I did the boat us class, had 50 safety questions and 10 California specific questions @Lungpopper
this is why we do not deserve to go on as a species
- Thread starter Aeon
- Start date
As a licensed captain, I might have another take on this. I am concerned with safety and rules of the road. Most new boaters don't have a freakin' clue about rules of the road. I was once running a charter boat and was almost run into a rock jetty by a Harbor Police boat that turned the wrong way in a head-on meeting situation. I had to slam the boat into reverse and hammer the throttles to keep from hitting both the Harbor Police boat and the rocks. Another time, I was running a commercial boat on Lake Powell and was half-swamped by a power boat that ran full speed between me and another houseboat. I turned into the heavy wake and got half the boat full of water. The other boat got "waked" badly and I'm sure broke a few items on board. Simple rules of boating that boaters NEED to know.
If you think driving a boat safely doesn't required any skills practice and education then perhaps you haven driven a boat enough.
Honestly it is unbelievable the amount of people that buy a boat and suddenly think they know what they are doing.
A boat owner who drives his boat is the captain of the vessel and as such is 100% responsible of what happens to people on board and the vessel. That is a huge responsibility and not everyone is up to the task.
I can't begin to tell you how many incidents I have witnessed in open ocean and even in the harbor caused by captains who are clueless about basic boating safety and boat etiquette.
Anyone who goes out fishing in the summer time when the tuna are running knows what I am talking about. How you ever being in the Coronados on a weekend when the yellow tail are biting? It can be a zoo full of boaters who don't even know what trolling is or don't know what a dive flag is. Divers in the water get run over often by boaters who fail to identify a diving flag in the water. And then of course there is the guy who had too many beers and doesn't remember a boat doesn't have freaking breaks.
Entering the harbor in a windy day with the tide changing and traffic is no joke.
I am disappointed to hear that the new boat safety class does not seem to focus on safety. But new boaters need the education for sure and I wouldn't be opposed to an on the water boat handling test.
You need a driving license to drive a car.
Honestly it is unbelievable the amount of people that buy a boat and suddenly think they know what they are doing.
A boat owner who drives his boat is the captain of the vessel and as such is 100% responsible of what happens to people on board and the vessel. That is a huge responsibility and not everyone is up to the task.
I can't begin to tell you how many incidents I have witnessed in open ocean and even in the harbor caused by captains who are clueless about basic boating safety and boat etiquette.
Anyone who goes out fishing in the summer time when the tuna are running knows what I am talking about. How you ever being in the Coronados on a weekend when the yellow tail are biting? It can be a zoo full of boaters who don't even know what trolling is or don't know what a dive flag is. Divers in the water get run over often by boaters who fail to identify a diving flag in the water. And then of course there is the guy who had too many beers and doesn't remember a boat doesn't have freaking breaks.
Entering the harbor in a windy day with the tide changing and traffic is no joke.
I am disappointed to hear that the new boat safety class does not seem to focus on safety. But new boaters need the education for sure and I wouldn't be opposed to an on the water boat handling test.
You need a driving license to drive a car.