Boat License Question

[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!