Legal Definitions - boatable water

Definition: Boatable water refers to a body of water that can be used for transportation by boats or other watercraft. It is also known as navigable water.

There are two main definitions of boatable water:

1. At early common law, any body of water affected by the ebb and flow of the tide. This test was first adopted in England because most of England's in-fact navigable waters are influenced by the tide, unlike the large inland rivers that are capable of supporting commerce in the United States. This definition is also known as navigable water.
2. A body of water that is used, or typically can be used, as a highway for commerce with ordinary modes of trade and travel on water. Under the Commerce Clause, Congress has broad jurisdiction over all navigable waters of the United States. This definition is also known as navigable water of the United States.

Examples of boatable water include:

• Rivers
• Lakes
• Canals
• Harbors

These examples illustrate the definition of boatable water because they are all bodies of water that can be used for transportation by boats or other watercraft. They are also typically used for commerce and trade.