03-14-2003, 05:39 AM
Hey there lonehunter,
TubeDude covered a lot of ground with his usual good info. California is the land of lawyers so it stands to reason that there are more regs to cover liability and and such than you can shake a stick at.
As we speak, I've got four different references to try to sort out just how a float tube is regulated and classified here in California. We have the Coast Guard, Department of Boating and Waterways, Department of Beaches and Harbors, Department of Motor Vehicles, California Coastal Commission, Sherrifs Department, and on and on and on have their own take and the thing!
Whether a craft is powered or not seems to be the number one consideration, number two would be the water contact issue (potable water as TubeDude indicated). The next few areas of catagorizing could be size (minimum or maximum length), safety equipment, areas to be used, materials something is made of, etc. when wanting to utilize a tube on a given body of water.
Right now, tubers are at the mercey of the powers that be and most try to operate on a ow key basis. Some beaches are completely open, some harbors are completely closed to tubes but open to skuls and kayaks, etc.
The best thing one can do is monitor the message boards and ask specific questions on a body of water you would like to float and fish to those that serve that area.
Here PWC, float tubes, kayaks, sailing craft and skuls are treated differently in various circumstances.
JapanRon
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