More than 80 percent of the boat accidents in the U.S. "The process of someone going through testing at a rental site was just not a realistic proposal," he said. He said he examined practices at rental facilities and feels confident they prepare boaters with enough education. Renters often have less experience."Ĭalifornia Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, wrote the law and said he decided to leave out renters because while they "at first blush appear to pose the greatest risk," rental facilities provide instruction before they take a boat out. "We're enforcing the law as it was written," she said. Peterson with California's Division of Boating and Waterways said she understands the frustration that renters are left out of the law. "We joke because we've overheard people who are renting a 20-foot boat to go out for the day and ask where the gas pedal is," he said.
However if you rent a boat, you will not need a license.Īndersen said he understands that requiring a license would hurt tourism, but tourists and boat renters are also often the least experienced. If you own a boat or drive a friend's boat, you will need a license. So if you can buy a boat, you can drive it."īut the new law has a hole in it. "And you don't need an operator's license. "There's no turn signals and highways on the water," he said. "If you want to drive a car, you have to have classroom instruction and take a test, you have to have hours behind the wheel and you have to drive it for a performance test," he said.Īnd boating is more complicated than driving, he said. The teacher, Bill Andersen, is with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and said he thinks the licenses will help with safety. They were taking "About Boating Safely," a day long class with a test at the end that would qualify them for their boating card. On a recent Saturday morning at the Chula Vista Marina, a group of boating students gathered for just that kind of training. Some people I talk to can't believe you can go purchase a boat without any training."
"One of the top two reasons for accidents in California is lack of education," she said. She added a card will not likely cost more than $10.
That will come this fall, said Denise Peterson, California's Division of Boating and Waterways boating safety and education manager. Though the cards are required for people under 20 at the start of the new year, the state has not yet set up the system to apply for them, or decided on how much they will cost. (Sample question: "Which of the following best describes 'capsizing'?" Answer: "Turning of a vessel on its side or upside down.") To get the California Boaters Card, applicants will have to take a safety course, either online or in person, and pass a written test. Coast Guard.Īccording to the Coast Guard, 77 percent of deaths last year occurred on boats where the operator did not receive any boating safety instruction. That is likely in part because the state has the biggest coastline in the county and is among the top five states for number of registered boats, according to data from the U.S. Last year, California had more boating accidents than any other state besides Florida. California is one of just five states―besides Alaska, Arizona, South Dakota and Wyoming―that currently does not require any license to boat, though some states only have requirements for people under 18, according to the American Boating Association.