If you, or one of your close relatives, own a boat you should get a boating license before you operate it. Many states require that you have a boating license to operate and outboard motorboat, but many times people will overlook this law and simply operate a boat without one. There are many reasons that operating a boat without a boating license is a bad idea, but mostly it is because you can get yourself in significant legal trouble if you do not have one and something happens on the water. Luckily getting a boating license is easy and there really is no reason that someone should not have one if they are going to be driving a boat with any regularity.
Steps To Get A Boating License
The first thing you should do is take a look and see what you individual state laws are for getting a boating license. Most of them require very similar things and the licenses should be transferable between the states. For most the steps to getting a license are that you need to have met the mandatory boater education requirements and have a valid driver’s license. Each state will have a different test and most can be taken online saving you the time of having to go down to the DMV or its equivalent.
Usually after you study and take the test you will have to purchase a certificate of completion or something like it that shows you passed the test. You may even need to get a new drivers license that indicates you now can legally pilot a watercraft, but in most cases simply having the certificate should be enough.
The value of getting the license is not so much in having the sheet of paper, but understanding the laws and regulations out on the water. Some states do not even require that you have a license to operate a boat, but I highly suggest at the very least looking at other states tests and requirements so you can become familiar with the laws of right of way out on the water. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators has set the minimum standards when it comes to boating education. By information yourself and getting to these minimum standards you will ensure the safety of not only yourself but anyone traveling on your boat. While the paper is important, the safety of our families and fellow boaters depend on the knowledge and expertise of the man or woman behind the wheel.
Leave a Reply