The DNR link says boats 16 feet or more are required to have nav lights.

It also says in rule #1 for pwc's:
No person may operate a PWC from sunset to sunrise.

If that's accurate and the law says the boat is required to have operational nav lights no matter what time of day, then you definitely have a case against the rental company for renting illegal and "unsafe" watercraft.

acually when it comes to lighting on watercraft , all fed coastgaurd laws are required ! thus stating as the fellows above have stated , during sunrise and sunset and under any resticted visibility ! wi and us coast guard apply , THIS IS FACT !!

in my own experience, I have tried to start a couple buisnesses, bu the insurance was cost prohibitive, and doing anything where liablilty could even remotely come into play with ins. is suicidle. 1st, was something like the old malibu grand prix or kart to kart, but on dirt with mini buggies with tiny motors, not fast enough to hurt oneself but fast enough to bounce around and have fun. the second was a non transport EMT service for mx races, parades, softball games etc. if you were to get hurt, we would put on a bandaid or call 911 and have an ambulance take you to the hosp. really nothing more than basic 1st aid. both in calif. face it...in this country, if you fart and it stinks, some tree hugger can sue you for air pollution.

Rob, what is the latest?

When you rent a car, your auto insurance covers you, your credit card covers you, and there is supplemental insurance available to cover your liability. And someone can still sue the rental car company. I had a guy tell me one time that he was riding in a rental van with his dad and uncle, uncle driving, uncle fell asleep and they rolled it. They sued the rental company and got $250k. This was just a random guy on the street who overheard us talking about a legitimate lawsuit that a friend of mine should have filed but didn't (an off-duy cop kicked his ass for honking his horn, then filed an overtime claim for it).

Sue everybody, and sue them all at once. If you sue them one at a time, they can each try to pass off liability to the guy who's not in the room.

Sue em all. Let the Judge & Jury sort the mess. They will decide who is "it".:p