Would mandatory licensing change things?

[conachair]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

But it does not matter if you have a license or not, the COLREG's apply to everybody on the water and you have to respect them.

From reading the anchor ball thread, there's a lot out there who, even if they know the IRPCS exist, are blissfully unaware what lies beyond the front cover..

[bgallinger]

Several states have "boating cards" and Canada as well. The skill and knowledge level required to get the card is very low at best. I have seen no changes or improvements from boaters in light of the rules for getting a card. For the "go-fast" boats in south florida, a boaters card is nothing short of a joke. If you love rules, regulations and controls go to Europe where they embrace them.

[Axel_G]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

Several states have "boating cards" and Canada as well. The skill and knowledge level required to get the card is very low at best. I have seen no changes or improvements from boaters in light of the rules for getting a card. For the "go-fast" boats in south florida, a boaters card is nothing short of a joke. If you love rules, regulations and controls go to Europe where they embrace them.

In the Netherlands and Germany you need a license for motorboats above 20kmh (Netherlands) or more than 15 hp (Germany) which requires a theoretical and practical test.



At least that seems to help. The Netherlands had very few accidents and I believe even no deaths after an accident in the past years and so did Germany. I couldn't believe the amount of deaths you have in the US.

[svspirited]

That I did not know, much of my boating has been in and around the Sound and I have seen my fair share of terrible boaters from CT.

Originally Posted by Opie91

Connecticut has had a state boating license for over 20 years.


FYI: The water is still full of idiots who have no idea or care about rules of the road or safety.

[svspirited]

This is exactly what I am talking about. Maybe license was the wrong term but a mandatory boater safety ed course for operation of anything with a motor on the water or over a certain size. I learned a ton when I took my first ASA course and by that point I had been operating boats for over 10 years, it made me a better and more courteous operator on the water.

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I honesty don't know what those who are negative about some form of mandatory pleasure boating safety education are afraid of?

We are not talking about anything more than a primer on safe operating guidelines

An ilustrated booklet that can be read in a few days similar to a First Aid and CPR course followed up by a multiple choice test of each section.

COLREGS
MARINE EMERGENCIES
RADIO PROCEDURES
CHART READING
SAFE SPEED
MARINE WEATHER WARNINGS
Etc...etc..

Completion does not give you a license, but the privilege to operate a boat near others.

[transmitterdan]

Boating safety courses are mandatory in many states in the US. Texas has such a law.

BoatUS offers online safety classes acceptable to many states:

https://www.boatus.org/free/#state

So in regards mandatory training this is already quite common.

[Lake-Effect]

In Canada, I think the best argument for our boating card (PCOC) is that to get one, you had to have looked at and remembered some navigational and safety rules at least once in your life (as opposed to never).

From sailing a small boat on a Great Lake, I mainly face no (or late) yielding from power vessels, and of course their stupid wake, but almost as many times I've been "run-down" or forced to yield to larger sailing or motor-sailing vessels, in open water (grrr) because apparently displacement trumps sailing rules, or it's too much to get up to disengage the autopilot... Surprisingly, I have had about zero bad interactions with jetskis.

A regular refresher on seamanship (say every 10 years) might be an improvement.

I don't think that there's really much pressure or demand for something more restrictive. The vast majority of rules violations and bad seamanship simply cause annoyance. A few cause loss of gelcoat, a very few cause injury or death. Public shaming maybe...

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by dkenny64

instead of Gov't regulations what about working through insurance companies to provide good discounts to boaters with licenses.. this would leave the gov't red tape out -dkenny64

I really think this is a very bad idea. Allowing the risk assessment people to make rules means that you'll get crazy restrictions, or at least a crazy hard test. They see danger everywhere.

[s/v Jedi]

Anything that keeps the idiots off the water gets my vote

Include a spelling test to determine if one knows the difference between border and boarder, between there and their. I guess that takes care of 75% of them

[transmitterdan]

You guys should move to Lake Woebegon where everyone is above average intelligence. Surely there are no idiots there.

[Allied39]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

Several states have "boating cards" and Canada as well. The skill and knowledge level required to get the card is very low at best. I have seen no changes or improvements from boaters in light of the rules for getting a card. For the "go-fast" boats in south florida, a boaters card is nothing short of a joke. If you love rules, regulations and controls go to Europe where they embrace them.

Exactly, thank you.

And to the folks who ask why not......obviously you don't read the earlier posts.

To summarize: once you start with the rules it does not stop. It just means money money and more money.

The lawyers and bean counters get hooked on the fines and it never ends. NEVER!

I sailed about 2000 miles last year, blue water. The only scary time was a sport fisher that was whipping along at at least 20kn .Simply had to head straight for me, turned in the last 150 yards.

Would a license have stopped him doing this .....no. He may even been a charter and had a licence.

You can't fix stupid....simple. Forcing folks to fork out cash, jump through hoops, pay LOADS of fines if they do not comply will not fix stupid.

It just creates hassles for us folks that would like to be left alone.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

For the "go-fast" boats in south florida, a boaters card is nothing short of a joke. If you love rules, regulations and controls go to Europe where they embrace them.

You want to see something that will make you laugh and cry at the same time? Search supercar fails on youtube. It should be universally acknowledged you can't legislate stupid.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Allied39

I sailed about 2000 miles last year, blue water. The only scary time was a sport fisher that was whipping along at at least 20kn .Simply had to head straight for me, turned in the last 150 yards.

You can't fix stupid....simple. Forcing folks to fork out cash, jump through hoops, pay LOADS of fines if they do not comply will not fix stupid.

It just creates hassles for us folks that would like to be left alone.

If you would have included a Sunday at the Port Everglades inlet in those 2,000 miles, then you would know that something needs to be done. I have seen the USCG take desperate measures, like enforcing a temporary no-wake zone from the outer channel marker all the way in, just to prevent people from being killed by the gold-chain-necked cigarette-boat thugs. I observed them trying to capsize a 26-foot daysailer with their wake, trying again and again. I don't know how those USCG officers could keep their temper and not blast them with their tripod mounted machine gun.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

If you would have included a Sunday at the Port Everglades inlet in those 2,000 miles, then you would know that something needs to be done. I have seen the USCG take desperate measures, like enforcing a temporary no-wake zone from the outer channel marker all the way in, just to prevent people from being killed by the gold-chain-necked cigarette-boat thugs. I observed them trying to capsize a 26-foot daysailer with their wake, trying again and again. I don't know how those USCG officers could keep their temper and not blast them with their tripod mounted machine gun.

there is a difference between stupid and jerk and no a mount of licensing will fix the latter.

It would become another enforcement tool . Suspend jerks license then impound his boat with next offense.

[Tetepare]

New laws or not, licensing or not, I don’t care. Go ahead make life jackets mandatory. I don’t care. They can stuff their legislation. As said, it won’t make a difference and I’m not going to benefit from it so I’m not complying. I’m not even listening.