New Hampshire Boating Laws and Regulations
Age and Operator Restriction: New Hampshire law requires all personal watercraft (PWC) or boat operators who are 16 years old and operating a motor boat over 25 hp to pass a boater safety course and to carry a boater education card.
Enforcement: New Hampshire law enforcement officers patrol the waterways to make your boating experience safe and pleasant. Cooperate with them by following the laws and guidelines.
Carry the Card: Vessel operators who are required to have a Boater Education Card must carry the card on board the vessel and have it available for inspection by an enforcement officer.
Penalty: Not carrying your Boater Education Card when one is required can result in a fine.
Get Certified Online at Boat-ed.com
The lake is small; it has rocks and shallows; the area 150 feet from shore is not large; it has a dangerous “bottleneck” that allows only one fast boat to pass through at a time, and only then if there is no kayak, canoe, swimmer, or other motorboat. Above 6 mph, by law no boat shall come closer than 150 feet to any person, place, or thing (docks, floats, etc.). A water-skier is considered “part of the boat” and should also abide by the 150-foot law. Taking off from the dock with a skier is allowed, but state law prohibits drop-offs at high speed.
Our relatively small lake has a long-standing rule of COUNTER-CLOCKWISE travel by boats. Observing that rule greatly reduces the potential for head-on collisions. It is vitally important to comply with the COUNTER-CLOCKWISE flow of boat traffic and to make visitors and especially renters aware of the rule.
Take a Boating Safety Course
Contact the NH Marine Patrol Bureau at (888) 254-2125 or (603) 267-7256.
New Hampshire Marine Patrol is agrees that we need to “double the distance!” The safe passage law remains the same, restricting boaters to headway speed within 150 feet of any other boat, shore, docks, or mooring fields. Staying 300 feet from the shore and maintaining headway speed will help reduce your impact on the shoreline.
Polution and sediment are added to the lake at an alarming rate. In rain events the ground only has the capacity to absorb so much. Because of the high water level, with the added height and additional wave power, waves are crashing onto the shoreline and affecting areas that normally would not be impacted. Storm runoff contains bacteria, pollutants, and excess nutrients that are washed into the lake. Reducing your wake and doubling your distance will help reduce your impact on Partridge Lake.
