Is a Boating Certificate REALLY necessary?

[lawn psycho]

Originally Posted by John A. Birdsall

Let us suppose that you are from Mass. and you get stopped in Tilton NH on Rt 93, lets further suppose that you have no valid drivers license. I don't think you will leave the area without a ticket. and I think your vechicle will be towed to an inpound lot. Now that is what I suspect would happen, now lets turn that around to a boat. Your home port is in Wolfeboro and you are in the broads and get stopped for doing 50 mph. Oops I never bothered with the coarse and the cop give you a ticket, just $50.00 or is it just $50.00 I would think that the MP would have your boat towed to an inpound lot at your expense. And TOW are us charges a minimum of $125.00 and I would suspect that it would go to the MP Headquaters in Gleen Dale.
I cannot see the MP giving you a ticket for failure to have a drivers license and just let you drive away. If such is the case and MP takes you also to glendale, don't forget your gonna have to get back to Wolfeboro. have a good day.

IT'S NOT A LICENSE. Tell me precisely how much time the course was spent on an actual boat?

I doubt seriously that a boat would be towed soley for not having a boating certificate. Let's talk facts and data rather than speculation. How many States have no course requirements, no 150 ft rule, yada, yada and you don't see them all having mass fatalities and accidents.

Some of you need to get a grip. OMG, that other boat was driving 18 MPH and they were ONLY 149.9 ft away!! They must be stopped as they must be out of staters who don't know anything. I better log onto Winnipeasukee.com and post about how am I the perfect citizen and nobody obeys any rules.

I'm reasonable but please stop putting the safety certificate on some kind of pedestal as if it's going to save us all from ourselved. And in 5 minutes of reading I could learn the essential NH boating laws.

Marker system? Most people use maps and if they are willing to venture onto a bigger lake like Winni then it's buyer beware if you don't know where your boat is pointed....

[XCR-700]

Originally Posted by lawn psycho

IT'S NOT A LICENSE. Tell me precisely how much time the course was spent on an actual boat?

I doubt seriously that a boat would be towed soley for not having a boating certificate. Let's talk facts and data rather than speculation. How many States have no course requirements, no 150 ft rule, yada, yada and you don't see them all having mass fatalities and accidents.

Some of you need to get a grip. OMG, that other boat was driving 18 MPH and they were ONLY 149.9 ft away!! They must be stopped as they must be out of staters who don't know anything. I better log onto Winnipeasukee.com and post about how am I the perfect citizen and nobody obeys any rules.

I'm reasonable but please stop putting the safety certificate on some kind of pedestal as if it's going to save us all from ourselved. And in 5 minutes of reading I could learn the essential NH boating laws.

Marker system? Most people use maps and if they are willing to venture onto a bigger lake like Winni then it's buyer beware if you don't know where your boat is pointed....

Let me state right up front that I fully support the concept of taking a boating safety class, nothing bad will come from it and everyone may learn a thing or two from it. And with regard to the certificate, yes it’s a good idea, and new boaters will definitely benefit from the whole process, but I personally agree with “Lawn Psycho” it will do very little overall to impact boating safety.

Most of what makes one person a safe boater vs someone who is not, is experience and common sense, not a paper certificate.

And for those of us who have been boating since diapers (don’t make me repost the picture! – LOL) there will likely be no significant change in the way we operate because of a class or certificate, any expectations that such a class or getting certified will somehow make us better boaters is just a fantasy.

Safe boating classes and certificates are good ideas and have good merits, but they are not some holy grail of boating safety.

So have we beat this one to death, or are there a few more posts still left in it,,,

p.s. Please spare me any condemnation replies, I did my due diligence by stating up front that I fully support the program