Partying on a boat keeps the festivities contained, and it can even keep costs down. As you can bring many of the supplies with you or plan around a single service providing everything you need, there is less stress and effort to coordinate these parties. Here’s everything you need to know to get started with your party planning.

Safety First

Make sure that you discuss with your party the general safety guidelines, such as where to find life vests and how to use them in an emergency. Also, go over with the boat operator or rental service where you can find the appropriate safety flags and flares.

What Is Allowed on the Boat

Alcohol may be allowed on a boat, but depending on the company that you’re renting from, you may be restricted on what you bring onto the vessel. There may be other prohibitions against food, sharp objects, liters, fireworks and more.

Everything comes down to what the owner of the boat wants to permit. You can choose to rent a boat through a party planning service or an official boat rental company. Keep in mind that no one can rent out a boat without the proper licensing.

Know the Laws

If you are not operating the boat, then you can drink alcohol without worry. Drinking while boating is only an issue if you are the one operating the vessel. It’s important to understand that drinking while driving a boat is a crime. It will count as Operating While Intoxicated, or OWI, which is the official term for a DUI. Recent changes in laws make it so that operating a boat while intoxicated may result in your losing your license to drive any vehicle, including your car.

How to Decide When the Party Begins and Ends

Planning bachelorette parties, a “Dirty 30” or just a girl’s night out shouldn’t come with restrictions. But when you’re renting a boat for a party, your service package or planner will need to know a start and end time.

From the time that you book your party, you might want to figure about being on the water for three or four hours. This time frame is usually a good starting point, but discuss it with the other people attending. If your boat party isn’t the only stop that night, you might want to choose a smaller time frame on the boat.

Your boat party will be great as long as you carefully go through safety rules, know the laws, plan ahead and have a start and end time. Keep these tips in mind as you begin planning.