License to sail

[u_bugger]

Did it work for car drivers?

OK, everyone needs to pass a test before they are allowed to drive alone on the roads (in the UK at least). That doesn't stop them from doing stupid things when on the roads... BUT:-They do learn basic handling, if not road sense. In Germany the regulations are very restrictive, with boating fines and endorcements leading to fines and points on your car licence too (and removal of your boat).In the UK it is voluntary to take a course, but advisable due to insurance benefits. To take charge of a vessel for monatary gain (hire boats) however they must have a seamanship certificate.Nick

 

[AccdntlJibe]

Laws, Licensing and propert rights.

Legitimate law is always constrained to the protection of the individual rights of life, liberty and property. The basis for the government's ability to impose safety regulations, such as seat belt and licensing laws, comes from the fact that the roads belong to the government. (Even though they probably stole the property through eminent domain in the first place.) Dictating what you can or cannot do on the road is an extension of their rights as property owner. Unless we are willing to concede that the waters are the actual property of the government as well, then they have no right to dictate your actions until your actions violate the rights of life, liberty or property of someone else. Licensing is nothing more than a way for the nanny state to limit freedom and tax us one more time under the guise of protecting our safety. Let's try to keep the government in their place this time. They have their hands in enough of our lives and have enough excuses for pick pocketing us already. For a better understanding of this buy a copy of "The Law" by Fredrick Bastiat.

 

[Thomas Guydos]

Big Brother

This takes one moor Freedom, I have been running boats sail and power sense 1950 asa fisherman and as a sport boat operator.In all that time I have only been hit once atthe lounching ramp late at night by a drunk.People with driving lic. still hit other peopleand I do not think the lic.made any diffrence.I think Having to have a lic would make it hard for pleople with less money to enjoy thewater.

 

[Rick Webb]

There are Not Enough Enforcement Officers Now

What good will another law do when the ones out there now are not being adequately enforced.Let's start there.

 

[Jose Venegas]

The laud minority

I just wander why, in spite of the vociferous and angry response complaining about big government of most of the responders to this question, only 1 out of every 5 answering the quiz are against any form of licensing or education requirement.mmmm

 

[k9piper]

To be or not to be,what a question

Yes to the question of a law ensuring safe and proper proof of skills. I do not agree with the folks who think it infringes on your rights. Everyone who operates a craft should want to do it in a safe manner and everyone no matter how long you have operated any craft can always use a refresher session. Safety first folks, with that comes fun!Have fun all but have it safe as well.

 

[l turn9]

Tough Question

This is a difficult subject filled with problems of freedom and enforcement. On the other hand, I've seen and talked to boaters who have asked while pointing to nav bouys, "What's those green and red things?" These are people operating twin engined hot rods while I try to keep my sail boat out of their way!..I agree that govt is waaay too big and I'm not seeing my party of choice living up to their promises of a smaller govt - but the alternative is worse. True, we have too many laws - over 20,000 to regulate guns and yet people still use them inappropriately. But I think people with little or no experience should take a course on boating safety so they'll at least be introduced to the basics.After a 20 year hiatus I got back to sailing, but before I went onto the water I read 10 or 15 books on everything from surveying to heavy weather sailing - I feel I prepared myself thoroughly and would have passed any test the USCG could have put me thru. But a LOT of people will not do this - they'll write a check and be unleased into the midst of the rest of us!As much as I despise the thought of another law, I think some basics should be mandatory - especially for powered boats - because they can do a lot of damage pretty quickly.Yep, I'm a Libertarian & Constitutionalist, but we have to be protected from the idiots unwilling to gather the knowledge to keep them from hurting others.

