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Feature Story Dry-dock boat exams slated Inspection in February saves summer woes By MARK FREEMAN Jackson County boaters can get their boating-safety equipment checked this winter without cutting into their boating enjoyment later this year. Dry-dock inspections of safety equipment will be held on four days in February in White City. Exams will be conducted 1-7 p.m. Feb. 5 and Feb. 12, both Fridays. Two Saturday inspections will also be held, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. All four exams will be at the Jackson County Marine and Search and Rescue Headquarters, 620 Antelope Road, White City. For Josephine County residents, similar dry-dock exams will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Rogue River Boat Shop, 1815 SW Bridge St., Grants Pass. The inspections are a chance for fishing guides and other boaters to get their crafts' safety features verified with the boat on the trailer instead of during an impromptu inspection by police on a river or lake this summer. Boats should be brought to the inspections with all the required safety and registration materials, as if they were about to be launched for a day on the water, deputies say. Boat owners can then get their needed inspection sticker without risking a citation for not having the necessary personal flotation devices, whistles or other requirements, said Marine Deputy Wally Ramsay. "Dry-dock inspections make boaters more aware of the requirements of the law," Ramsay said. "It also prevents citations. Both are benefits to the boaters." Boats that fail inspection at the patrol office are simply told what items they need -- such as better life jackets or a new state registration -- and sent home. Those failing the same inspection on the water will be ticketed on the spot. Boats that pass dry-dock or field inspections get a green 1999 sticker showing they passed. Boats on rivers and lakes without those green stickers will be stopped when seen by marine deputies and inspected. New this year is a by-appointment program so boat owners can schedule dry-dock inspections before hitting the water. The special appointments will be scheduled as time allows, but only through March 31, Ramsay said. The inspections can be done at the marine headquarters or at the boat-owner's home. For more information and to set up appointments, telephone Ramsay or Marine Deputy Joe Puckett at 826-5548. Jackson County marine deputies issued 320 marine citations last year, a slight drop from 331 of last year, Ramsay said. The majority were equipment violations, including life-jacket violations, that could have been averted by passing a boat inspection and keeping all the necessary equipment in the boat year-round, he said. About a third of the citations involved personal watercraft like Jet Ski's. The citations included 23 citations for boating under the influence of intoxicants, a dip from 25 last year. More than half of those involved motorized boats on the county's lakes, rather than boats or rafts on the Rogue River. Ramsay said the dip in BUII arrests comes as marine deputies are becoming more efficient and skilled at weeding out drunken boaters. But overall, boaters seem to be wising up and laying off the booze. "We know a few still get through us," Ramsay said. "People drinking and operating boats know us, and they know they're going to be checked." Deputies in Jackson County also wrote 854 warnings, most for such violations as not having boat registration on board or not having an adequate sound-producing device on board. Warnings, however, are not given for safety violations, especially life-jacket violations. County officers conducted 2,600 boat exams last year, down from the 3,106 boat exams conducted in 1997. For all boats to be legal on Oregon waterways, the operator needs a life jacket for each person on board, and the boat must be equipped with one whistle or air horn. The jackets are not required to be worn -- but they must be in good condition and be accessible to boaters while on board, Ramsay says. The exception is for children under 13, who must wear a properly fitting life jacket while on most boats. The jackets must be Coast Guard-approved, in good condition and accessible. Boaters are encouraged to bring the jackets they intend to stock on their boat this year so those jackets can be inspected for usability. For the second year, Oregon laws allow Type II life jackets to meet the jacket requirements. Type IIs are smaller, lighter jackets meant for calm waters. They are designed to turn a person face-up in the water. Previously, the requirements allowed nothing smaller than a Type III jacket, which is a standard life jacket. Beyond the basic equipment, more specific rules apply to boats with motors. If a motor is used, the boat must have updated Marine Board boat registration on board and properly affixed numbers and tag on the side of the craft. For boats over 16 feet, the same requirements apply along with an extra requirement for a throwable flotation device. Oregon law does not require all motor boats, with most outboards less than 26 feet fitting that category, to carry fire extinguishers. However, a fully-charged fire extinguisher is recommended. The safety requirements are listed in the boaters' handbook supplied by the Oregon State Marine Board. Outdoor Journal main page Mail Tribune Copyright � interRogue & The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA