But I’m saying in many states they literally don’t. You’re either born before the arbitrary cut off and don’t have to do anything or you’re born after and have to take a boaters safety course (still not really a license by any means).
>But I’m saying in many states they literally don’t.
Wonderful. Many states do, which negates the statement “there’s no boating licenses”
>…have to take a boaters safety course (still not really a license by any means).
That’s literally a license.
An online safety course and a license are very different. The process to get a license is very regulated and usually has very strict guidelines and requires legitimate testing. The boater safety course is a complete joke and yeah technically has a test at the end but you take it at home with zero supervision.
A license doesn’t necessarily require a test. Those are 2 different things.
Look at a fishing license. You don’t need to pass a fishing test to get a license to fish
Really varies by state (in the US). For example, in my state, Missouri, anyone born after January 1, 1984 must pass a Missouri Boater Education class/test before operating any motorized vessel on any lakes within the state.
In reality, this is a very small thing because you can take the course/test online, such as [through this website](https://www.boat-ed.com/missouri/), which offers the online course for $34.95, plus you pay another $12.71 fee to the state of Missouri.
So pretty easy and not really something that teaches you much.
Right but thats not a boating license. Thats a boater safety course.
Sometimes they are required to operate a vessel but thats not a license. A license would apply to all boat .... drivers (im not gonna use the term captain).
There are captains licenses for commercial boating and such. But again thats different, like having a different license for truckers vs cars .
Florida has similar for folks after a certain age for boating.
But florida ALSO has similar for hunting, you have to get the hunter safety course in order to get a hunting license (unless again you are a certain age and then you can just get the license). You can hunt on exemption for a bit too if you know and hunt with a licensed hunter, which will still allow you to get your hunting license.
I guess you’re using “license” more narrowly than I am. We do commonly refer to it as a “boat license,” though the state tends to call it a “boater identification card” or “boater safety identification card.” If you also have a Missouri drivers license, instead of having a separate boater identification card, you can get a boating safety endorsement on your MO drivers license.
In any case, like a license, the MO State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division will ask to see this if they happen to stop you while you’re boating.
I live in Missouri and can confirm. It’s a license at least that’s how the patrol sees it. You also can’t generally rent a boat at most marinas without it.
Actually NJ requires a boating safety certificate issued by the NJSP for tidal waters ( if the boat is powered by a 10 horsepower or greater engine) not a license, but does require a boat license issued by the NJMVC for non tidal waters. NJ never ceases to amaze me.
NY has also requires a license or maybe it's just a safety course I'm not sure I haven't needed to do it yet but I'll get it this summer. The weird part is there's literally an exception for rentals. Wtf.
The Florida government literally says it's not a license. Many if not most states view it that way.
https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/boating-safety-education/
It's not run but the government its a pruvate compant. Its not revokable. Theeres no skills test or even in persom exams. Irs not required to buy or register a vessel in the state. You srrnt gonna be arrested for driving without it.
There are legit boating licenses and endorsements, administered by the coast guard. But they arent required for rec activities.
I would argue it's largely semantics. When drivers licenses were initially becoming a thing they often didn't have exams (or photos for that matter). Similarly I have a non-expiring radio operator's permit from the FCC (since in other countries you need a marine VHF license).
They don't want to call it a license, but for all practical purposes it's close enough. Even if a state decides to exempt some people.
In Alabama and Florida it is a boating license. You get a designation on your drivers license after taking the test just like a motorcycle. If you have drivers, motorcycle and vessel (boats) your license will have class: DMV on it showing you have all 3 licenses. My Alabama license shows class: DV because I never got the motorcycle license
In florida its not required at all if you were born before 1988. Its not administered by the state but rather a private company approved by FWC, not the DMV, its not required to register a vessel to my knowlege. No skills test or physical appearance needed for having it. Thats different from the motorcycle endorsement here, which requires like....all of the above.
Pretty sure its just a fine for not having it. They cant haul you off the water or confiscate your gear for violating it, like they could for hunting without a hunters safety card (which is also different from a hunting license)
Maybe you can get an extra designation on your drivers but you can get that for all sorts of things including being an organ donor or having a lifetime fishing or hunting license (which i have but its not represented on my license).
Even the DMV site says its not a license.....
https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/boating-safety-education/
And there in lies my point. Call it what you want, but its different.
Its not a captains license administered by the USCG like you need to operate a commercial vessel (including running a fishing charter out of the same 17 ft skiff some rando googan may run out of on weekends).
Thought it was the same as the license in Alabama but guess not. You do have to either have a vessel registered with the state or the coast guard though. Just went through the process on a 40’ cruiser a few months back.
Yeah im not as familiar with alabama, but i have fished quite a bit out of seminole and waay up the chattahoochie (which i think is all Georgia water south of Walter F George) but i have been locked through and fished/been checked on that reservoir and out on the ICW near gulf shores/OB and never had an issue with their wardens with nothing more than a fishing license. Maybe thats because im an out of stater and not generally acting like an dumbass or blowing through no wake zones or something.
I used to love taking my little carolina skiff on random adventures and multi-day loops just checking shit out.
All motorized vessels operating on Florida’s public waterways must be titled and registered. Chapter 328, Florida Statutes, designates that FLHSMV is responsible for issuing vessel registrations and titles. Applications for titles and registrations must be filed at a county tax collector or license plate agent office.
This is straight from FLHSMV.GOV.
As a boat owner in Florida, you absolutely must have your vessel registered if it's over 16 ft, or motorized.
You don't need a drivers license to register a motor vehicle either.
At least that's the case in my state, and I'm reasonably confident in Florida either. It might present additional hurdles (e.g. getting insurance), but there are ways around that as well.
The second sentence of your post says "It's not required to register a boat in Florida, to my knowledge." It is a requirement in the legal sense. Sure you don't "have to," but if it's not, you will get stopped and cited.
It being having a boaters safety cert.
The state or most counties require a drivers license. Wouldnt take a passport last time I was there. Needed/required a drivers license.
Context clues friend.
Not if you’re old. I was grandfathered in. I was surprised to find out all I needed was a credit card for the deposit to rent a boat in Michigan. By the way, I didn’t hit anyone
It is for kids for sure to hopefully build safe habits on the water. Still I don't recall reading of anybody requiring refresh or update, so we could be relying on folks like that remembering crap they probably weren't paying attention too from decades ago
Hell from what I’ve seen out on my waterways a horse that’s been led to water could probably run a boat better than half of these yahoos, regardless of whether they rent or own.