 

[Mark Johnson]

10 Horsepower, 20feet.

I agree with the first post on topic. I think any watercraft with a motor over 10 horsepower should have an owner/operator who has had some minimal amount of training. They should pass a test. Then they could have another designation put on their drivers License (in California) like the letter to ride a motorcycle.I would hate to see a new beaureauracrazy formed just to administer the licenseing program. The Coast Guard should not do it. I can't see State boating agencies doing it. I suppose the argument could be made that Boat Dealers could not get the ownwership transferred unless there was a copy of the test submitted with the registration papers.I say a 4 to 8 hour class with a test needing to be passed by 80%.It would have to be in a lot of languages.Maybe it would be easier to just drop the gun laws, and we would all have guns on our boats. Then if someone did some stupid thing we could legally shoot him/her.That would motivate pepole to grt trained in a hurry.

 

[Dennis]

License or no!

We license auto drivers, but people are still getting killed on our highways! Lets not give our governments another reason to get our money! I do believe that a skipper of say a boat 40 feet or more should require a license for operation of that size or bigger, but not smaller, boating costs so much now! I do expect it to happen one day however as the government cant keep their noses out of anything! The voluntary safety classes are enough!

 

[Tom]

I didn't know that

Thats what I was told when we " the admiral" & me met this dude in the wrong side of the channel in wicked cross wind,now who is going to make the right decision someone with training or one with out.I've boated for sveral years & did a little boning up on the proper water eticate ,so when our Gov't fathers put the must have in place I was more than ready to write the exam,I only wish that they would also force a practical exam as well, then that should weed out a few more of the under expeieced souls,& add stiffer penalties to those who disobey the laws as they are.

 

[rycsailor]

License; read basis for taxation

Licensing boat owners will have the same degree of usefulness as licensing automobile drivers. It will provide a source of revenue while doing little if anything to promote safety. The auto licensing requirements are not skill oriented as can be seen everyday on our roads. There is no reason to believe that licensing of boaters will be anymore skill driven. In order for boating to become safer there will have to be an incentive for boaters to invest the time and effort in such an endeavour. A significant reduction in liability insurance rates might be one such incentive.

 

[snowbird]

phuket

more regs

 

[RichardL]

A course at least

I dn't know about a license as such, but I believe that all boat owners should take a "Boating Safety" course. These one day courses are carried out by the USPS (United States Power Squadrons) who have branches all over the country.I also don't think that size of boat should matter, as many of the "first time" boat owners start with small boats and are completely clueless when it comes to safety on the water.Sailing usually needs some training, which includes safety information and "Rules of the Road", but many power boat owners just buy a boat, put it in the water, turn the key, and away they go with absolutely no idea of safety precautions or the Rules of the Road.

 

[Steve]

Unintended Consequences

Testing and licensing boaters makes sense when they are looked at by themselves. I fear, however, that mandatory testing would be used as a way to restrict legitimate boaters for "environmental" reasons. It is easy to imagine a limit to the number of licenses handed out to boaters - a "recreational" activity that affects only "rich" people. More difficult but perhaps more effective and less restrictive is peer pressure and parental responsibility. Bringing our children into boating the right way and encouraging our friends to learn the rules of the road are our responsibility. The most effective changes occur at the grassroots level. Enforcing existing laws wouldn't hurt either. Perhaps a carrot and stick approach.

 

[Ed Hanley14076]

Boat Operator's License

Back about 1980, Hong Kong decreed that a license would be required to operate any boat in Crown Colony waters - essentially HK Harbor, arguably the most congested body of water in the world. The act plainly targeted pleasure boat owners, the vast majority of whom were non-natives. Nobody argued the necessity of a considerable amount of skill to safely navigate the Sunday chaos between HK and Kowloon, but there were very few out there that did not have them, and a lot of resentment was voiced. A few sat for the test, and then found out that their success had to be evidenced by affixing their lic. # in 16" high numerals on both sides of the hull amidships. Need I say that the enthusiasm for the program around the RHKYC bar was somewhat less than considerable, and little more was heard about it.

