How do you prove you can sail a boat?

jviss · Jul 26, 2023

From the California Boater Card FAQ:
Q: Who will be exempt from needing a Boater Card?

A: According to California law the following persons will not be required to have a boater card to operate a motorized recreational vessel on California waterways when the requirements go into effect beginning in January 2018:
• A person operating a rental vessel.
...
• A person who is a resident of a state other than California who is temporarily operating a vessel in California for less than 60 days and meets the boating requirements, if any, of his/her state.
• A person who is a resident of a country other than the United States who is temporarily operating a vessel in California for less than 90 days and meets the boating requirements, if any, of his/her country.
And so on....

California Boater Card FAQ

dlochner · Jul 26, 2023

jviss said:
From the California Boater Card FAQ:
Q: Who will be exempt from needing a Boater Card?

A: According to California law the following persons will not be required to have a boater card to operate a motorized recreational vessel on California waterways when the requirements go into effect beginning in January 2018:
• A person operating a rental vessel.
...
• A person who is a resident of a state other than California who is temporarily operating a vessel in California for less than 60 days and meets the boating requirements, if any, of his/her state.
• A person who is a resident of a country other than the United States who is temporarily operating a vessel in California for less than 90 days and meets the boating requirements, if any, of his/her country.
And so on....

California Boater Card FAQ

Interesting. So the people who are most likely to have a limited knowledge of boating laws and regulations, rental boat operators, are not required to have a certificate.

jviss · Jul 26, 2023

dlochner said:
most likely to have a limited knowledge of boating laws and regulations, rental boat operators

I'm not sure that's so, I'd like to see the statistics on that. They might indeed have more knowledge than the average boater, traveling around and renting boats!

Johnb · Jul 26, 2023

dlochner said:
Interesting. So the people who are most likely to have a limited knowledge of boating laws and regulations, rental boat operators, are not required to have a certificate.

1 Don't try to make sense of it - you will suffer cognitive dissonance trauma syndrome.

2 It is coming or came to a state near you e.g. Maine in 2024, Oregon already.

3 Get it while your brain is still capable of doing the test - it is good for life.

4 Whether or not you think it is an illogical POS idea you got to have it.

In California rental boaters are exempt, including those on jet skies.............

Thaniel · Jul 26, 2023

For me I took the state boater safety course (online). Seems like it was free and some small amount for the card. Then took an online course from Nauticed.com Skipper Small Sailboat Online Sailing Course | NauticEd Pricing was best I could find around for similar "book work" type courses. In the end just bought an old sailboat and didn't need to prove anything. The courses were fun and informative anyway and I'm now a certified "skipper", whatever that means for anyone.

Scott T-Bird · Jul 26, 2023

I have no idea why anybody is talking about California. @Daveinet lives in northern Illinois, apparently. Perhaps he is talking about southern Wisconsin, that wouldn't be a stretch. I imagine having the safe boating license in Illinois is a requirement as a given. They didn't have it when I lived there but I bet they do now, just as in New Jersey (it wasn't required when I got her but later it did become a requirement). I imagine the certificate that is required for renting a sailboat is specific to the ASA or US Sailing courses. Sure it costs ... everything costs. That's just a fact of life that we all mostly have to live with. There is no point in fretting over it ... just do it.

BigEasy · Jul 26, 2023

Daveinet said:
Now that is potentially reasonable. Since this is only a temporary solution, I don't want to go investing a bunch of money into it. Their requirement is sailing specific.

Before, you spend money on a Nautic Ed course, or any course, better check with the charter / rental company to ensure that it is satisfactory. In my opinion, if the certification doesn't include both classroom/online instruction as well as onboard instruction, the certification isn't worth much. As @Scott T-Bird mentioned, an ASA or US Sailing sanctioned course is probably what is going to be necessary. If you plan on chartering vessels, 22 to 25 feet, ASA or US Sailing basic certification will be the minimum certification that will be required. To charter boats over 30 feet, higher certification will be required or lots of documentation to prove that you are capable. Can't really criticize them; with the difficulty & expense in procuring business liability insurance as well as the litigious environment that we live in, it is prudent for them to require you to have a minimum certification. Most charter operators also have a sailing school, so that would be a good place to start.
The place that I was a charter club member required ASA or US Sailing certifications appropriate for the size boat that you wanted to charter, If you weren't certified or your abilities were suspect, they required you to take their written test & demonstrate your competency on water (with a Captain onboard) for a fee. I had ASA advanced certification & had taken two certification courses with them; therefore, it wasn't a problem for me to charter their boats up to 39 feet.

