New California Boater Law Coming Soon

In 2018, California will slowly roll out a new law requiring boaters — including sailboats with motors — to carry proof they’ve taken a safety course. On January 1, the law will require boaters aged 20 or younger to carry an official California Boater Education Card. Each subsequent new year, another age group will be added until 2025, when all persons, regardless of age, will be subject to the requirement.

"The California Boater Card will show that its holder has successfully taken and passed a state approved boater safety education examination," said the California Department of Parks and Recreation Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW), who will issue the cards, which are projected to cost "no more than $10." The law will exempt persons holding marine operator or commercial fishing licenses. There will also be exemptions made for renters or persons from out of the state or country, according to DBW.

There are a number of different safety and training programs offered to Californians. BoatU.S. offers a free online course. A DBW spokesperson said that there is no practical skills component to the Education card — once issued, the card will not expire or need to be renewed, and enforcement will be at the discretion of local law enforcement agencies.

Until the law takes effect in 2018, California is one of only nine states that doesn’t require mandatory boater education, according to United States Power Squadrons (the other states are Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Arkansas and Maine).

In Florida, a state senator proposed a bill in February that would prohibit anyone under 16 from operating "sailboats with hulls of more than 10 feet," according to NBC Miami. In other words, kids could still sail Optimists but not Lasers or doublehanded boats such as FJs, 29ers or 420s The proposed Florida law has met resistance from US Sailing, which "is strongly opposed to any legislation that would restrict the rights of sailors of any age from participation in the sport by mandating overreaching supervision," according to an article published on Scuttlebutt.

What do you think about boater regulations and education laws? Is it about time California falls in line with the rest of the country and mandates some form of safety training, or is it burdensome overreaching? Do you think the new law goes far enough in trying to make our waterways safer, or do you think the state is encroaching on one of the last slivers of unregulated freedom?

Please send us your thoughts. We will continue to report on the new California law and the debate in Florida. We will publish some of your responses in the June issue of Latitude 38.