Legal Riding distance from other boats?

After watching a bunch of vids and stuff, it looks like people often ride pretty close to each other. On my lake, maybe it's a Wisconsin law, you can't operate two motorized vessles within 100 feet of each other. A couple of my friends got busted because they were just chatting next to each other in their boats, idling, and they each got a fat ticket. It was something along the lines that they weren't being safe boaters--total BS. So I was wondering when people tape each other with like a chase boat right behind the rider or two boats going side by side, is this illegal everywhere?

In general, it's two standard rope lengths form another boat. A 'standard' rope length is 75'.

No, it may not be legal, but it's done all the time. If you have an accident, it's another thing to add to the ticket.

I think 100 feet is pretty common, but usually it's ok if your going 5mph or slower. That is pretty lame they received a tickets for that, probably could have fought it, but the laws might be pretty strange in Wisconsin.

I think when you see the chase boats and so on, that they are doing it on private lakes, or in areas out in the middle of nowhere, where there are no cops to mess with them. If they were to get caught they would probably be ticketed, or maybe the get some kind of profesional permit to do it in a closed course type setting.

150 feet in Oklahoma as long as either vessel is creating a wake. Neal

I just got out of a ticket by going to boating class and asked the instructors the same question because I was PO'd by jet skiers hanging too close to my riders.

In Arizona, the law requires one to stay 60 feet away from another boat. There is no minimum requirement to stay a certain distance from a rider.

So technically if you ride a 75 foot rope, another boat/pwc can literally be driving right next to you so long as the po-po doesn't deem it careless or wreckless endangerment.

Heck, at 75 feet - 8 feet to the tower - 60 foot legal distance, another boat could be 7 feet directly ahead of the rider.

Laws are most likely different in other states.

That law is almost impossible to enforce in the delta. Some of the sloughs aren't even that wide.

Scott I think you may have the law mixed up. In Wisconsin there is no regulation on how far you have to be from eachother if you are NOT pulling a skier. If you are pulling a skier I think it is 100 feet. I know this cause last year we were out and just putting down the bay there was a cop about 200 feet behind us and another boat around 100 feet next to us. Then some guy decieded to speed between us and the other boat. I thought for sure the cop would bust him. He didn't so we asked the cop and he said there was nothing he could do about it. I thought that was pretty interesting. Here is a link to the wi dnr boating regs. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/es/enforcement/safety/boatreg.htm#Traffic%20Rules

50' in Texas at any speed greater than idle

Thanks for the link stan. The DNR rules do say you have to be 100 away from any other object on the water if you are skiing. But below that it does say "Note: Local ordinances may be more restrictive for some activities. Inquire through local boat patrol or municipality." So this must be a Fox Lake thing.

The WI rules do specify that you must be 100 away from skiers or their tow ropes. So that means the next boat has to be like ~170 back from your boat. Good to know. I'm going to start writing down some registration #'s.

What about legal riding distances from shore??

Yeah scott the other boats do have to be 100 feet away and I believe jet skis have to be 200 feet. I have managed to get a couple of jet skiers tickets that were riding by me. I cut out so I get fairly close to them whenever I see there is a cop in the bay watching. I have done this a few times. I think it is funny as heck. I don't mind the jet skis as long as they aren't near me or my riders. Or jumping my wake.

All rightee then! Any of you who have questions about legal riding distances are welcome to review your states laws. Do a google search on your state name and the words 'boating regulations'.

State laws vary tremendously. Generally, they follow the USCG rules and add to them.

we were told by the sheriff on berryessa that the law does not apply to boats that are towing, if this is right then, we aren't doing anything wrong in the delta.