Timm R Oday25 · Jul 27, 2023

I've been following this with a sense of curiosity . $8.00 an hour to go in a small circle in an old quarry . Yep , these rules about a certification card were made by lawyers and folks that don't actually sail. If the organization wanted to rent out thier sailboats they would include a link has to how to obtaina sailboat certification card . Or heck ,here is an idea ,offer classes on getting one .Several years from now the governing board will look at their spread sheet and come to the conclusion that nobody sails anymore . That must be it . Perhaps then you can buy one of the 17' Catalinas cheap ..because it's never been rented out ..
There is an old sand quarry not far from Crystal lake that many people learned to scuba dive in . New owners took over , more restrictive requirements and attendance dropped like a rock ..

Thaniel · Jul 27, 2023

Daveinet said:
Now that is potentially reasonable. Since this is only a temporary solution, I don't want to go investing a bunch of money into it. Illinois does have a safe boater course, but you only need it if you were born after a specific date. Their requirement is sailing specific. If you care to go to the website, it is here:
Boat Rental and Marina | Crystal Lake, IL

From the website: "Customers must show a valid sailboat operator's certificate or sail card to rent the sail boat. "

Searching the web for "sailboat operator's certificate" (with the quotes) yields only the Crystal lake website. Searching for "sail card" results don't seem to have anything to do with Sailing certification. Have you asked if they have ever rented a sail boat? What they posted doesn't make sense, to me anyway.

Richard19068 · Jul 27, 2023

Thaniel said:
From the website: "Customers must show a valid sailboat operator's certificate or sail card to rent the sail boat. "

Searching the web for "sailboat operator's certificate" (with the quotes) yields only the Crystal lake website. Searching for "sail card" results don't seem to have anything to do with Sailing certification. Have you asked if they have ever rented a sail boat? What they posted doesn't make sense, to me anyway.

I agree. I did the same thing with the same results. Couldn't find anything sailboat specific. Seems like the marina should be able to explain what they really want.

Thaniel · Jul 27, 2023

Thaniel said:
From the website: "Customers must show a valid sailboat operator's certificate or sail card to rent the sail boat. "

Searching the web for "sailboat operator's certificate" (with the quotes) yields only the Crystal lake website. Searching for "sail card" results don't seem to have anything to do with Sailing certification. Have you asked if they have ever rented a sail boat? What they posted doesn't make sense, to me anyway.

Clicking on Sailboat in the pricing table downloads a PDF with more detailed information
"Sailboat Details:
- The Three Oaks Recreation Area Hobie Cat Sailboat seats two (2) to four (4) passengers.
- Guests must be 18 years or older and must show certification of passing a sailing course offered by a reputable organization.
- Please contact the Marina for more sailboat details. Guests must show proof of sailing knowledge and a sailing card must be presented (expired is acceptable). Log Book from the marina, sailing program, or Old Goat's Club Membership (can show on smart phone if no card is available). "

So need
"show certification of passing a sailing course"
"proof of sailing knowledge"
"sailing card"

Guess this is the example? (or is that the example of just "sailing card")
"Log Book from the marina, sailing program, or Old Goat's Club Membership (can show on smart phone if no card is available). "

Dr. D · Jul 27, 2023

Do you have a copy of the bill of sale from the boats you owned? Seems that would be proof of knowledge. (Unless they think you are one of those people who buy a boat and never sail it.)

Scott T-Bird · Jul 28, 2023

No, that's Bad Ass!

RobertLangdirect · Sep 10, 2023

LloydB said:
Ask your original certificate provider to send you a replacement. An alternate method is to name drop your Lawyer Daggett as you place cash on the counter. Worst case take a boating safety course online just to brush up on any rules they've added since 1998 that you may have missed.

Rodman Navy Sail Club, Panama. Hard to get anyone there now.