(a) The owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel 11 meters (36 feet) or more in length, other than a vessel under §25.26-5 or §25.26-10 or under paragraph (b) of this section, shall ensure that the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes, unless it has on board a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB stowed in a manner so that it will float free if the vessel sinks.

(b) The owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel less than 11 meters (36 feet) in length, or 11 meters or more in length which has a builder's certification that the vessel is constructed with sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep the flooded vessel afloat, shall ensure that the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes, unless it has installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station—

(1) A manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB; or

(2) A float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB.

[CGD 87-016a, 58 FR 13367, Mar. 10, 1993; 58 FR 27658, May 11, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-028, 62 FR 51196, Sept. 30, 1997; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52189, Sept. 30, 1998]