board (don't know how that works if you're just getting it inspected) and these vests have to be of specific classes. Here also, anyone with a drivers license, or anyone who has been through boating safety can pilot a boat. I would make sure basic things like navagational lights and the horn work, because those are important and you have a fire extinguisher or two on board. Good luck with this.

A great place to look starts with the US Coast Guard. Like other Coast Guards, they publish detailed Safe Boating Guides and publications outlining regulations.

Try this;

http://www.uscgboating.org/regulatio...ef_Guide_6.pdf

Cheers,

Thanks for the quick replies guys, keep em coming

Sorry i didnt specify, its in Long Beach, CA. Right next to downtown Los Angeles

Oh hey yeah! Is there even a Long Beach in Fl?? I totally just made that up, I think

Theres a lot to know if your going for inspection. everything from radio chanels to navigation chanels, better start here http://www.thelog.com/special/sectionview.asp?*=208
This is for the Long Beach boaters guide

Most marine laws require at least 2 different types of floatation devices. Flotation seat cushions usually qualify for one. Vests for each person in the boat are the other. Depending on what the boat is used for (or possibly the length) radio and navigation may not be required.

Ocean-going do require flares, and ocean or freshwater require a horn. If the horn is broke, carry the handheld air siren in the boat.

Make sure you also have a fire extinguisher on board, rated correctly for Marine use.

They will also check all your navigation lights for function.