Many people wish to own boats, or when on vacation, they consider taking a boat out for a family trip. This sounds good in theory. However, possessing or using a boat or PWC isn’t a matter of purchasing one and using it on your local lake or at sea.
This can cause problems when people are away from their home country, especially Americans visiting Canada or other countries. There is a requirement to have proof of a boating license. In the United States, things may appear different.
The federal government has made it the responsibility of each state to regulate and issue recreational boat licensing.
When you are on international waters, boating laws are different in most cases, and anyone who holds a boating license from their home country will find this is sufficient for short-term boating in another country.
Because there are various types of vessels, age restrictions, and other variables from each state, we will go a bit deeper to find out; do you need a license to drive a boat throw ca boater card?
Boater Safety Education Programs
A large number of US states have taken some critical steps to mandate a set of approved boating safety requirements for individuals who wish to operate a boat or a PWC on state waters.
In short, anyone who has completed and passed a recognized online boating license course will satisfy the educational boat license requirements for their state.
A recognized issuing company is boat-ed.com. Their ‘Boater Safety Education Programs’ are recognized across these states and comply with boating laws.
- Who Needs a Card? These boating safety education certificates will vary from state to state like a driver’s license. With this online course, you can select your state before you take the test. It is worth knowing, that anyone who has one of these cards always needs to carry it with them while on a vessel.
- Use in Other States? Every state that now has mandatory boater education requirements and boating laws will accept a boater education card from another state. This is reciprocity, and your home state will do the same for any cardholder from another state. This works for any state card where the state meets the requirements of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).
- Age Restrictions: Although these cards can cover a large number of states, some will have restrictions on the age a person has to be before operating a boat or PWC. When taking the course for your state, it will indicate any age limits. If you need more clarification, you can find this from the National Association of State Boating.
Do You Need a License to Drive a Boat in Wisconsin?
Anyone who is born on or after January 1, 1989, and is aged 16 or over, do need to have completed recognized boating education safety courses from the National Association of State Boating.
If they don’t have this, they cannot legally take a vessel on the water. Boating laws and regulations need to be upheld, and any state, which says legal, may take a little more checking of requirements.
Do You Need a Boat License for 9.9HP?
Do you have to have a license to drive a boat with a motor of 9.9HP? The answer isn’t directly related to engine size and will be a restriction on age limits. 10HP is the threshold, so if you meet all the other requirements, then under 10HP and you won’t face any restrictions if you are over the given age. Michigan is one that differs. With supervision, a younger person can operate a boat between 6HP and 35HP with the supervision of someone older than 16.