Should recreational boaters be required to be licensed?

For minors, absolutely

I really can’t believe you folks. Look at all the RULES and REGS that the USCG applies and All the Rules the COMPANY applies and All the RULES the CLIENT applies and guess what… FOLKS STILL SCREW UP. Guess again, These folks, including myself, studied for years and went to college for years and still SCREWED UP.

With this new Government maybe we can make the folks with USCG Licenses take a 3 hours course and get another license. :slight_smile:

No way in hell should a Rec. guy have to take a Lic. or even a safety course. What good does it really do? Yea, you will feel good about saying so but give me a freaking break. With or without a safety course, his or her ass should get a ticket and be fined. Plan and simple. ANY IDIOT, yes sir even for C. Captain, Even us southern folks know you don’t drink and drive behind a wheel, boat or car. ( DISCLAMER: THIS NEVER HAPPENS IN THE NW. THESE FOLKS ARE JUST TO SMART FOR REST OF THE WORLD.)

NOW, lets talk real, If the INSURANCE companies want to say hey, we will give a discount if you go online and take a test by all means, have at it. ( They do at Progressive because I get one for my Lic. )

I will go back to the 1st or 2nd page, I think the lic. should be a full tank of gas and a case of beer.

I agree with earlier post and Alabama’s law, Under 16 you have to take a safety course to drive a boat.

I think it would be a good idea to require a license for recreational boaters but not on the same lines of a mmc. Like a drivers license but for the water. Certainly a written exam but not one thats too difficult. Safe operation, PFD’s, fire extinguishers, etc. etc. And call me old school but there should be stiff consequences for operating under the influence, which I believe there already are. Alot of parents have been bereaved by idiots on the water just partying & having a good time.

[QUOTE=Capnklump;158131]I think it would be a good idea to require a license for recreational boaters but not on the same lines of a mmc. Like a drivers license but for the water. Certainly a written exam but not one thats too difficult. Safe operation, PFD’s, fire extinguishers, etc. etc. And call me old school but there should be stiff consequences for operating under the influence, which I believe there already are. Alot of parents have been bereaved by idiots on the water just partying & having a good time.[/QUOTE]

Not that I have had one, but a BUI is a lot more serious than a DUI. They are far more less frequent though. It’s nice to know that the water police are more forgiven than the asphalt police. I look at it this way, Far less traffic so it shouldn’t be as big as a problem.

I agree its alot less frequent. Still can be deadly though. I’m glad to see the water cops out in force during spring break & other times when the crowds are out. I have a daughter thats not far from college age.

Hang around any popular boat ramp in the summer and watch the drunks try to launch and recover their boats…amusing and quite hair-raising. Scary, even. People really think it’s their birthright (Murikka!) to get as silly shitfaced as possible while driving a boat.

Hell no. No licenses for recreational boaters. The licenses would just be poorly administered bullshit “qualifications” that would not do anything, except cost us all, extra time, money, and freedom. What we have now works well enough. Let nature take its course.

Its funny to consider a required license for a 20ft skiff with a motor on it when anybody can jump on a commercial fishing boat under 199 tons and operate it with no paperwork at all.

Then my neighbor with his party barge won’t just be a captain on his email address. ( captain blank@yahoo.com). Hello no!

Ok…how about a mandatory video of bass boats and wafis getting bowled over with the message, “if it’s bigger than you, stay the f outta the way”

Even the fisherman could use a lesson or two.

Entering locks this pleasure boater trying to beat us was taking a chance.

Leaving locks, this fishing boat was stationary then began to move across our path. I’m sure someone on the bridge crapped their pants

yeah some gruesome commercials showing ships and barges mowing down pleasure boaters that get in their way! Play them on an endless loop in crappy boat stores, boat ramps, and liquor stores near waterways.

The thing that would get their attention is zooming in on all the poor beers floating away after getting run over…

(Guy who likes to boat, and drink beer, but stays away from ships/tugs on his time off)

Catherder - All the boats you took a picture off and posted, I’m pretty sure all those CAPTAINS have a USCG license. Goes back to my post, folks study for a long time to pass a test and still do stupid shit.

Just can’t believe folks would vote to require a license for a 70 year old grandpa taking his 10 year old grandson fishing just because he has a 15’ Jon Boat with 20HP Johnson.

It’s not about the old guy taking his kids out. It’s about ensuring that everyone on the water has at least a minimum standard of knowledge. There will still be idiots, but at least if something goes wrong it won’t always be on the professional just because he has a license.


It’s just a certificate that you are not a complete moron on the sea. Everyone born after 01.01.1980 in Norway needs it to steer a boat over 8 meters and 25 hk.
I can’t tell if it’s working or not because the biggest idiots on the water are the 50 year old big shot from the city, who needs to blow some steam and cash on a motorboat with no previous experience on the water.

[QUOTE=Tugboater203;159273]It’s not about the old guy taking his kids out. It’s about ensuring that everyone on the water has at least a minimum standard of knowledge. There will still be idiots, but at least if something goes wrong it won’t always be on the professional just because he has a license.[/QUOTE]

It isn’t like that now, so why would another government rule change anything? Only law I know that works like that is the DUI law.
The way the question was presented would require gramps to get a license.