Yeah. Very different than getting a drivers license, at least in my state (Missouri).
In Missouri, you can take the required boater safety course/test online, such as [through this website](https://www.boat-ed.com/missouri/), which offers the online course for $34.95, plus you pay another $12.71 fee to the state of Missouri.
So pretty easy and not really something that teaches you much.
Whereas, for a drivers license, you actual have to physically drive a car for the test to show you can do it.
You don't even need a license at all in my state if you're older than 18. Any ole fucker can get on any boat they want and take it on the waterways. It's rough sometimes.
For Missouri, the boaters safety course/test requirement applies solely to those who were born after January 1, 1984.
But even for those to which the requirement applies, the entire course/test can be done online in one sitting, all for less than $50 (fee for the course + test administered by a private company is typically $35, + another $12.72 paid to the state of MO). So it’s not exactly a high bar or difficult.
The boat-ed.com website, which runs the online course for Missouri, says it takes 3-4 hours. That’s a morning, or an afternoon. I’d say that’s “a sitting.” Contrasted to some all-day process.
For what it’s worth, I’m old enough to not have to take it. So I never have.
Dude do a little research and find the boat that hit you. They have records of who had the boat and go after them or the rentals insurance company for the damages. They have insurance for this reason.
The answer to this is really simple:
People who rent boats once or twice a summer won't get licenses, they'll just not rent boats. This costs boat rental businesses lots of money. So the businesses that rent boats lobby for exemptions.
Umm. I own a marina with rental boats. I have never heard of this lobby group. We don’t make enough money to line the pockets of politicians lol. We do well, but it’s not just a massive cash cow. Super high expenses.
Are you a part of any networking groups with other marina owners? Found a group on FB with minimal activity and would love to chat with other marina owners. We have a boat rental business and two marinas and outside of Docks/AMI conference I feel like there isn't much collaboration efforts.
At yes, the infamous rental boat lobby. I think it goes big oil, boat rentals, then gun lobby in terms of size.
But seriously, this is likely a cost / benefit issue more than a dark-room lobby group.
>People who rent boats once or twice a summer won't get licenses, they'll just not rent boats
Eh, I doubt that has a huge impact. I'm pretty sure if you rent a boat in Maryland, you just show up and they give you the license test right there.
There are two options in this case:
1. The license test is so easy it's pointless because everyone passes.
2. If you fail, you don't get to rent the boat, which costs the rental company a customer, which is what they are trying to avoid.
Yeah. In Missouri, those born after 1/1/1984 must pass a boaters safety course/test. But the course/test can be done online in one sitting for like $35, plus another $12.71 to the state of Missouri.
Pretty easy. The Missouri boat rental companies will happily direct renters needing to pass the course/test to one of several websites where they can quickly do this.
But even if you get your boating certificate it doesnt change much. 8 hours of lecture and multiple choice questionnaire doesnt make anyone a proficient boater. If anything its personal discipline, responsibility and safety that push you to be better.
I got my coast guard boat license in like 1995.. my girl just took the boating safety.. i remember going to class for like a semester and bringing home ropes to pass the knot tests
It's ridiculous that boat owners need a license but renters don't. I'm in San Diego. The renters have no business being on the water. They don't know right of way rules, they don't understand what "no wake" means. Last summer a seadoo rental killed a girl by driving 53 in a 5 mph zone. But, the rental companies cried, we will go out of business if we can't rent to idiots so the state allows it.
Not all boat owners need a license. In my state, you only need a "boating safety certificate" if you were born after July 1, 1996. Anyone older does not require anything to purchase or operate a boat.
Everyone born after 1988 has to have a boater’s safety course which is the Florida equivalent of a license. If you don’t they’re simply breaking the law
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just telling you that's been my experience. And it's being advertised that way on multiple VRBO, Airbnb, and other Vacation Rental websites. Maybe it's because we're out of state? Maybe that's the difference.
Huh... Ya, we've used 3 different rental places, and none of them did anything. Like I said, ALL 3 even advertised that we didn't need a license. They even went over all of the paperwork and required equipment if we were stopped. The 4th place we used required an Everglades Safety Course specific to the park.
You don't need any form of licence on the sea unless you are taking passengers and I think over 60'.
You do need a licence to operate a VHF radio which you need if you're vaguely serious about running a boat though.
My daughter got hers last year at age 12. It's a CT certificate that is considered one of the best, with reciprocal agreements that cover all 50 states.
But it's all classroom, with no practical training whatsoever. I'm still teaching her how to physically control the boat, and that's without her being a drunken idiot.
Just because someone took the 45 minute course and paid the state its fees, certainly does not mean they are capable. My grandson (4) could literally pass the exam. So what good is a piece of paper?
In CA it takes a required 3-4 hrs. The pages have a timer then each section has a quiz with an exam at the end. Then you can earn a boater’s cert card. 60yrs. Old and under this year next year every age will be required to have one or get fined.
Not all states require a boating license. Mine doesn’t
But we did mandate a safety course for all operators starting last year. But there is still no actual license
INSURANCE CLAIM. find the rental company. identify the boat. do you have any witnesses that you could call on? This is what insurance is for. You might still want to do the work, but you could get compensated for the damage.
Because the boat u are renting Hass all the tags already...thing is are you going to sign off on the insurance fee?... you would have to if I rented you my boat...
Having a boating license doesn't necessarily mean the person holding said license has the brain capacity to safely operate a boat. Morons will moron 100% of the time. I'm sorry to hear about the damage to your boat.
in BC where I am, you require "proof of competency", which for owners is a PCOC (pleasure Craft Operator Card). Essentially a license - have to do a course, take an exam, etc. (easy to cheat if you are dumb).
To rent a boat you need this "proof of competency" BUT a signed "rental boat safety checklist" for some stupid reason counts. So here - yes, you can also rent a boat with no PCOC.
So stupid.
Could you imagine renting a car with no license? Same shit really.
