Boat License Question

[chriscraft208]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

And yet, it is!

And think about the people under 16 that can operate a 25 HP boat but are not allowed to take a safe boating course or get a certificate.

My 13 year old son just came back from camp with a boaters ed certificate from mass. I guess they allow it. My question is is it valid in nh? When i took my cousre the mp said NH recognizes out of state certificates

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by chriscraft208

My 13 year old son just came back from camp with a boaters ed certificate from mass. I guess they allow it. My question is is it valid in nh? When i took my cousre the mp said NH recognizes out of state certificates

I got my NASBLA Certificate a year ago in Rhode Island. There is no minimum age (RI) to take the proctored exam. I spoke with one of the administators about the NO minimum age requirement and he said....

"We have people younger than 16 taking the exam all the time, but our experience has been that those typically 14 or so and younger, more likely than not will FAIL the exam anyhow, so a minimum age isn't really necessary."

I can't answer your specific question concerning your son who holds the certificate but is not yet 16.. boating in NH. NB

[ossipeeboater]

Originally Posted by chriscraft208

My 13 year old son just came back from camp with a boaters ed certificate from mass. I guess they allow it. My question is is it valid in nh? When i took my cousre the mp said NH recognizes out of state certificates

he would still need to be under your supervision until 16 according to how I read the law. It is kind of amusing in the above scenario that the 6 year old can legally operate the boat and the mother can't although i have to say at 6 my son was far more comfortable running the boat than his mom and she has a certificate.

I think the allowable age for the safety class should come down because many of us allow our kids to drive the boat. I had my son take the snowmobile education class just before his 8th birthday even though he wasn't old enough to recieve the certificate and he learned a lot that he still remembers, teaching them the right way from a young age is better than trying to break bad habits later. .

[Kracken]

What I wouldn't give to have my wife drive the boat. I love cruising the lake but after a few hours I would love to take a break. My wife took the course, passed the test and proceeded to loose her certificate after driving the boat for about 15 minutes. I am not convinced she ever misplaced it. She said in May she was going to get it replaced, yep it’s almost September and it has not happened yet.

I call my 6 year old son my "first mate"; I call the wife "ballast".

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Kracken

.... I call the wife "ballast".

Wow, this has been a wet summer to spend all that time sleeping alone on the porch.

[Airwaves]

HERE is a summary of the Massachusetts law regarding boating certificates:

Minimum Age Restrictions. No person under 12 years of age may operate a motorboat, unless accompanied on-board and directly supervised by a competent person 18 years of age or older. Personal watercraft (PWC) users must still be at least 16 years of age in order to operate, with no exceptions.

Safety Education Certification. Youth who are between 12 and 15 years of age must complete an approved basic boating course in order to operate a motorboat without adult supervision. Upon successful completion of such a course, students are issued a state "boating safety certificate" which must be in the possession of the certified operator when underway. Personal watercraft users who are 16 or 17 years of age must also complete such a boating course. (Persons less than 16 years of age are not allowed to operate personal watercraft.)

As I read NH law your 13 year old would be subjected to the same rules as everyone else in NH until he/she became of age to boat in NH (16) at that point the question becomes does he/she have a certificate approved by NASBLA?

I would say he/she can start boating in NH alone when she/he turns 16. Prior to that? No.

[Phantom]

Airwaves is right on -- and to be PERFECTLY clear -- because this forum has muddied this questions answer before--

The Mass Boaters Certificate is NASBLA approved and so indicated on the card and has been checked numerous times in the past to be acceptable in New Hampshire!