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On August 6, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard opened a 30-day comment period on proposed changes to the CG-3865 Recreational Boating Accident Report. The notice concerns OMB Control Number 1625-0003 and docket USCG-2025-0351. The proposed revisions would change some terminology, clarify reporting requirements, and add instructions drawn from a 2023 Coast Guard policy letter. Comments are due September 8, 2026. I have filed enough claim paperwork to know that the first version of an accident story often becomes the version everyone argues about later. The Federal Register notice is here.
The insurance connection is the paper trail
The CG-3865 is not an insurance policy, and submitting it does not decide whether your insurer owes you money. It still matters. Your state accident report, notice of loss, photographs, witness accounts, repair estimates, and surveyor’s report should tell the same basic story. If the dates, location, damage amount, or description of the accident change from one document to the next, an adjuster has a reason to ask why.
That becomes especially important when your policy contains a notice-of-loss condition, a cooperation clause, or a requirement to preserve damaged property for inspection. Those provisions vary by policy. I am not a licensed insurance agent or an attorney, so read the actual wording in your policy and get qualified advice when the facts are disputed. My guide to filing a boat insurance claim explains the separate notice you may owe your insurer.
Check the reporting clock before you make a claim
The Coast Guard’s current guidance says a recreational vessel accident generally must be reported when someone dies, an injury requires treatment beyond first aid, someone disappears under circumstances suggesting death or injury, property damage reaches $2,000, or the boat is destroyed. Some states and territories use lower damage thresholds or their own forms. The Coast Guard lists the reporting rules and deadlines here.
The timing matters. The federal guidance gives 48 hours for a death, qualifying injury, or disappearance. When those circumstances do not apply, the report is generally due within 10 days. Before you submit anything, check the reporting section of your state’s boating website, your policy’s notice-of-loss section, and your insurer’s claims instructions. Save a complete copy of every form, photograph, text message, estimate, and email.
I learned during a hurricane claim that the dispute rarely stays confined to the first estimate. Months later, people are comparing photographs, dates, conversations, and measurements. A clean record does not guarantee coverage. A messy one gives the other side room to question what happened.
The Coast Guard is accepting comments on the proposed CG-3865 changes until September 8, 2026. Photograph the damage, preserve every report, and notify both the proper state authority and your insurer within the deadlines that apply to your accident and policy.
Original reporting by Chris Langford. Source: Federal Register, August 6, 2026.