CA - Mandatory Boating Safety Education
 

One of my colleagues at work sent this to me. I was not aware that this was going live in 2018. I would assume that this is a good thing.

Probably won't change much, but at least its something. It would be really good if they actually made you do some sort of on water test. Hopefully this gets sponsored by nopowerturns.com

This has been required in WA and OR for years... You guys are lagging behind.

Mandatory in NH as well.. From the polls it didn't change a thing accept create revenue for the state. They even offer "temp cards" that just require anyone with a brain to pass a 20 question test and they are allowed to have the licence for 14 days. Good thought trying to educate the people and I support that but the class in my opinion was 8 hours of nonsense and stories. I hope yours is better than ours

That's a pretty long phase in period.

been like this in MO for years ... born after 84 have to take the test

Big Brother enacting laws that don't make a difference. Some 15 minute course online will not make you a safer or capable boater. Good idea....wrong implementation.

For those of you in states that require this already, do you get a discount on boat insurance?

It's going to be a pain to get friends and family to pay to take this. I already get the least amount of time behind the boat, this'll make it worse.

Just most socialist micromanagement for the purpose of extorting more money from people. I boat in states with and without this requirement. My home state that requires boaters to pass a test seems to be worse so far as general safety and practices of boaters, and there is a much greater police/ranger/CG presence. The only thing I've seen that even approaches a typical summer weekend on the river at home is being on the biggest most popular lake in the non testing state on a holiday weekend... And that still isn't as bad.

Probably more to do with my home area having essentially only one large usable waterway (gas engines are illegal on almost all NJ lakes) and the other state being much more free in general, with many lakes and ponds and very few having restrictions, lower cost (free ramps, less towing distance) and generally fewer barriers to entry. My guess is more people have boats and more people are exposed to boating growing up. It can be a circus sometimes but it's not quite on the level of the river at home.