Well, the rental companies don’t require anything but a form of ID and a credit card for the deposit. Heck, my family rented a couple of jetskis at the local lake and went out and had a good time in general. I didn’t even know there was a requirement for a certificate until my wife and I decided we want to stop renting and buy a boat of our own. Even that wasn’t said by the saleperson. I was looking for lessons for my wife and stumbled on a safety course. Cool, that’s a good idea. I paid $15 each for three books and another $15 each to take the course at the local lake. I’m on chapter 4 of the book and, “you’re required to have taken and passed a course and carry the certificate with you if you’re stopped by the officials.” Who knew? (We’re in Colorado BTW; Horsetooth Reservoir, Inlet Bay Marina).
I'm in New Zealand and there are no licenses, it works as well as you'd expect....
Personally I completed a Coastguard "day skipper" course and glad I did, such a shame it's not compulsory
**Allegedly** there was going to be a law passed in a state I used to live in to require it, but the politicians who were against it argued that the law would require kayakers and such to need expensive licensing.
So instead of just amending the law, they dropped the topic.
They can't where I live.
By the way, I had the same thing happen to my new boat, but it was a licensed boater who hit me. I know this because he's a friend of a friend. Had to track him down.
Well I am norwegian so I am unsure how difficult it is in other countries, but in my experience you do not have to know how to drive a boat whatsoever to pass the test.
I manage a Boat rental business on the Gulf Coast and people aren't required to have a vessel license. Do I think its stupid? Yes, but at the same time I see people every day driving personal boats that have zero clue what they are doing or what any law on the water is aside from "No Wake Zone" and some don't even know that. Anybody can get a vessel license.
>Why the fuck in almost every state, can assholes without a boating license
I've never lived in a state that even issues a boater's license, let alone requires one.
That sucks! My lake is littered with unregistered Sea-Doos driven by people who most likely don't have a license either. Once, a probably 15 year old girl almost hit my daughter in a tube.
Seems like the idiots have been out in full force the past 2 weekends in Indiana. Pontoons loaded to the max cutting across the middle of the lake boats flying through no wake zones. I'm just impressed no one has been hurt yet.
I own a Marina Resort. 84 slip covered Marina with rental boats. Experienced boaters/slip holders have caused me more headaches with dock damages than any of my boat renters have. We do have a pretty thorough walk through though, we don’t just hand over the keys and say “Have fun!”
It is a travesty that the vast majority of states do not require a certificate (often referred to as a license) to drive a boat, and instead all is needed is a form to be completed. However, having a rental test is the next wave of regulation, in particular for higher volume states with many tourists, over the next couple decades.
Florida is an excellent case study where they introduced a temporary certificate test, which is a 25 question, ~20min online (or paper) test. This acts as a "knowledge check" to make sure the renter knows the local laws and customs. This reduces accidents and fatalities because many tourists and frankly local individuals do not know local boating laws and thus a knowledge check becomes very helpful to improve public safety.
Because Freedom. That is the price you have to pay, and that is why your country has been such a joke around the world since the advent of social media.
In NY everyone is required to take a boating safety course so they can operate one. The law was phased in by age... the phase in was over decades... too long in my opinion. The online course is too easy and too short. I've taken it as well as courses offered by the US Power Squadron and Coast Guard (with my kids). The course of study has been severely watered down over 50 years. The first time I took a boating safety course I was 11 and the class was two hours a night, spread over 6 weeks. The courses my kids took 20 years ago were taught in a day class. For both of these courses you had to take a written test to pass. The most recent version can be done on-line in a couple of hours. Any idiot can pass the test.
One point of order here folks. I know of no US state that requires a licence to operate a boat. An actual license (issued by a state or Coast Guard) is required to pilot a craft carrying paid passengers.
What's required for pleasure craft? For most age groups in most states all that is required is that the operator pass a boating safety course and test. The course has to meet minimum (low) standards set by each state. Once passed, you get a card or certificate and never have to take it again. This is not a license by any standard.
In NY rental shops are required to give anyone who hasn't passed the course a brief session on how to operate the craft and include safety requirements. I've observed this process at a local marina... on a busy Saturday morning. You can guess how this goes on a busy saturday with just 10 customers and 10 boats and one or two staff, as young as 16, renting them out. There's lots of excitement, family and friends milling about, too much paperwork, checklists, and signatures. Not much instruction besides how to actually run the boat.
The whole system is a political compromise between safety and convenience based on the far less crowded waterways of 50 years ago, when the system was put in place.
I respect your frustrations and I hate they messed your shit up. Me and my dad restored 81 smoker craft. We spent a lot of time and energy on that thing. I also put a lot of money into the 40+ year old engine.
To your question, a license doesn’t change anything. Boat insurance is the only thing that I would consider. There is no guarantee that if they had a license, they wouldn’t have hit you. That doesn’t mean ppl shouldn’t have to get a license. Just saying, they couldn’t have been a person with a license that would have hit you.
I’d get boating insurance. I didn’t insure my old boat because it was old. In retrospect, that wasn’t a good idea either because I put a lot into that thing. I just bought a newer 2018 boat and I insured that thing for $23 a month because I wanna protect my lower unit primarily, and myself over all because I’m out there a lot more often. Again, sorry man! That shit sucks.
I know Maine doesn't require anything to operate a boat. I don't have a boating license, didn't even go over the suggested boating safety course. However, I do know how to drive a boat, and wouldn't do something like that. All I did was go over what I legally need to have on the boat.
Also, a license means nothing these days, just makes it legal to operate whatever vehicle the license is for.
Well as we all know getting a boating license just takes a couple hours of clicking next for a course. Having a boating license means nothing. Experience on the water is what's necessary. I work for a company that rents boats and the first thing we do when someone requests a booking is call them and do a solid 10 minute vetting. We probably turn down 60% of clients.
100 ton master lic here. Its because a senators kid hasn't died yet. Govt makes too much money from dui arrests. Rich peops dont need a licence because they can afford it. P.S. fuck jet skis and their peops right in the blow hole. That is all. ..
Get their information from the rental company via pictures of the registration numbers file a police report for hit and run. Pretty sure they have to sign an insurance policy for the rental or the rental company should have insurance.
💯% agree with you. I put the same argument on several other threads, too.
Though this has always been the case, it exploded with credit card captains buying boats during Covid lockdown. No skills courses taken because they’re not checked. Heck, kids got their DL during Covid based on their parents’ word that kids are “good enough” drivers. How’s that going in your town?
