Do Boating Safety Courses Really Produce Safe Boating?

marke14 · Jan 4, 2016

Just to be the Devil's advocate:
1) reinforce (or teach) the Rules of the Road, crossing situations in particular
2) (marine) drive home the importance of charts, navigation, and weather
3) as with land-based vehicles, higher velocity (speed) means a lower margin for safety - certainly people can be and do get killed by massive, slow-moving craft but not like a speedboat or PWC running full-tilt into something

I haven't made up my mind about this initiative yet. There are many Pros and Cons for sure.

EDIT: I always forget to initially qualify this sort of thing with: I personally feel that since people who reply to this thread must register in order to respond to a Q like this are inherently skewed towards being on the more-informed end of the spectrum. I therefore answered more generally. Certainly I am interested in learning more and developing my safe boating habits.

Ron20324 · Jan 4, 2016

When I take the boat out, I tell the crew there is a basic safety rule : "The boat don't hit nothin', and nothin' hits the boat". yeah, there is MOB, flares and such- too much to list.

The OP asked, "What could you actually learn from taking an operator exam that would make you a fundamentally safer boater". Like back in the old school days, the tests are a show of the knowledge you have learned. Passing the test is the final step, but remembering everything you leard along the way is the IMPORTANT part when you are on the water. My 2 cents.

shemandr · Jan 5, 2016

Kings Gambit said:
What could you actually learn from taking an operator exam that would make you a fundamentally safer boater?

That you are financially responsible for the damage your wake does to other watercraft, marine facilities and natural resources?

kloudie1 · Jan 5, 2016

Louisiana has been requiring a "Boater Education Course" for anyone born after 1 January, 1984; Only mandatory if operating a motorboat that is powered by 10 HP or more. Minimum age is 10 for getting the certificate. The course is free and is offered in classroom or on-line format. Wife and I went since she'd not been brought up with boats .. Course was taught by local Power Squadron guys and has a lot of useful material. It was heavy on COLREGS but also gave info on things like boat overloading and anchoring .. The folks taking the course were mixed, some not interested at all and some were engaged in the material. One couple was there because a judge had made the course mandatory for them after they'd been in a boat accident (boat hit tree while turning in a bayou).. The course is probably a good thing but the information transfer REALLY depends on the instructors and how much enthusiasm they bring to the course..

uncledom · Jan 5, 2016

I have a masters license with sail and towing endorsements. I have been on the water since I was eight. I believe you can't teach a leopard to change it's spots. If someone has general disregard for rules, drinks, or speeds at inappropriate times you will not "learn" it out of them. Most people can be taught to pass a test but if they are not prone to take the situation seriously, they won't. We don't have enough law enforcement on land to stop drivers from texting while driving , which everyone knows is illegal, and enforcement agencies on the water are even thinner! Perhaps you should be given the test without being given a class. That would ensure that you took enough time and effort to be actually invested in the process. I passed my original boaters safety course in New Jersey, given by the state police, without taking an official couse. I was and am interested in boating and all the associated rules and customs and pomp and circumstance that goes with it. To answer your question, you would not be able to teach me anything and have me apply it in my daily life if I were not interested. That is why we have law enforcement, if there were no repercussions for straying from the rules I would need the rocket launcher option on both my car and boat.

Anonymous 121765 · Jan 5, 2016

Kings,

I have the same endorsements as Uncledon & he has brought up some good points to keep in mind.

I believe that there are two types or real courses in boating/safety. One is course material & the second is actual on-water training. Memorizing rules & COLREGS is one thing but physically testing what you have learned will cement your learning, confidence & safety. Early on, I would practice MOB with actual people, sail in inclement & storm conditions, at night & practice transiting busy channels & inlets. Navigation is a big deal so spend time practicing this so it becomes automatic.

ps: I almost never put up 2 sails when in a channel that has traffic or is narrow. This is why I have my Iron Jib. I've watched alot of sailboats get beat up trying to sail channels especially on a wing-n-wing. Easy is the better course of action in these conditions.

CR

CYQK · Jan 5, 2016

If you still believe that government does things that are vertious I've got some swamp to sell you!!!!

uncledom · Jan 5, 2016

CYQK said:
If you still believe that government does things that are vertious I've got some swamp to sell you!!!!

