A New Look at Small Craft

Concerned by high rates of safety violations aboard charter boats in other parts of the nation, the U.S. Coast Guard has launched a voluntary program to inspect hundreds of small commercial craft in Southern California.

The effort is directed at sportfishing vessels, powerboats and sailboats that carry no more than six paying passengers--craft that must comply with a variety of federal safety regulations but are not required to be inspected.

“This is an industry that has never really been regulated in the past,” said Lt. Cmdr. Dan Kane, who helped start the program in Los Angeles and Orange counties. “I’ve seen the problems that can result.”

For decades, the Coast Guard has had mandatory inspection programs for cargo ships of at least 100 tons and passenger vessels that carry more than six passengers, such as ferries, tour boats and larger sportfishing craft.

Recent inspections of bigger tour and whale-watching boats have uncovered critical shortages of life jackets for children aboard some vessels.

The voluntary examinations of small charter craft in Southern California is just getting underway. So far, two Coast Guard reservists have conducted sporadic examinations in Long Beach and Los Angeles. In Orange County, inspections are starting in Dana Point Harbor, where at least 30 examinations are planned.

Coast Guard officials in San Diego County have identified a charter fleet of at least 170 vessels there and would like to do 100 inspections a year.

“Charter operators must realize that anything can happen out there,” said Gerry Finney, a Coast Guard Auxiliary member who conducts inspections in Orange County. “They should take every step possible to make sure their boats are safe.”

Over the last several weeks, Finney has been examining sail and powerboats at Dana Island Yachts, a charter management company that handles bookings for about 30 vessels. Most boats have passed the first time.

For veteran skipper Roy Hull, the inspection of his 38-foot sportfishing boat seemed like a trip to the dentist--something important, but not necessarily enjoyable.

“It’s another government thing you got to go through,” said Hull as Finney spent 40 minutes making sure the “Patsea,” a roomy Bayliner, complied with Coast Guard regulations.

With clipboard in hand, Finney checked the running lights, life jackets, flares, fire extinguishers and the boat’s documentation. She poked around in the engine compartment and the galley to make sure there were no fuel leaks.

Except for failing to find his captain’s license right away, the inspection went well for Hull. Finney found no deficiencies and issued him a certificate of compliance.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Finney asked.

Hull didn’t answer.

Coast Guard officials say they have become concerned about recent violations of federal regulations requiring charter boats and larger commercial craft to provide proper life jackets for children. They warn that an adult life jacket is unsafe for children who weigh less than 90 pounds.

“They can actually hold a kid’s head underwater,” said Lt. Andy Aguilar of the Coast Guard inspection office in the Port of Los Angeles. “If children can swim, they’d be better off without the life jacket.”

Before any trip, the Coast Guard recommends that parents, chaperons and teachers contact charter operators to discuss safety precautions and life-jacket availability, especially for small children.

Since 1998, Coast Guard officials say that random boardings of about a dozen larger tour and whale-watching boats operating in Los Angeles and Orange counties have uncovered serious shortages of child-size life jackets.

Problems were found in about a quarter of the vessels. In one case, a Newport Harbor-based tour boat was fined $5,000 for having proper life jackets for only 35 of the 120 children it was carrying on an outing.

The voluntary inspection program relies heavily on Coast Guard reservists and auxiliary members. Citations are not issued and boat owners are given ample opportunity to comply with the regulations.

Coast Guard officials generally arrange the examinations through charter management companies and individual operators who agree to the inspections. Boat owners are under no obligation to take part.

Charter operators also can contact Coast Guard marine safety offices in their areas to schedule an exam. Those who successfully complete the program receive a certificate of compliance.

Coast Guard officials say that earning the certification is a benefit from an insurance liability standpoint. And the certificates can be displayed and used in advertisements.

“This is definitely needed,” said Susan Hickok, an administrator at Dana Island Yachts. “Some people are uncomfortable with the Coast Guard coming aboard their boats. But there are no fines in this program. The inspectors make suggestions, provide advice and find problems to correct.”

Among other things, federal law requires charter boats to have licensed captains, fire extinguishers, flares and life jackets for adults and children. Skippers and crew members must be enrolled in random drug-testing programs if they work in safety-related positions.

Engines, fuel systems, galleys and heads must be in good working order, as well as running lights, horns, whistles and bells. Safety briefings and information placards also must be given to passengers.

Captains and operators who fail to maintain their vessels in compliance with Coast Guard regulations can face fines of up to $5,500 and forfeiture of their licenses.

The regulations are designed to provide a cushion of safety for thousands of people who hire charter boats every year to fish, cruise, dive and watch whales off Southern California.

According to the state Department of Boating and Waterways, the top five areas for boating accidents in the region are Newport Bay and Dana Point in Orange County, the Colorado River, and San Diego Bay and Mission Bay in San Diego.

The new inspection effort is modeled after a pilot program set up by the Coast Guard in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1996. The service began scrutinizing smaller charter boats in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario after receiving a rash of complaints from passengers.

Those two lakes are home to about 1,500 charter craft. Initial checks by Coast Guard inspectors uncovered safety violations in almost half the cases. By the end of 1997, the service had examined more than 300 boats and cut the violation rate to less than a quarter of the vessels.