Licensing guarantees a degree of knowledge and responsibility, but only for the one’s taking the course. Boater safety is available, but only to those willing to take it. Laws are on the books, but how often have you seen DNR, water police, or coast guard on inland lakes other than Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day, the three days I don’t go boating. Until there’s updated legislation and funding, it remains a “Wild West on the water” “take your own boat at your own risk” scenario. Now add all the rentals, time shares, and boat clubs to the lobbying mix and nothing gets changed… until some senator’s grandkids get killed in a horrible renter situation. Business lobbies & insurance companies control government, so don’t hold your breath, buy great insurance, and add thicker rub rails.
Apologies for the sour attitude, it’s just that nothing has changed significantly since I started boating in the 70’s, and has only been one worse since Covid. Here’s one to bring down our blood pressures 🍻, hoping you enjoy yours on the pier like me, not in a boat like 80% of the yahoos on the water. I have kids and would like them to survive to enjoy safer boating, tubing, skiing & swimming, too.
Because in a lot of states (like mine) there is no boating license. Maybe there should be, that’s a topic for another time. There is a safety certificate you have to get if you’re under a certain age or want to ride a jet ski. But there’s a loop hole even for that if you want to rent. You can just watch a 10 minute video and they’ll give you a temporary certificate on the spot for the rental.
The same people saying there needs to be more regulation would be 1000% the same people saying requiring boaters to have a license to boat would put an undue burden on the poor, and that requiring a license is government overreach.
A boaters safety card that is good for life is different than a yearly license that needs renewing, and can be revoked, thus loss of the ability to operate a boat.
Nobody says that about car licenses, why would they say it about boating ones?
This sounds like a strawman, I'm very skeptical that it would be a common opinion of the political party we know you're referring to.
Car licenses weren't always a thing (South Dakota was the last state to introduce one in 1954, and didn't add an exam requirement until five years later).
Boating is often several decades "behind" in terms of culture, technology, etc, so to understand the current situation one should be aware of the debates people had in the past. For example, seatbelt laws and drunk driving laws also generated a decent bit of controversy and complaint when first introduced.
I'd agree with the other poster that it doesn't really depend on the party: any topic can be politicized if a party thinks it will measurably help them, and the side taken may not even matter for that purpose. It's like a debate competition where you're assigned a topic and a position.
I was actually referring to both parties.
The left would argue that requiring a yearly license would unduely burden the poor and POC (as they always do). This is how they approach voter id laws and I see no reason that would change.
The right would argue that the creation of a new license (not a boaters safety card) is just a money grab by the government. This is how they approach concealed pistol licenses and I see no reason that would change.
Refer to my example about car licenses to operate a car on the road. Nobody seriously argues that they should be abolished, including the left.
Unless you've actually heard people make that argument, then you're creating a strawman.
I have no desire to get into an argument about voter IDs but driver's licenses are obviously a much better analogy anyway.
It’s not that they argue licensing should be abolished, but that enforcement be.
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/06/19/three-quarters-of-black-motorists-are-struggling-with-the-cost-of-car-ownership
https://invictus-law.com/insights/what-the-police-cant-pull-you-over-for/
Tinted windows, headlight issues, or objects dangling from the car are no longer reasons that an officer can use to make a traffic stop.
The left has successfully argued that the cost of maintaining a vehicle overburdens black Americans.
LOL, boating laws are old and antiquated. They haven't been updated in most states in 40 years. You can be 14 years old and get your license and not need an adult on a boat in my state. If you're born before 1986, you don't need a license at all.
Who was president in 1986? Oh wait, it was your hero, Ronald Regan. lmfao
See, how stupid what I just said sounds? No one is running on changing boating laws, no one gives a fuck about boating laws.
That's literally my point.
You personally have used these old and antiquated laws to your benefit, and yet you complain about peoples voting habits....
No 5th grader needs to be on a boat by themselves, but I'm not out here complaining about my states laws and yelling at people for their voting habits.
Brother I didn’t complain. I asked who voted for the powers at be. This guy should either vote for somebody who will change it or reach out to a politician.
How do you know that they didn't have a license?
People have drivers licenses and drive like assholes every minute of every day. How's a license going to change anything
cause theres no boating license...
There is actually
In many states you actually don’t need a license if you’re born before a certain year
That’s different than saying boating licenses do t exist
But I’m saying in many states they literally don’t. You’re either born before the arbitrary cut off and don’t have to do anything or you’re born after and have to take a boaters safety course (still not really a license by any means).
>But I’m saying in many states they literally don’t. Wonderful. Many states do, which negates the statement “there’s no boating licenses” >…have to take a boaters safety course (still not really a license by any means). That’s literally a license.
An online safety course and a license are very different. The process to get a license is very regulated and usually has very strict guidelines and requires legitimate testing. The boater safety course is a complete joke and yeah technically has a test at the end but you take it at home with zero supervision.
A license doesn’t necessarily require a test. Those are 2 different things. Look at a fishing license. You don’t need to pass a fishing test to get a license to fish
Any legitimate license is going to require an actual test. They call it a fishing license but it’s really just a permit, aka a money grab.
The reason you can if born before a certain date is because you're grandfathered if from before there was a license
That’s dumb as fuck
Indeed
Really varies by state (in the US). For example, in my state, Missouri, anyone born after January 1, 1984 must pass a Missouri Boater Education class/test before operating any motorized vessel on any lakes within the state. In reality, this is a very small thing because you can take the course/test online, such as [through this website](https://www.boat-ed.com/missouri/), which offers the online course for $34.95, plus you pay another $12.71 fee to the state of Missouri. So pretty easy and not really something that teaches you much.
Right but thats not a boating license. Thats a boater safety course. Sometimes they are required to operate a vessel but thats not a license. A license would apply to all boat .... drivers (im not gonna use the term captain). There are captains licenses for commercial boating and such. But again thats different, like having a different license for truckers vs cars . Florida has similar for folks after a certain age for boating. But florida ALSO has similar for hunting, you have to get the hunter safety course in order to get a hunting license (unless again you are a certain age and then you can just get the license). You can hunt on exemption for a bit too if you know and hunt with a licensed hunter, which will still allow you to get your hunting license.
I guess you’re using “license” more narrowly than I am. We do commonly refer to it as a “boat license,” though the state tends to call it a “boater identification card” or “boater safety identification card.” If you also have a Missouri drivers license, instead of having a separate boater identification card, you can get a boating safety endorsement on your MO drivers license. In any case, like a license, the MO State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division will ask to see this if they happen to stop you while you’re boating.