That is a whole new thread. I do believe without repercussions there would be larger problems. I'm ok with the missle launcher option but it isn't agreed upon as a solution (law). :stirthepot:

Jackdaw · Jan 5, 2016

Anyone that uses a lifetime of experience to ace the test without having to study might think it a colossal waste of time and effort, and perhaps government overreach.

But a large percentage of newer boaters will have to study and learn new things to pass. It is those very learnings (like perhaps ROW) that boaters in the first group expect them to know when they meet on the water. Its hard to imagine that being a bad thing.

Gunni · Jan 5, 2016

As long as there are people who believe they were born with an innate skill at boating, and who can buy a 60 MPH motorboat for less than $10k ...there will be a need for safe boating courses. If only so the judge has a means to prove to them that there are a few things they don't know.

uncledom · Jan 5, 2016

I'm all in for learning, it's the process that I think is lacking. Perhaps an apprenticeship or mandatory on water testing would help people understand not just the proceedures but also the problems that can easily occur without everyone operating a vessel using the same set of rules.

uncledom · Jan 5, 2016

Gunni said:
As long as there are people who believe they were born with an innate skill at boating, and who can buy a 60 MPH motorboat for less than $10k ...there will be a need for safe boating courses. If only so the judge has a means to prove to them that there are a few things they don't know.

Gunni, I wasn't going to be the guy that said it but I believe this is one of the large problems.
Thanks

Benny17441 · Jan 5, 2016

The only safety that it will directly impact is the job safety of some California Government employees. This is just one of the latest ways for State Governments to increase revenue.

Calif. Ted · Jan 5, 2016

CYQK said:
If you still believe that government does things that are vertious I've got some swamp to sell you!!!!

I don't remember doing anything vertious when I worked for the guvmint.

uncledom · Jan 5, 2016

Ted, you only half fixed it. virtuous
Didn't really want to be that guy either.

jwing · Jan 5, 2016

As far as I can tell, EVERYBODY on my lake knows and obeys the COLREGS. I attribute that to state law requiring successful completion of a boater safety course.
I sail out of a sailboat-only marina that has no fuel dispensing, so I don't know for sure, but I suppose that the fueling safety portion of the course has made people aware of the dangers and the proper procedures for fueling.

jwing · Jan 5, 2016

CYQK said:
If you still believe that government does things that are vertious I've got some swamp to sell you!!!!

So you believe the Coast Guard is not 'vertious.' How about creating navigational charts? No? Weather forecasts?

centerline · Jan 5, 2016

Kings Gambit said:
I've been wondering what questions on a written test can be asked and answered in order to obtain a California Vessel Operator Card that actually result in safe boating practice over common sense. What is "safe boating" anyway? Seems to me it can be boiled down to: 1) Don't fall in.; 2) Don't hit anything. Both of those two items can be argued to have greater risk of occurrence if there is alcohol consumption. So, is "Safe Boating" really all about restricting alcohol consumption on the water and hardly anything else? Perhaps, also the sale of "safety equipment?" Does rescue chance equate to safe boating? Can anyone really gain facility in rescue methods from working a written test? What could you actually learn from taking an operator exam that would make you a fundamentally safer boater?

so much could be said to answer this question.... but the short answer is, there is a lot that COULD be learned to make the "student" a safer boat operator, if only he/she cared to learn and practice....

if one were to take a course at marine mechanics and fiberglass school, would that make them more aware of how little they actually know?... and would it make them a better DIYer on their boat, and prevent them from unwittingly doing the hack jobs that we so commonly see?...... no, its not always a safety issue, but it is always a LEARNING issue. we learn and we put into practice what we have learned...... yes, it makes us better at it if we want it....

there are so many people who think owning a boat sounds like fun... they think because they know how to start it and put it in gear, they know enough about it to be safe..... yet they have no idea how little they know about it.....and they have no idea how much there is to know... its endless really.

yes, I am in favor of boating courses. even though in the grading system there is no such thing as failure, it does make one more aware, and shows them how to find more information so that they can learn even more... IF they have any care to.

You can require a person to have the tools needed to excel, but "fundamentally", you cant not make someone do something they refuse to do, and as one gets older, the cure for "stupid" declines rapidly...