Boating, Paddling & Water Safety
Water skiing, tubing & towing
The plain answer: pulling a skier, tube, or wakeboard behind a boat has its own set of rules. You need a second set of eyes on the person, the right life jacket, daylight hours, and a flag to fly the moment someone goes in the water.
Keep eyes on the person you're towing
You need an observer aboard in addition to the operator, OR a wide-angle rear-view mirror.
The towed person wears a life jacket
The person being towed wears a USCG-approved life jacket.
Daylight only
No towing from sunset to sunrise.
The skier-down flag is the law
It's a legal requirement, not a suggestion
The skier-down / person-in-water flag is required by law (RSMo 306.126): a red or orange flag at least 12 by 12 inches, displayed on the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and the lakes, between 11 a.m. and sunset, whenever a person has left the vessel and is in the water (not while you're actively towing). Other boats slow to no-wake within 50 yards of a displayed flag.
Before you launch
Missouri Porch explains; the Highway Patrol, the DOR, and the agency that runs your water decide.
Last checked: 2026-06-18. Boating law, fees, and local lake and river rules change — and the water itself changes with the weather and the season. Confirm before you launch, and wear your life jacket.
This is a plain-English summary, not the law or a substitute for a boating course. Boating rules and fees change — confirm with the Highway Patrol, the Department of Revenue, and the agency that runs your water. In an emergency, call 911.
Heads up: The skier-down flag is required by law (RSMo 306.126) — not a courtesy. Fly it whenever someone you were towing has left the boat and is in the water, and slow to no-wake within 50 yards of any boat displaying one.
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