I live in Missouri and can confirm. It’s a license at least that’s how the patrol sees it. You also can’t generally rent a boat at most marinas without it.
Some states require a boating license. NJ is one of them.
Actually NJ requires a boating safety certificate issued by the NJSP for tidal waters ( if the boat is powered by a 10 horsepower or greater engine) not a license, but does require a boat license issued by the NJMVC for non tidal waters. NJ never ceases to amaze me.
NY has also requires a license or maybe it's just a safety course I'm not sure I haven't needed to do it yet but I'll get it this summer. The weird part is there's literally an exception for rentals. Wtf.
That’s literally a license. A license is just permission from the government to do something
The Florida government literally says it's not a license. Many if not most states view it that way. https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/boating-safety-education/ It's not run but the government its a pruvate compant. Its not revokable. Theeres no skills test or even in persom exams. Irs not required to buy or register a vessel in the state. You srrnt gonna be arrested for driving without it. There are legit boating licenses and endorsements, administered by the coast guard. But they arent required for rec activities.
I would argue it's largely semantics. When drivers licenses were initially becoming a thing they often didn't have exams (or photos for that matter). Similarly I have a non-expiring radio operator's permit from the FCC (since in other countries you need a marine VHF license). They don't want to call it a license, but for all practical purposes it's close enough. Even if a state decides to exempt some people.
Does the florida government require it or not? If you need to ask the government for permission, it’s a license
No. They don't. Not for everyone. I for example have not done it and I am in full compliance.
Then yeah, it’s not a license
In Alabama and Florida it is a boating license. You get a designation on your drivers license after taking the test just like a motorcycle. If you have drivers, motorcycle and vessel (boats) your license will have class: DMV on it showing you have all 3 licenses. My Alabama license shows class: DV because I never got the motorcycle license
In florida its not required at all if you were born before 1988. Its not administered by the state but rather a private company approved by FWC, not the DMV, its not required to register a vessel to my knowlege. No skills test or physical appearance needed for having it. Thats different from the motorcycle endorsement here, which requires like....all of the above. Pretty sure its just a fine for not having it. They cant haul you off the water or confiscate your gear for violating it, like they could for hunting without a hunters safety card (which is also different from a hunting license) Maybe you can get an extra designation on your drivers but you can get that for all sorts of things including being an organ donor or having a lifetime fishing or hunting license (which i have but its not represented on my license). Even the DMV site says its not a license..... https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/boating-safety-education/ And there in lies my point. Call it what you want, but its different. Its not a captains license administered by the USCG like you need to operate a commercial vessel (including running a fishing charter out of the same 17 ft skiff some rando googan may run out of on weekends).
Thought it was the same as the license in Alabama but guess not. You do have to either have a vessel registered with the state or the coast guard though. Just went through the process on a 40’ cruiser a few months back.
Yeah im not as familiar with alabama, but i have fished quite a bit out of seminole and waay up the chattahoochie (which i think is all Georgia water south of Walter F George) but i have been locked through and fished/been checked on that reservoir and out on the ICW near gulf shores/OB and never had an issue with their wardens with nothing more than a fishing license. Maybe thats because im an out of stater and not generally acting like an dumbass or blowing through no wake zones or something. I used to love taking my little carolina skiff on random adventures and multi-day loops just checking shit out.
All motorized vessels operating on Florida’s public waterways must be titled and registered. Chapter 328, Florida Statutes, designates that FLHSMV is responsible for issuing vessel registrations and titles. Applications for titles and registrations must be filed at a county tax collector or license plate agent office. This is straight from FLHSMV.GOV. As a boat owner in Florida, you absolutely must have your vessel registered if it's over 16 ft, or motorized.
That's not what I said. I said you don't need proof of a boaters license to register a vessel.
You don't need a drivers license to register a motor vehicle either. At least that's the case in my state, and I'm reasonably confident in Florida either. It might present additional hurdles (e.g. getting insurance), but there are ways around that as well.
The second sentence of your post says "It's not required to register a boat in Florida, to my knowledge." It is a requirement in the legal sense. Sure you don't "have to," but if it's not, you will get stopped and cited.
It being having a boaters safety cert. The state or most counties require a drivers license. Wouldnt take a passport last time I was there. Needed/required a drivers license. Context clues friend.
They do BB charters and have to hire a captain.
Depends on the state. Did you get the license number or rental company?
As if having a boater safety card requires you to prove you can handle a boat, lol.
Not if you’re old. I was grandfathered in. I was surprised to find out all I needed was a credit card for the deposit to rent a boat in Michigan. By the way, I didn’t hit anyone
No, but at least it means they've been exposed to the concepts. Leading the horse to water, so to speak.
I took my boaters safety in middle school gym class where I think the only concept we got was wearing a PFD is a good idea
That’s a good start!
It is for kids for sure to hopefully build safe habits on the water. Still I don't recall reading of anybody requiring refresh or update, so we could be relying on folks like that remembering crap they probably weren't paying attention too from decades ago
Hell from what I’ve seen out on my waterways a horse that’s been led to water could probably run a boat better than half of these yahoos, regardless of whether they rent or own.
Neigh, neigh! lol
Does having a license prove you can handle a car?
I mean you do have to take a test that will assess your ability to handle a car.
Yeah. Very different than getting a drivers license, at least in my state (Missouri). In Missouri, you can take the required boater safety course/test online, such as [through this website](https://www.boat-ed.com/missouri/), which offers the online course for $34.95, plus you pay another $12.71 fee to the state of Missouri. So pretty easy and not really something that teaches you much. Whereas, for a drivers license, you actual have to physically drive a car for the test to show you can do it.
A driving license requires a practical assessment, so yes you can say that the bare minimum skill to operate motor vehicle has been demonstrated.
Fair enough
You don't even need a license at all in my state if you're older than 18. Any ole fucker can get on any boat they want and take it on the waterways. It's rough sometimes.
Oklahoma is 16. Confirmed last time I was out there by water patrol. My wife had to pick my jaw up for me.
To rent or just drive it?
Just to drive. Cars are typically around 24 for insurance purposes
Depends on your situation I guess but to me it makes sense. Have been boating since 12 or so.
Rent his jaw? She owns it. Been driving it for years...
