Any watercraft when used on coastal waters including territorial seas up to a point where the waters are less than two miles wide shall be equipped with United States Coast Guard approved visual distress signaling devices.  However, the following watercraft shall be exempt from this Section when operating between sunrise and sunset:

(1)  Recreational boats less than sixteen feet in length.

(2)  Boats participating in organized events which have been permitted by the department or the United States Coast Guard.

(3)  Open sailboats not equipped with propulsion machinery and less than twenty-six feet in length.

(4)  Manually propelled boats.

Acts 1984, No. 288, §1.