getting boat certification tomorrow
 

for no particular reason really. found someone to go with me and we're goin tomorrow. how many guys on here are certified/have boats?

I took the boating safety course a couple of years ago. One thing I will say, most of the rules really apply mainly to more open waterways with markers. I've been boating on the river for 20+ years and it was still an eye opener when you hear what the rules are supposed to be. In the summer, the river is so shallow that the operating area is not very big so it becomes more of a common sense thing. I took a 2 night course and managed to ace the test, but there's no way I would have done that well without taking the course. It's definitely worthwhile to take the course. Anyone that operates a personal watercraft or boat is required to pass the test to get the certification. And dmv should not allow you to have boat operator on your license without proof of certification.

I've had my cert for ten years, utilizing it only for about three.

Eh, who needs a stinking liscense anyways... had mine since I was like 10.

yeah im pretty sure they changed the law and EVERYONE needs to be retested. soooo u guys might wanna check that out. though i still rock my boating safety certificate from when i was like 13 or something. its only a wave runner!

i have to take the safety course for work in order to take the lifeguard's boat out in case we need to do something out on the water...kinda lame for a 12 ft boat with a 9.9hp motor

hahaha yeah chits weak

I think they started by requiring it for PWC's and realized it generated some decent revenue from people paying for the classes. So they decided to make it across the board for all motorized water vehicles. If you took a class years ago but don't have the actual certificate, you need to take the test to get the certificate and you might as well retake a class to get an idea of what will be on the test.

i took it it was pretty ez

kinda excited. its a one day course so i wonder if the test is at the end of the course. either way it should be fun

yep need it for pwc's ive had mine for 7 years.

certified w/ boat (moneypit)

I got mine almost 10 years ago, at a one day class in PA, after which I aced the test. It was a NASBLA (National Association of State Boating Law Administrators) course that is accepted in all 50 states.

- Justin

boat license...no boat

what does anyone's certificate look like? i coulda sworn they recently, like past 2 years, changed the law and every single boater would have to retake it. i may have been misinformed but i did a little online browsing and it seems that is the case.

*raises hand*

I took the test when I was 13, been boating since I was a baby. We have a 20' Cobalt, a paddle boat, and a 14' rowboat.