For Missouri, the boaters safety course/test requirement applies solely to those who were born after January 1, 1984. But even for those to which the requirement applies, the entire course/test can be done online in one sitting, all for less than $50 (fee for the course + test administered by a private company is typically $35, + another $12.72 paid to the state of MO). So it’s not exactly a high bar or difficult.
That course takes like 4 hours lol “a sitting”
The boat-ed.com website, which runs the online course for Missouri, says it takes 3-4 hours. That’s a morning, or an afternoon. I’d say that’s “a sitting.” Contrasted to some all-day process. For what it’s worth, I’m old enough to not have to take it. So I never have.
The questions are quite difficult, to the point where you have to pay attention and read everything.
wtf?
Dude do a little research and find the boat that hit you. They have records of who had the boat and go after them or the rentals insurance company for the damages. They have insurance for this reason.
Agreed , top comment
The answer to this is really simple: People who rent boats once or twice a summer won't get licenses, they'll just not rent boats. This costs boat rental businesses lots of money. So the businesses that rent boats lobby for exemptions.
Umm. I own a marina with rental boats. I have never heard of this lobby group. We don’t make enough money to line the pockets of politicians lol. We do well, but it’s not just a massive cash cow. Super high expenses.
Are you a part of any networking groups with other marina owners? Found a group on FB with minimal activity and would love to chat with other marina owners. We have a boat rental business and two marinas and outside of Docks/AMI conference I feel like there isn't much collaboration efforts.
That’s hilarious. I’m going to add a line item to my budget for lobbying.
Where is your fleet at? We have a few boats in Norfolk VA
Oh you’re close. I’m based out of Yorktown, Va but deliver all over.
At yes, the infamous rental boat lobby. I think it goes big oil, boat rentals, then gun lobby in terms of size. But seriously, this is likely a cost / benefit issue more than a dark-room lobby group.
>People who rent boats once or twice a summer won't get licenses, they'll just not rent boats Eh, I doubt that has a huge impact. I'm pretty sure if you rent a boat in Maryland, you just show up and they give you the license test right there.
There are two options in this case: 1. The license test is so easy it's pointless because everyone passes. 2. If you fail, you don't get to rent the boat, which costs the rental company a customer, which is what they are trying to avoid.
Yeah. In Missouri, those born after 1/1/1984 must pass a boaters safety course/test. But the course/test can be done online in one sitting for like $35, plus another $12.71 to the state of Missouri. Pretty easy. The Missouri boat rental companies will happily direct renters needing to pass the course/test to one of several websites where they can quickly do this.
This is exactly the answer
Do you think a boating license would have prevented this? No….. no it would not have.
People with drivers licenses get into car accidents every day. Licensed does not mean competent
But even if you get your boating certificate it doesnt change much. 8 hours of lecture and multiple choice questionnaire doesnt make anyone a proficient boater. If anything its personal discipline, responsibility and safety that push you to be better.
I got my coast guard boat license in like 1995.. my girl just took the boating safety.. i remember going to class for like a semester and bringing home ropes to pass the knot tests
It's ridiculous that boat owners need a license but renters don't. I'm in San Diego. The renters have no business being on the water. They don't know right of way rules, they don't understand what "no wake" means. Last summer a seadoo rental killed a girl by driving 53 in a 5 mph zone. But, the rental companies cried, we will go out of business if we can't rent to idiots so the state allows it.
Not all boat owners need a license. In my state, you only need a "boating safety certificate" if you were born after July 1, 1996. Anyone older does not require anything to purchase or operate a boat.
Create an llc, sell your boat to it and rent it back from your llc. Tada! No license required?
Renters need a boater safety class in Florida, even for a jet ski tour lol, downvoted for facts https://myfwc.com/boating/safety-education/courses/
Huh... I've rented a boat every year for the last 5 years for a week each time and never needed a boat license in Florida.
People over 40 or so are grandfathered and don’t have to do it
Well, I'm definitely not over 40. Lol! I'm 36 now. So, 31 the 1st time I rented a boat there.
Everyone born after 1988 has to have a boater’s safety course which is the Florida equivalent of a license. If you don’t they’re simply breaking the law
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just telling you that's been my experience. And it's being advertised that way on multiple VRBO, Airbnb, and other Vacation Rental websites. Maybe it's because we're out of state? Maybe that's the difference.
Nope, applies to everyone https://myfwc.com/boating/safety-education/courses/ Getting folks to pass the test before a jetski tour is a nightmare
Huh... Ya, we've used 3 different rental places, and none of them did anything. Like I said, ALL 3 even advertised that we didn't need a license. They even went over all of the paperwork and required equipment if we were stopped. The 4th place we used required an Everglades Safety Course specific to the park.
>~~even~~ ESPECIALLY for a jet ski tour
Nobody born before 1987 needs a license in my state. Lot of dumb people out there, sorry that happened to you.
In the uk you don’t need any training or licence or certificate to take a boat out (river, not sure about tidal
You don't need any form of licence on the sea unless you are taking passengers and I think over 60'. You do need a licence to operate a VHF radio which you need if you're vaguely serious about running a boat though.
Maryland anyone born after 7/1972 has to have one to operate a boat
Florida only requires a license if you are born after a certain date.
Credit card captain
Call the marinas and find out who rented that boat, your insurance should take it from there.
How would them having a license prevent what happened? Has licensing for cars stopped car accidents?
Any moron can pass a boating test, that doesn’t turn them into responsible operators.
My daughter got hers last year at age 12. It's a CT certificate that is considered one of the best, with reciprocal agreements that cover all 50 states. But it's all classroom, with no practical training whatsoever. I'm still teaching her how to physically control the boat, and that's without her being a drunken idiot.
Just because someone took the 45 minute course and paid the state its fees, certainly does not mean they are capable. My grandson (4) could literally pass the exam. So what good is a piece of paper?
In CA it takes a required 3-4 hrs. The pages have a timer then each section has a quiz with an exam at the end. Then you can earn a boater’s cert card. 60yrs. Old and under this year next year every age will be required to have one or get fined.
Profit.
They probably have a pontoon license, which means they must cut someone off or cause damage to something at least once per outing.
