Maryland law specifies that anyone born on or after 01 July 1972 must have a Certificate of Boating Safety Education in order to operate a mechanically propelled vessel on Maryland waters.
Boating Card
- Thread starter Brian D
- Start date
One can download the CA booklet. I did and started to read it but it was SOOOOOOOOOO dry it put me to sleep.
link to the Oregon study guide and test etc.:
www.boaterexam.com
Get your Oregon Boating License Online | BoaterExam
Take our online safety course and get certified for your Oregon boater card. Approved by the Oregon State Marine Board.
www.boaterexam.com
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,384
For the first few years Oregon said old guys are grandfathered in. But eventually they ran out of boater money. Then they changed and the older boater is required to prove they can be safe on the water.
Fortunately it is Pass Fail. No special stars on the card if you get 100%.
Fortunately it is Pass Fail. No special stars on the card if you get 100%.
In New York you get a score, passing score is an 80% or above. When I took the test I was pissed because I only got a 99%.
I missed one question: How many feet from shore do you have to be when driving a jet ski before you can go full speed?
But, as I'll never drive a jet ski, it didn't seem like something I need to commit to memory... I was still pissed I actually missed a question on the test though... Reflecting on the questions, it kind of bothers me that all the questions on right of way could be potentially missed (you pass missing 20 of the 100 quiz questions). Or at least way too many of them. When I took my written test for driving years ago there were the "critical" questions. You could only miss one if those and still pass no matter what your score was. I think a similar requirement should apply on the boating test.
dj
Yeah. In principle, it’s like I sometimes ask, “Do you really want a doctor operating on you who knows only 80% of what s/he is doing? Let’s see now, where does this piece go?”
There is also the issue of completeness of knowledge versus encounter rate. Let’s say you know 80% (0.8) of the correct “answers” generally, but the probability that you encounter only situations represented by that knowledge is, say, 0.9. So, we have 0.8 x 0.9 = 0.72. At any point in time, you’d be boating with a barely “passing” level of functional knowledge, etc. At least, starting out. What happens with the passage of time, does “functional” knowledge go up or down? People don’t go boating any where near as frequently as they drive the car, so slow accumulation of experience, plus accelerated loss of test knowledge (forgetting, etc.). Without periodic re-testing, the card is nearly meaningless as an indication of boater competence, IMHO.
Last edited:
In CT you used to be able to pay about $90 to $100 and take the course in one day at a local classroom with a proctored exam or you could take a low cost (maybe free - don't remember) from the state but it was over four 2-hour classes over 4 weeks. I looked briefly today and the state class has moved online and is free. I think the on-line classes are "zoom" type.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,384
The test is a glimpse in time of rules identified by someone as important. It says nothing to your ability to remember these rules or that many, if any, of them will be relevant during your boating life. Especially during that moment of crisis, that you will remember the rule, that you will apply the rule correctly, or that the other parties in the event will do the same and avoid the catastrophe the rule is intended to prevent.
But knowing 80% is good enough for you to pay the fees and release you out on the water.
It is a scary world out there.
But knowing 80% is good enough for you to pay the fees and release you out on the water.
It is a scary world out there.
It wouldn’t make much difference if the “bar” was set at 100%. That’s 100% of the questions asked. A test is a sample of knowledge. However, if it’s focused knowledge, such as heavily weighted toward “safety”, then the card holder might have functional knowledge in a safety crises, such as what to use to put out a fire. But from my observation, for example, very few boaters know how to communicate over the VHF, i.e. the protocols, including reporting their position. Now why would a jet skier need to know anything about that? S/he wouldn’t, so why have it on the test? (But neither would the jet skier need to know how to put out a boat fire
.)
.)
Last edited:
Is it revocable? Otherwise it is virtually meaningless.
Taking the thing online is pretty much a joke too. I sat down one day and took the free test for several different states and p[assed all of them without looking at the material.
It should not be that easy it ought to require some work, knowledge and understanding.
Taking the thing online is pretty much a joke too. I sat down one day and took the free test for several different states and p[assed all of them without looking at the material.
It should not be that easy it ought to require some work, knowledge and understanding.
If a boater remembers just one thing from taking a course, it's still better than Zero, IMO.
I have boater cards for AZ, NV and CA. Not required, but I like to continue my education as this old timers sets in.
I did learn that it was a law that I can't take a wizz off the stern rail into the water
. I'm keeping a sharper eye out for the police now.
I have boater cards for AZ, NV and CA. Not required, but I like to continue my education as this old timers sets in.
I did learn that it was a law that I can't take a wizz off the stern rail into the water
. I'm keeping a sharper eye out for the police now.
Have not got one yet. Thanks for the reminder. I will apply here:
Like starboard right, port left? So now we all must take a “feel-good” exam to insure that a boater out there might right remember something useful? Recall the old adage that a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing? Folks often tend to feel they know more about a subject than they actually do when it comes to specifics.
I’m not against boater education; it’s the mandatory part that I find objectionable.
Last edited:
the test is stupid easy. simple rules of the road test. all the test indicates is that once in your life you read the pamphlet. nothing more. you carry the rules book on board. you can refresh your memory, but you won't. prolly too busy worrying about what the other guy knows, or at least this thread would indicate such.
Taking the course now...........14% completed (1 of 7 chapters) in 18 minutes and 100% passing first of 7 tests.
Here in Ontario we have had to have an Operator Card for years. I think the grandfather clause ran out about 10 or 15 years ago. I was running out of time and there was a booth set up outside a local hardware store so I popped in to write the test. The girl checking the answers asked if I had been boating for a long time. I did very well, got the card but she said a lot of people didn't pass (I think you needed 80%). You have to wonder how many of those that failed are still out there on the water.
Ours is currently lifetime but there are discussions about introducing a renewal period with a fee for the new card. An obvious money grab