34 Proceedings | Vol. 83, No. 1 Person-Boat Hours The survey estimated the usage of recreational boating by state and produced motorized and human-powered usage categories. The most granular unit, person-boat hours, can be used to normalize a risk measurement. It is estimated that, in 2018, boaters spent more than 10.2 billion hours operating boats in the United States. Unregistered Boat Estimates The NRBSS also provides the number of unregistered boats by state, including canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and rowboats. To date, there is no scientifically derived or authenticated count of these boats, though it is believed that nearly 13.4 million boats owned in the United States are not required to be registered by the state where they are kept. Safety Equipment EPIRBs The NRBSS survey estimated that one-third of the boats that operated more than 3 nautical miles from shore at least once in the 12-month period, or about 220,000 of the 647,000 total, were equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons. Personal Locator Beacons The NRBSS estimated that about 132,900 of the boats that operated more than 3 nautical miles from shore at least once in the 12-month period were equipped with PLBs. Engine Cut Off Switches In 2018, the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act included a provision requiring that boat manufac- turers, dealers, and distributors ensure boats of 26 feet in overall length, or less, and whose engines are capable of more than 115 pounds of thrust, be outfitted with an engine cut off switch, or ECOS. The NRBSS estimated 83.2% of the motorized boats operated at least once during the survey year were equipped with an ECOS. A higher percentage, 88.7%, of motorized boats in the south Census region were equipped with an ECOS than other regions of the country. VHF-DSC Radios The Coast Guard considers a VHF-Digital Selective Calling (DSC) radio to be a very important on-board safety device. These radios enable clear communication from vessel to vessel and from ship to shore. Able to send a digital distress message containing a vessel’s GPS position, it can be the only means of reaching the shore or another DSC-equipped vessel for assistance. Some VHF radios offer National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather alert monitoring and, if it meets JIS7 standards, can be fully submerged for 30 minutes in 3 feet of water and still function properly after being removed. When combined with the Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 initiative, the time it will take the Coast Guard to find a person in case of an emergency is significantly Recreational boaters enjoy time on the water near the Point of Pittsburgh before the fireworks show July 4, 2021. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District locks and dams are open year-round, including on federal holidays, for recreational boaters to enjoy the city’s views and for commercial barges to navigate the waterways safely. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret
