Rhode Island § 46-22-9 - Regulation of Boats

§ 46-22-9. Prohibited operation.

(a) No person shall operate any motorboat or vessel, or manipulate any water skis, surfboard, or similar device in a reckless manner so as to endanger the life, limb, or property of another.

(b) No person shall operate any motorboat or vessel or manipulate any water skis, surfboard, or similar device while intoxicated or under the influence of any narcotic drug, barbiturate, or marijuana. A person arrested and charged with operating any motorboat or vessel, or manipulating any water skis, surfboard, or similar device, while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic or habit-forming drugs, shall have the right to be examined at his or her own expense immediately after his or her arrest, by a physician selected by him or her, and the officer so arresting or so charging that person shall immediately inform that person of this right and afford him or her a reasonable opportunity to exercise this right, and at the trial of that person the prosecution must prove that he or she was so informed and was afforded the opportunity.

(c) No person shall operate a motorboat or vessel within a water area, which has been clearly marked, in accordance with, and as authorized by, the laws of the state, by buoys or some other distinguishing device as a bathing, swimming, or otherwise restricted area; provided, that this section shall not apply in the case of an emergency, or to patrol or rescue craft. The department of environmental management, is hereby authorized to establish maximum speeds for boats in the public harbors in the state of Rhode Island at five (5) miles per hour, no wake. Any such speed limits duly established by the department of environmental management, pursuant hereto, shall have the full force and effect of law, and a violation thereof shall be a misdemeanor in accordance with the penalties enumerated in § 46-22-19(3).

(d) No person shall operate any motorboat, vessel, or seaplane in a manner which shall unreasonably or unnecessarily interfere with any other motorboat, vessel, or seaplane, or with the free and proper navigation of the waterways of the state. Anchoring under bridges or in heavily traveled channels shall constitute interference if unreasonable under the prevailing circumstances.

(e) No motorboat, vessel, or seaplane shall be docked or made fast to any pier, wharf, or other shore structure without the consent of the owner thereof, except in the case of an emergency.