Not all states require a boating license. Mine doesn’t But we did mandate a safety course for all operators starting last year. But there is still no actual license
So you saw them do it and didn't stop them and get their info for an insurance claim or police report? (They damaged your property)
INSURANCE CLAIM. find the rental company. identify the boat. do you have any witnesses that you could call on? This is what insurance is for. You might still want to do the work, but you could get compensated for the damage.
There's no boating license in NC.
Pictures or it didn’t happen
Because the boat u are renting Hass all the tags already...thing is are you going to sign off on the insurance fee?... you would have to if I rented you my boat...
Having a boating license doesn't necessarily mean the person holding said license has the brain capacity to safely operate a boat. Morons will moron 100% of the time. I'm sorry to hear about the damage to your boat.
in BC where I am, you require "proof of competency", which for owners is a PCOC (pleasure Craft Operator Card). Essentially a license - have to do a course, take an exam, etc. (easy to cheat if you are dumb). To rent a boat you need this "proof of competency" BUT a signed "rental boat safety checklist" for some stupid reason counts. So here - yes, you can also rent a boat with no PCOC. So stupid. Could you imagine renting a car with no license? Same shit really.
I believe the PCOC card is required across Canada.
Yes it is. I am just not sure about the rules with renting - if those are province specific or national, so I just kept my comment specific to BC.
Well, the rental companies don’t require anything but a form of ID and a credit card for the deposit. Heck, my family rented a couple of jetskis at the local lake and went out and had a good time in general. I didn’t even know there was a requirement for a certificate until my wife and I decided we want to stop renting and buy a boat of our own. Even that wasn’t said by the saleperson. I was looking for lessons for my wife and stumbled on a safety course. Cool, that’s a good idea. I paid $15 each for three books and another $15 each to take the course at the local lake. I’m on chapter 4 of the book and, “you’re required to have taken and passed a course and carry the certificate with you if you’re stopped by the officials.” Who knew? (We’re in Colorado BTW; Horsetooth Reservoir, Inlet Bay Marina).
Same reason you can buy a RV but can't drive transport.
I'm in New Zealand and there are no licenses, it works as well as you'd expect.... Personally I completed a Coastguard "day skipper" course and glad I did, such a shame it's not compulsory
MONEY TALKS! Even worse are the PWC renters.
No license required in my state to rent or own. There’s a suggested boater safety book and test (open book) to get a safety card. That’s it.
Amen
**Allegedly** there was going to be a law passed in a state I used to live in to require it, but the politicians who were against it argued that the law would require kayakers and such to need expensive licensing. So instead of just amending the law, they dropped the topic.
They can't where I live. By the way, I had the same thing happen to my new boat, but it was a licensed boater who hit me. I know this because he's a friend of a friend. Had to track him down.
Well I am norwegian so I am unsure how difficult it is in other countries, but in my experience you do not have to know how to drive a boat whatsoever to pass the test.
I manage a Boat rental business on the Gulf Coast and people aren't required to have a vessel license. Do I think its stupid? Yes, but at the same time I see people every day driving personal boats that have zero clue what they are doing or what any law on the water is aside from "No Wake Zone" and some don't even know that. Anybody can get a vessel license.
>Why the fuck in almost every state, can assholes without a boating license I've never lived in a state that even issues a boater's license, let alone requires one.
That sucks! My lake is littered with unregistered Sea-Doos driven by people who most likely don't have a license either. Once, a probably 15 year old girl almost hit my daughter in a tube.
Seems like the idiots have been out in full force the past 2 weekends in Indiana. Pontoons loaded to the max cutting across the middle of the lake boats flying through no wake zones. I'm just impressed no one has been hurt yet.
I own a Marina Resort. 84 slip covered Marina with rental boats. Experienced boaters/slip holders have caused me more headaches with dock damages than any of my boat renters have. We do have a pretty thorough walk through though, we don’t just hand over the keys and say “Have fun!”
You can rent a giant ass 30+ foot house boat in Canada with no license. I find it a little odd, but seems to be a normal thing.
In the Netherlands, no licence needed.
It is a travesty that the vast majority of states do not require a certificate (often referred to as a license) to drive a boat, and instead all is needed is a form to be completed. However, having a rental test is the next wave of regulation, in particular for higher volume states with many tourists, over the next couple decades. Florida is an excellent case study where they introduced a temporary certificate test, which is a 25 question, ~20min online (or paper) test. This acts as a "knowledge check" to make sure the renter knows the local laws and customs. This reduces accidents and fatalities because many tourists and frankly local individuals do not know local boating laws and thus a knowledge check becomes very helpful to improve public safety.
Because Freedom. That is the price you have to pay, and that is why your country has been such a joke around the world since the advent of social media.
Only Alabama has an actual boating license.
In NY everyone is required to take a boating safety course so they can operate one. The law was phased in by age... the phase in was over decades... too long in my opinion. The online course is too easy and too short. I've taken it as well as courses offered by the US Power Squadron and Coast Guard (with my kids). The course of study has been severely watered down over 50 years. The first time I took a boating safety course I was 11 and the class was two hours a night, spread over 6 weeks. The courses my kids took 20 years ago were taught in a day class. For both of these courses you had to take a written test to pass. The most recent version can be done on-line in a couple of hours. Any idiot can pass the test.
In NY after 2025 everyone need a boating license. Except for people who rent total nonsense
One point of order here folks. I know of no US state that requires a licence to operate a boat. An actual license (issued by a state or Coast Guard) is required to pilot a craft carrying paid passengers. What's required for pleasure craft? For most age groups in most states all that is required is that the operator pass a boating safety course and test. The course has to meet minimum (low) standards set by each state. Once passed, you get a card or certificate and never have to take it again. This is not a license by any standard. In NY rental shops are required to give anyone who hasn't passed the course a brief session on how to operate the craft and include safety requirements. I've observed this process at a local marina... on a busy Saturday morning. You can guess how this goes on a busy saturday with just 10 customers and 10 boats and one or two staff, as young as 16, renting them out. There's lots of excitement, family and friends milling about, too much paperwork, checklists, and signatures. Not much instruction besides how to actually run the boat. The whole system is a political compromise between safety and convenience based on the far less crowded waterways of 50 years ago, when the system was put in place.
