Please Help Us, Do Your Part | Clean, Drain and Dry Protocol

Inspections only take a few minutes if you come prepared. Clean, Drain & Dry your boat after every use–including the engine outdrive, bilge, ballast tanks, live wells and storage compartments including their contents. Clean up any oil, dirt or debris inside bilges and storage compartments prior to arriving for your inspection. Make sure all systems are operational, including batteries, engine(s), pumps, etc.

At the inspection stations you will be greeted by a certified Watercraft Inspector. They will ask you a few questions about your boat and launching history. Then they will physically look and feel for evidence of aquatic invasive species (AIS) or moisture inside all compartments of your vessel, including but not limited to the anchor, all bilge & storage compartments, ballast tanks or bladders, ropes & fenders, live or bait wells, etc. They will also inspect the outside of your vessels hull, including the trailer, as well as the engine outdrive & intakes. Once the inspection process is complete, the inspector will inform you if they will need to perform a decontamination, since we cannot fully inspect ballast tanks a decontamination is required. Which includes flushing all areas needing decontamination with 140 degree hot water to kill any remaining AIS, which is by appointment only. Simple Decontamination is $40, Normal decontamination is $75, Complex decontamination is $125. 

If you pass the inspection you will be able to launch your vessel or you can receive a Big Bear Lake wire inspection seal. The seal is typically installed through the bow ring of your boat through a secure location on your trailer. At the launch ramps, a certified Seal Inspector will inspect your seal to ensure it hasn’t been compromised. They will remove your inspection seal prior to launching and install a new one when you haul your boat out of the water. The next time you go to launch, if the Big Bear Lake wire inspection seal is still “intact” you will be able to launch without another inspection. However, if you launch somewhere other than Big Bear Lake or the seal is not “intact” you will be required to go through reinspection.