 

[Herb Parsons]

I'm (almost) Licensed, BUT

I just finished my courses (and all the required testing) for my Coast Guard Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels for near coastal waters, sailing and towing endorsements, and my Masters for Inspected Vessels Inland up to 100 Gross Tons. I still have to finish my paperwork and take my oath, but all of the requirements are now finished.That said, I'm completely opposed to required licensing for recreational boaters. I agree that the water is the last bastion of freedom, and should remain at least that (wouldn't it be nice if we gained a few more bastions of freedom?). I say that, because in spite of the license requirements I just completed, I feel that all it's done is given me the necessary credentials to really begin to learn. Until licensing requirements (even those for autos) include manditory requirements for long term operation under the supervision of someone qualified, they are basically worthless. 20 years of boating experience (and driving experience) is pretty worthless, if it's 20 years of doing the same things wrong.That said, I'm a big believer in insurance companies to have whatever requirements they feel appropriate before they insure someone. Required training, extra charges for those that aren't trained, denial of coverage except in the most benign situations for those that are inexperienced, I believe all of those are appropriate.

 

[Ed Ramsey]

NO MORE LAWS! (RANT)

I don't think we need any more laws (don't they take enough of our $$ already?) I keep reading about how everyony wants to be able to enjoy their boating 'safely'. "Safely" is pretty vague. What IS safe? Is it always wearing a life jacket, even when there is no waves/wind, when 'sailing' a boat with positive foam floatation in a small INLAND lake? What if those conditions exist, and there are also plenty of people nearby on bass boats and pontoon boats on that small inland lake, quietly enjoying an evening of fishing? If something would go wrong, they are usually more than willing to lend a hand. OR, how about the night you decide to sleep on your boat, AT THE DOCK, and it starts pouring down rain? You wake up in the morning, the rain and clouds are gone, and you find the section of the dock nearest to shore was washed away during the night? (because the local gov't hasn't kept up with repairs)-- (This happened to me last summer, at Clearfork Reservoir in Mansfield, OH) So, you walk back to your boat, inflate your raft, WALK it down to the shore end of the dock, and get in it, with no life jacket, and paddle a distance of 12 or 15 feet to shore, only to get chewed out by a cocky lake patrolman, for not having a life jacket--WHILE PADDLING A RAFT IN CALM WEATHER A DISTANCE OF 15 LOUSY FEET, THROUGH WATER LESS THAN FOUR FEET DEEP!!!!!!!!!! THEN, he has the NERVE to tell me that I need to have my $18 Wal-Mart raft LICENSED??? When I asked him (very politely) when they would have the dock repaired, he blew it off, and said, and I qoute: "don't give me that... That board just washed away last night" (Like I didn't realize that on my own) NO MORE LAWS!!!!I am TIRED of the attitude of those who enforce them!!!!!!! (BTW, I have since begun boating more at lakes which are less heavily patrolled!! With their attitude, I think I can support FRIENDLIER lakes with my slip fees!!)

 

[Richard Griffiths]

license to sail?

A basic rules knowledge course is highly desirable. However, I have met far too many adults who said they knew how to operate a sailboat (or canoe) and then promptly demonstratedd that they didn't. I am in favor of some basic operating skills test for power and sailboats.

 

[Tim]

Yes to a safety course, no to a licence

But only if they use the fees collected from course payments for infrastructure maintenance. Licences never have and never will work, they're too dumbed down to be of any use except to tax. Were you required to merge at 60 mph on your driver's test? There should be a special licence for freeway travel in cities. I'm a sailboater. Wakes are waves folks. You should be keeping a proper watch for them, and be skilled enough to minimize their effect.

 

[DaveP]

we was stuck with it in Alabama a few years back.... even though its a sailboat it still has an aux. engine an falls under the laws......Statewide licensing of boat operators began in all Alabama counties July 17, 1997 under the Boating Safety Reform Act. You must be at least 12 years of age to operate a motorized vessel on Alabama's waterways. You also must be licensed. A written examination is required for applicants, except those who were 40 or older on April 28, 1994, or those who have successfully completed boating courses given by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadron or the Alabama Marine Police "Boating Basics" course. The vessel class "V" must be added to your license if you intend to operate a motorized vessel. This legislation, which also provides sanctions for drunken driving and other offenses, has been hailed as the toughest boating safety act in the country.