Which Class of Boats Has Priority When Using River Locks?

Owning a boat can be a truly rewarding experience.

There is nothing better than being out on the open water, venturing to unknown parts of the world, and sharing the whole experience with someone.

There are also plenty of lucrative opportunities on the water as well. Just look at the slew of companies that make money on the water every day.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that owning a boat isn’t going to come without its own set of challenges.

Owning a boat and learning to operative it legally and safely is no different than learning to legally and safely operate a motorcycle or automobile.

Some states, counties, and countries will require individuals to obtain special operator’s license before they can operate water vessels. Passing such tests will require insight and knowledge into a variety of boating laws and regulations such as water locks.

What Class of Boats Has Priority When Using River Locks?

Boating was a huge part of the trading industry and it still is today.

There are several companies and countries that ship goods by boat. In fact, commerce and trading were two of the reasons that river locks were designed in the first place.

This is why commercial vessels will always have priority. If a commercial vessel encounters a river lock with a commuter craft the commercial vessel will be given priority every single time.

What Is A River Lock And Its Purpose

When most people think of rivers, lakes, and streams they typically think of flat, smooth surfaces.

This is not always the case as there are some rivers that are higher than others. Water levels are just different in some parts of the world and this is where river locks come in handy.

Without river locks, boats would not be able to successfully access these different levels of water. A river lock is a mechanical device that can lower or raise boats to give them access to different stretches of waters where the levels are different.

Importance Of River Locks

River locks are an integral part of water travel these days.

Not only do they make water travel faster, but they make it possible.

Without river locks, it would be nearly impossible for some boat to reach certain water levels.

Unfortunately, not all rivers or canals cross over land that was manufactured to be level and river lock make it entirely possible for ships to gain access to these parts of the water.

River locks can also cut down on travel times because navigators can take more direct routes to their destinations without worrying about encountering waters that cannot be navigated.

Other Boating Exam Questions

Summary

You can clearly see that river locks are extremely important to modern day water travel. Any boater that takes the time to learn about the rules of river locks and how to approach them will get the most out of their boating experience. They will be able to venture to other parts of the water that won’t be accessible to those boaters without this type of knowledge.

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