A University boat charter involves the exclusive use of a non-owned boat by the University. Departments and University employees who wish to charter boats on behalf of the University must work with the Purchasing Department to arrange all charters. The department must complete a Report of Vessel Charter and submit it to Risk Management and to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department will do a Purchase Requisition, Purchase Order, and Charter Agreement based on the information provided in the Report of Vessel Charter.

The University requires that boat owners provide proof, in the form of a certificate of insurance that names the Regents of the University of California as the certificate holder and as additional insured, that they have Protection & Indemnity with Collision Coverage insurance as follows:

Besides insurance, the boat owner must also provide proof that the boat has been inspected by the Coast Guard and is certified to provide the service for which the University has chartered it. Please contact the Purchasing Department for additional information.

All people participating in UC boat charters, except for UC employees participating in the course and scope of their employment, must sign the UC Waiver of Liability.

In lieu of chartering a boat, a department that intends to use University funds for boat transportation (to go to the Channel Islands, to cruise the Santa Barbara Channel, etc.) may buy tickets on a boat if the following conditions are met:

1. The boat must be available as a regularly-scheduled service and the University trip must occur at the regularly-scheduled time.

2. Passage on the boat must be open and available to the general public and the public must be able to purchase tickets on the boat the University is using.

3. The University cannot purchase a block of tickets that amounts to more than 50% of the passenger capacity of the boat.

4. It is preferable that cash be used to buy the tickets. However, a department may use a low-value purchase order. Under no circumstances can the low value purchase order, or the invoice from the boat company, contain any information or terms and conditions, other than the number of tickets purchased, the cost per ticket, and date of travel. Cash or a low-value purchase order are the only methods available to buy tickets under these circumstances.

5. All participants, with the exception of University employees participating in the course and scope of their employment, must sign a UC Waiver of Liability.

As long as no University funds are used, a department may use boat transportation for department activities if participants use their own funds to purchase tickets, if the boat is a regularly-scheduled service (not scheduled to meet the University's needs but available to the public at regular, published times), if the boat is open to the public and tickets can be purchased by the public at the time the University is using the boat, and if there are no special arrangements between the boat owner and the University.