Quote:
Originally Posted by Descant
270-D:7 Riding on Gunwales, Bow and Transom. – No person shall operate a motorboat or ride as a passenger in a motorboat while sitting on either the starboard or port gunwales or the transom, and no person shall straddle the bow while the motorboat is in operation underway.
Source. 1990, 171:1, eff. June 26, 1990.
I guess it's OK on a sailboat. In any event the lay in post #1 appears to be well within the law.
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In a nutshell, RSA 270-D:7 specifically refers only to:
- motor boats. It would be probably wise to assume that a sailboat moving under motor power would be covered under this prohibition.
- underway. The prohibition clearly does not apply to craft that is not moving under power.
- sitting. Having one's butt planted on the gunwales or transom (regardless of whether one's legs are inside or outside the boat), or straddling the bow (i.e., legs outside the boat).
Barring other regulations related to this topic, the person in the OP's photo would not be in violation of the law.
For you motor boaters, sailing often involves "hiking", which necessarily requires getting the body onto (and well outside of) the gunwales, making such a rule nonsensical if applied to boats under sail.
IMO, enacting laws in an effort to protect adults from their own poor judgement and immaturity is an abuse of the legislative process and serves no one.