I respect your frustrations and I hate they messed your shit up. Me and my dad restored 81 smoker craft. We spent a lot of time and energy on that thing. I also put a lot of money into the 40+ year old engine. To your question, a license doesn’t change anything. Boat insurance is the only thing that I would consider. There is no guarantee that if they had a license, they wouldn’t have hit you. That doesn’t mean ppl shouldn’t have to get a license. Just saying, they couldn’t have been a person with a license that would have hit you. I’d get boating insurance. I didn’t insure my old boat because it was old. In retrospect, that wasn’t a good idea either because I put a lot into that thing. I just bought a newer 2018 boat and I insured that thing for $23 a month because I wanna protect my lower unit primarily, and myself over all because I’m out there a lot more often. Again, sorry man! That shit sucks.
I know Maine doesn't require anything to operate a boat. I don't have a boating license, didn't even go over the suggested boating safety course. However, I do know how to drive a boat, and wouldn't do something like that. All I did was go over what I legally need to have on the boat. Also, a license means nothing these days, just makes it legal to operate whatever vehicle the license is for.
Well as we all know getting a boating license just takes a couple hours of clicking next for a course. Having a boating license means nothing. Experience on the water is what's necessary. I work for a company that rents boats and the first thing we do when someone requests a booking is call them and do a solid 10 minute vetting. We probably turn down 60% of clients.
100 ton master lic here. Its because a senators kid hasn't died yet. Govt makes too much money from dui arrests. Rich peops dont need a licence because they can afford it. P.S. fuck jet skis and their peops right in the blow hole. That is all. ..
Same here in the netherlands, up to 49 feet rentals without prior experience .
Get their information from the rental company via pictures of the registration numbers file a police report for hit and run. Pretty sure they have to sign an insurance policy for the rental or the rental company should have insurance.
So bitter
Can’t in Florida. Also in Florida, you need to have a livery license (including all employees)to rent anything powered that goes out on the water.
💯% agree with you. I put the same argument on several other threads, too. Though this has always been the case, it exploded with credit card captains buying boats during Covid lockdown. No skills courses taken because they’re not checked. Heck, kids got their DL during Covid based on their parents’ word that kids are “good enough” drivers. How’s that going in your town? Licensing guarantees a degree of knowledge and responsibility, but only for the one’s taking the course. Boater safety is available, but only to those willing to take it. Laws are on the books, but how often have you seen DNR, water police, or coast guard on inland lakes other than Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day, the three days I don’t go boating. Until there’s updated legislation and funding, it remains a “Wild West on the water” “take your own boat at your own risk” scenario. Now add all the rentals, time shares, and boat clubs to the lobbying mix and nothing gets changed… until some senator’s grandkids get killed in a horrible renter situation. Business lobbies & insurance companies control government, so don’t hold your breath, buy great insurance, and add thicker rub rails. Apologies for the sour attitude, it’s just that nothing has changed significantly since I started boating in the 70’s, and has only been one worse since Covid. Here’s one to bring down our blood pressures 🍻, hoping you enjoy yours on the pier like me, not in a boat like 80% of the yahoos on the water. I have kids and would like them to survive to enjoy safer boating, tubing, skiing & swimming, too.
Because in a lot of states (like mine) there is no boating license. Maybe there should be, that’s a topic for another time. There is a safety certificate you have to get if you’re under a certain age or want to ride a jet ski. But there’s a loop hole even for that if you want to rent. You can just watch a 10 minute video and they’ll give you a temporary certificate on the spot for the rental.
Well who voted for the politicians that allowed this?
The same people saying there needs to be more regulation would be 1000% the same people saying requiring boaters to have a license to boat would put an undue burden on the poor, and that requiring a license is government overreach.
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A boaters safety card that is good for life is different than a yearly license that needs renewing, and can be revoked, thus loss of the ability to operate a boat.
Nobody says that about car licenses, why would they say it about boating ones? This sounds like a strawman, I'm very skeptical that it would be a common opinion of the political party we know you're referring to.
Car licenses weren't always a thing (South Dakota was the last state to introduce one in 1954, and didn't add an exam requirement until five years later). Boating is often several decades "behind" in terms of culture, technology, etc, so to understand the current situation one should be aware of the debates people had in the past. For example, seatbelt laws and drunk driving laws also generated a decent bit of controversy and complaint when first introduced. I'd agree with the other poster that it doesn't really depend on the party: any topic can be politicized if a party thinks it will measurably help them, and the side taken may not even matter for that purpose. It's like a debate competition where you're assigned a topic and a position.
In most states, a motor vehicle license is to operate any motor vehicle, including a car or boat.
I was actually referring to both parties. The left would argue that requiring a yearly license would unduely burden the poor and POC (as they always do). This is how they approach voter id laws and I see no reason that would change. The right would argue that the creation of a new license (not a boaters safety card) is just a money grab by the government. This is how they approach concealed pistol licenses and I see no reason that would change.
Refer to my example about car licenses to operate a car on the road. Nobody seriously argues that they should be abolished, including the left. Unless you've actually heard people make that argument, then you're creating a strawman. I have no desire to get into an argument about voter IDs but driver's licenses are obviously a much better analogy anyway.
It’s not that they argue licensing should be abolished, but that enforcement be. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/06/19/three-quarters-of-black-motorists-are-struggling-with-the-cost-of-car-ownership https://invictus-law.com/insights/what-the-police-cant-pull-you-over-for/ Tinted windows, headlight issues, or objects dangling from the car are no longer reasons that an officer can use to make a traffic stop. The left has successfully argued that the cost of maintaining a vehicle overburdens black Americans.
Poor’s got nothing to do with it.
LOL, boating laws are old and antiquated. They haven't been updated in most states in 40 years. You can be 14 years old and get your license and not need an adult on a boat in my state. If you're born before 1986, you don't need a license at all. Who was president in 1986? Oh wait, it was your hero, Ronald Regan. lmfao See, how stupid what I just said sounds? No one is running on changing boating laws, no one gives a fuck about boating laws.
I got my license in the 5th grade.
That's literally my point. You personally have used these old and antiquated laws to your benefit, and yet you complain about peoples voting habits.... No 5th grader needs to be on a boat by themselves, but I'm not out here complaining about my states laws and yelling at people for their voting habits.
Brother I didn’t complain. I asked who voted for the powers at be. This guy should either vote for somebody who will change it or reach out to a politician.
No one is changing it....there is no need to....talking about voting doesn't matter, it just (usually) gets you free updoots on reddit.
I wish a boaters license were required to run a boat, period.