Another approach to the problem of recreational vessel operating in an unsafe manner around larger vessel is to officially designate channels as “narrow channel”, This has ben done in SF Bay.

(b) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the passage of a vessel which ] can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway.

(c) A vessel engaged in fishing shall not impede the passage of any other vessel navigating within a narrow channel or fairway.

(d) A vessel shall not cross a narrow channel or fairway if such crossing impedes the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within such channel or fairway. The latter vessel may use the [ sound | danger ] signal prescribed in Rule 34(d) if in doubt as to the intention of the crossing vessel.

[QUOTE=AB Murph;159272]Catherder - All the boats you took a picture off and posted, I’m pretty sure all those CAPTAINS have a USCG license. Goes back to my post, folks study for a long time to pass a test and still do stupid shit.

Just can’t believe folks would vote to require a license for a 70 year old grandpa taking his 10 year old grandson fishing just because he has a 15’ Jon Boat with 20HP Johnson.[/QUOTE]

The pleasure boat that passed across our bow was closer than the photo suggests…and there were kids on it. I doubt he had a license, I don’t think you need one for such a craft. The capt of the fishing boat…who knows but what an ass!

But speaking of Jon boats/small fishing boats- in my local area there are several incidents a year with people overloading and capsizing them. Sometimes a fatality.

Don’t you think at least a short boater’s education lecture/online course would be appropriate? I’m not talking about a license like we use.

Hmm… Google is a wonderful thing. Think I read somewhere Cal. now requires it also.

http://www.americasboatingcourse.com/lawsbystate.cfm

Nothing can be said for humans. We are going to do stupid crap when we go do things. Living in Pensacola, Fl. I hear about drowning’s every single year and it is heart breaking to hear about some kid drowning when a family comes down for vacation and end up going back home with one less family member. It doesn’t matter if the kid was playing in the surf, drunk dad wrecking the boat or boat got swamped and sank.

As hard as it may be for some to grasp but only one state requires a Boating Lic. Yes, it’s that redneck state of ALABAMA. What the law actually is I’m not sure, I was raised there but live in Florida now.

To even make a more of a point, why enforce a Lic. on people who by the numbers are really safe. They are 12 million boats registered and by 2013 stats only 6,000 accidents were reported. That’s accidents not deaths dealing with the recreational boater. That comes out to 0.0005 percent. We all know all accidents are not reported so lets move it up to 10 X’s that and it would still be less than 1% , 0.5% to be more accurate.

I’m not saying there are people out there that doesn’t do stupid things in their PWC’s, Hell I’m one of them. I will admit I’m not holier than holy. I’ve almost had my boat sink 3 times. Went fishing and pushing that envelope. I knew what needed to be done and fix things on the boat before going out but damn it I wanted to fish.

Before I came out here and started driving BIG BOATS I always used the thought process of I have the power and speed to get out of there way. I never thought about the pressure I was putting on the captain of the bigger boat, like tugs and such. I know this for a fact also, that is not in any of the safety courses that I took.

Someone brought up the ROR of Impeding a vessel in a narrow channel. Depends on how you interpret the word IMPEDE. A small boat cutting across my bow shouldn’t impede me, hinder? naw still can’t say that. Irritate? You damn right. Crew boats Irritate me in Fourchon but I don’t think they IMPEDE me.

Back on subject. Do Rec. boaters need to have a Lic.? We see a lot because we are on the water more than most but requiring the people of the USA to obtain a Lic. for everything they do is leading down a road I do not what to see. Folks smash there fingers all the time with hammers, is a Lic. going to be required for that next? What about cell phones. People obviously do not know how to use them things. Cell phone usage and wrecks are overtaking, if not already, alcohol as the leading cause of crashes. Before you can buy a cell phone should we require Lic. be issued. Let’s not forget all this really is, is another tax.

Again, lets not forget. 12 million boats and only 6000 reported accidents. This is by folks without a lic. to operate a boat. Wonder what the numbers are for the folks that actually have a USCG Lic.?

[QUOTE=AB Murph;159349]
Someone brought up the ROR of Impeding a vessel in a narrow channel. Depends on how you interpret the word IMPEDE. A small boat cutting across my bow shouldn’t impede me, hinder? naw still can’t say that. Irritate? You damn right. Crew boats Irritate me in Fourchon but I don’t think they IMPEDE me.
[/QUOTE]

I’m going to guess that you’ve never tried to find a path though the WAFIs with a tug and tow.

[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;159357]I’m going to guess that you’ve never tried to find a path though the WAFIs with a tug and tow.[/QUOTE]

No Sir, Can’t say I have. I don’t even know where the WAFI’s are. LOL!!!

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I’m saying the harbor police, Fish/Wildlife and game, or USCG should be giving the idiots tickets. I’m not saying educating boaters is a bad thing, I’m saying screw the government putting, in my eyes, another tax on the people of the USA or as C- captain says just another reason for Joe Boss to feed us a shit samich and we having to eat it.

Believe me, I boat a lot in Pensacola bay. I don’t even go out the 4th of July, Memorial Day and such. I do as Catherder stated: I go to the boat ramps with some beer and just watch all the excitement. Blue Angle Weekend is another great time. :slight_smile: