Alan,

have you ever asked someone to blow in your face to detect alcohol on their breath?

Howard19 says they asked him to do this at a safety check near the needles bridge 

personally, i think it was a volunteer/rookie and the guys on the force were messing with him and he was gullible enough to actually asked him to do it. 

I've never asked anyone to do it. If you ask me, it's a lazy (and inefficient) way to check to see if someone's drunk. The best way to investigate an OUI is to do it BY THE BOOK, and how we are trained. It's the most fair for the boater who may be drinking and NOT impaired and the best way to have your arrest, evidence and observations hold up in court.

It's 115 degrees out, for Christ's sake. Anyone who'd been drinking would have smelled like booze from the sweat alone. I stopped a guy once (only one in the boat) and smelled the booze from 10 feet away.

And with H1N1 and all other sort of nasty chit around, the fewer people breathing on me, the better. (I'm not OCD or germophobe or anything, but that's just NASTY!)

i was talking to this younger guy on a job site the other day that told me that if you floated back down river because you knew that you or anyone else that was in your boat was probally over the limit(after hangin at the sandbar or something) is ok and legal as long as the boat was in not starting order. ( no keys in the ignition/batterys turned off) i told him i never heard of that before. then he said that he had done it before...WTF

i was talking to this younger guy on a job site the other day that told me that if you floated back down river because you knew that you or anyone else that was in your boat was probally over the limit(after hangin at the sandbar or something) is ok and legal as long as the boat was in not starting order. ( no keys in the ignition/batterys turned off) i told him i never heard of that before. then he said that he had done it before...WTF

Alan, Can you speak on this? I am interested as I have heard something similar.

Anyhow....Here are the boater exams for various states:

http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/

This is false. The law states that it is illegal for a person to operate or be in actual physical contrrol of a vessel UNDERWAY, if they are impaired to the slightest degree.

As stated above, UNDERWAY means not moored, anchored or aground. So even if drifting with the engine off and the keys out of the ignition, the OUI and other operation laws still apply. If no one is in the driver's seat, the law recognizes that the master (or owner) is responsible for the vessel, if on board. (remember Joe Hazelwood and the Exxon Valdez) In the absence of a registered owner, someone on the vessel MUST be in charge. If no one claims to be in charge, the vessel is presumed to be being operated by unauthorized person(s), possibly stolen and/or abandoned by its owner. In that case the boat will be towed, impounded and stored and the persons on board will be detained until we can determine the boat's status.

Thats good info Alan, thanks for clarifying. 

One could argue that a person would not be operating or in actual phisical control of the vessel while UNDERWAY>...

I think you missed the point, doesnt matter if youre 'in control' or 'operating it' or not ...when its underway (not moored, anchored or aground), someone is held responsible.

I cant figure out a way to get a spark arrester in my scoop. Its been on the boat since it was a year old and i dont want to change it.

Thanks for ALL the info.  Was it as good for yall as it was for me....LOL!  Are they really that stricked on exhaust noise?

Great thread...   Do yourself a big favor and get a free inspection, take a free boating class, and leave the alcohol on shore...

89 at 50 ft ronnie

More than 150,000 expected to enjoy Lake Mead this weekend
 Jessica Ebelhar/Las Vegas Review-Journal

 
Brian Ogden hurriedly lowered his 21-foot bass boat into Lake Mead on Thursday morning -- anxious to catch some fish before the wind picked up.

His white vessel bobbed atop the waves of the desolate lake, a scene he was grateful to find before the crowds set in this weekend.

"I'm not into all the boat traffic," said Ogden, who will avoid the lake at all costs this Memorial Day. "I avoid all that nonsense."

Ogden said he tried out the holiday weekend party scene at Lake Mead National Recreation Area when he had a bigger boat three years ago, but he wouldn't go on Memorial Day weekend again.

"I don't participate in all that drunken partying," he said. "I'm not a big crowd person."

And a crowd is definitely what's expected this holiday.

The National Park Service estimates between 150,000 and 180,000 visitors at Lake Mead throughout the three-day weekend, which is on par with how many visitors the lake had last year.

"We are gearing up for our biggest weekend of the summer," said park service spokesman Andrew Munoz.

Memorial Day weekend also typically brings thousands of visitors to other recreation areas in town, including Mount Charleston and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It is recommended that visitors arrive early, and with patience, to any of the three outdoor locations.

While chances of securing a camping spot at Mount Charleston are little to none, Red Rock is expected to have sites available before it closes for the season Tuesday.

Despite the wind, the weekend should offer nice weather with temperatures in the low to mid 80s both at the lake and around town, according to Maria Torres, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Gusts of up to 35 mph are expected Saturday and Sunday, and up to 40 mph on Monday.

LAKE MEAD

The park service suggests lake-goers make this weekend a time to ensure their boats are ready for the summer season. Lifejackets for every person on board a vessel, a working horn, fire extinguisher and flares are all required equipment on each boat. Children younger than 12 must be wearing a life jacket at all times while on a boat. Although jackets are not required for swimmers, Munoz said they are strongly suggested.

The majority of the lake's drowning victims are swimmers, he said.

Even adults are susceptible to drowning in a matter of seconds when factors such as alcohol and heat accelerate dehydration, making a person tire quickly. Nine people drowned in the lake last year, Munoz said.

Munoz suggests designating at least one adult to keep constant watch on swimmers in the water to avoid any drownings.

The lake's level is expected to rise this season, leaving vegetation close under the surface, which can be hazardous to boaters, he said.

thanks Boat registration is something we dont have to carry in Canada I would not have had it