Equipment Requirements for Sailing Dinghies in Rhode Island and New Mexico

Rhode Island	Item	New Mexico
Yes, except “racing only”, canoe, rowboat £ 12’	Numbering, certificate of number, reg’n	Yes, if over 10’ or motorized, windsurfers & paddle craft exempt
No if under 14’	Title	Yes, if over 10’ (except windsurfers & paddle craft)
One per person	Life Vest (PFD)	One per person
Child under age 10 and persons on PWC	PFD worn?	Child under age 13 unless below deck, PWCers, skiers
No if under 16’	Throwable PFD	No if under 16’
None unless motorized (some open boats with outboard are exempt)	Fire extinguisher	None unless inboard motor, or enclosed cabin, fuel, or storage spaces
“means of making an efficient sound signal” in state waters, under 16’	Sound-producing device, state waters	Yes; whistle or device producing 2 sec. sound at ½ mile
“whistle or horn audible for at least one-half mile” in federal waters	Sound-producing device, federal waters	n/a
None if under 16' or open sailboat under 26' or paddlecraft; else 3 day signals	Visual distress signals: Day	None (no federal waters in NM)
3 night signals (flares or light) meeting §46 CFR parts 160, 161	Visual distress signals: Night	None (no federal waters in NM)
Lantern/flashlight if under 23' and no motor (else regular lights)	Navigation lights	Lantern visible 360 if under 26’ & no motor (else regular lights)
Anyone born > Jan. 1, 1986, & all PWC operators	Boating safety class certificate for operator?	Anyone born > Jan. 1, 1989
No	Paddle	Yes (except some big boats with high freeboard)
No	Bucket or bailing device	Yes
No	Length of “stout” line	Yes, at least as long as boat

Note: I don’t address requirements that obviously don’t apply to small sailing dinghies, such as backfire flame arrestors, ventilation systems, mufflers, ship’s bells, ignition safety lanyards, garbage disposal placards, discharge of oil prohibited placards, waste management plans, etc.

Rhode Island Note:

Sound signal exemption for “pure racers”.

No one may operate a vessel in any harbor, inlet, pond, or any other confined body of water in Rhode Island at a speed in excess of:

• 45 miles per hour from sunrise to sunset and ...
• 25 miles per hour from sunset to sunrise or during other periods of restricted visibility such as fog.

Do you think this could put a crimp in the lifestyles of some high-performance dinghy sailors?

Rhode Island defines a sailboat as a motorboat for purposes of registration and some equipment requirements: "Motorboat" means any vessel whether or not the vessel is propelled by machinery. For purposes of this chapter, motorboat shall not include houseboats as defined in § 44-5-25.1, canoes, and rowboats twelve feet (12') in length or less.

New Mexico takes a slightly more tortured path; it defines a motorboat as a vessel with propulsion machinery, and then defines sails as propulsion machinery for purposes of registration and some other requirements.