§ 173.57 Contents of report.

(a) Each report required by § 173.55 of this subpart must be in writing, dated upon completion, and signed by the person who prepared it.

(b) Each report must contain, if available, at least the following information about the casualty or accident:

(1) Number and name of each vessel involved;

(2) Name and address of each owner of each vessel involved;

(3) Name of the nearest city or town, the county, the State, and the body of water;

(4) Time and date the casualty or accident occurred;

(5) Location on the water;

(6) Visibility, weather, and water conditions;

(7) Estimated air and water temperatures;

(8) Name, address, age, or date of birth, telephone number, vessel operating experience, and boating safety training of the operator making the report;

(9) Name and address of each operator of each vessel involved;

(10) Number of persons onboard or towed on skis by each vessel;

(11) Name, address, and date of birth of each person injured or killed;

(12) Cause of each death;

(13) Weather forecasts available to and weather reports used by the operator before and during the use of the vessel;

(14) Name and address of each owner of property involved;

(15) Availability and use of personal flotation devices;

(16) Type and number of each fire extinguisher used;

(17) Nature and extent of each injury;

(18) Description of all property damage and vessel damage with an estimate of the cost of all repairs;

(19) Description of each equipment failure that caused or contributed to the cause of the casualty;

(20) Description of the vessel casualty or accident;

(21) Type of vessel operation (cruising, drifting, fishing, hunting, skiing, racing, or other), and the type of accident (capsizing, sinking, fire, explosion, or other);

(22) Opinion of the person making the report as to the cause of the casualty, including whether or not alcohol or drugs, or both, was a cause of or contributed to causing the casualty.

(23) Characteristics of the reporting operator's vessel, including—

(i) Make;

(ii) Model;

(iii) Type: authorized terms are “air boat”, “auxiliary sail”, “cabin motorboat”, “houseboat”, “inflatable boat”, “open motorboat”, “paddlecraft”, “personal watercraft”, “pontoon boat”, “rowboat”, “sail only”, or “other”;

(iv) Beam width at widest point;

(v) Overall length of vessel;

(vi) Depth from transom to keel;

(vii) Horsepower;

(viii) Propulsion: authorized terms are “air thrust”, “manual”, “propeller”, “sail”, “water jet”, or “other”;

(ix) Fuel: authorized terms are “electric”, “diesel”, “gas”, or “other”;

(x) Engine drive type: authorized terms are “inboard”, “outboard”, “pod drive”, “sterndrive”, or “other”;

(xi) Hull material: authorized terms are “aluminum”, “fiberglass”, “plastic”, “rubber/vinyl/canvas”, “steel”, “wood”, or “other”; and

(xii) Model year;

(24) Name, address, and telephone number of each witness;

(25) Manufacturer's hull identification number, if any, of the reporting operator's vessel; and

(26) Name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the report.

[USCG–2003–14963, 77 FR 18700, Mar. 28, 2012, as amended at USCG-2021-0348, 87 FR 3223, Jan. 21, 2022]