New North Carolina Law - Effective May 1, 2010

[FatBoy]

Who May Operate a Vessel - Effective May 1, 2010
A person younger than 26 years old may operate a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or greater on North Carolina waters only if he or she:

Completes and passes a boating safety course that is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and accepted by the Wildlife Resources Commission or…
Is accompanied on board by and under the direct supervision of a person who is at least 26 years old or…
Is accompanied on board by and under the direct supervision of a person who is at least 18 years old and who has passed an approved boating safety course.
Anyone operating a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or greater must:

Carry on board his or her boater education certification card or other proof of compliance with the new law (see below) and…
Make the card or other proof available upon request by an enforcement officer.
New Boating Law
For more information and exemptions on the boating law (G.S. 75A -16.2) that becomes effective on May 1, 2010, visit: https://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Session.../PDF/S43v4.pdf

[Rick]

Oh Boy, more regulation

I would have thought the Coast Guard would be involved as well. All kidding aside, will there be a grace period or does everyone need the class before Saturday?

[steve-o]

LA is getting a lot of those now too. We now have to wear life jackets under age 17 when moving on vessel < 26', used to be under 13. We also now have the exact same boater's ed requirements, born Jan 1984 or later. All tillerboats now have wear a PFD at all times regardless of age or horsepower.

[FatBoy]

I would have thought the Coast Guard would be involved as well. All kidding aside, will there be a grace period or does everyone need the class before Saturday?

NC boating regs cover all boats regestered in and all residents of NC. The Coast Guard covers only the saltwater portion of the state, they don't do freash water lakes, streams, and rivers.

The law was put on the books last year so the grace period was then till now.

[AirTool]

Carry on board his or her boater education certification card or other proof of compliance with the new law (see below) and…

I wonder if they are smart enough to make the identification card waterproof.

[Red57Bird]

I wonder if they are smart enough to make the identification card waterproof.

Nope - my son got his earlier this year and we had to get it laminated ourselves. No biggie though.

[SkiTower]

Wonder if this will have an effect on jetskis. The MAN will be busy for a while pulling those.

[pdxCC]

Oregon has a similar law

Oreogn has had a similar law on the books for a few years. I don' tknow if it really changed anything but its nice to know that people have at-least thought about a bit of safety... God knows I see all the "educated boaters" out every weekend.

[whitelakerider]

Funny (yet sad) part is that it applies to jet skis too UNLESS you are renting one!!!! In other words if you are under 26 and have been driving watercraft for years you still have to get it BUT if you are under 26 and have never driven a jet ski in your life its ok..... you can still go rent one. now THAT makes total sense right???

[SquamInboards]

That seems like something any rental operation would require anyways for insurance and liability purposes. But agreed, ridiculous none-the-less.

[SkiTower]

Funny (yet sad) part is that it applies to jet skis too UNLESS you are renting one!!!! In other words if you are under 26 and have been driving watercraft for years you still have to get it BUT if you are under 26 and have never driven a jet ski in your life its ok..... you can still go rent one. now THAT makes total sense right???

Yeah, but nobody rents them out on WL. Any this makes it possibly illegal to give one to someone and say 'go have fun'. My belief that's the biggest problem with jetskis. You're not gonna give your boat keys to someone and say 'go have fun'.

Can't believe they excluded renters, though...hey, maybe I no longer need a driver's license to rent a car!

[highrock]

I had to take the online course. It is kind of pointless in my opinion. I have been driving boats and jey skis for about around 10 or 11 years and I dont think anything on the test is going to make me a safer boater. Its just a way to make money for the state.

If they wanted to do a real test, they should make us all pass a boat driving course like what you do with a car.

[FatBoy]

I had to take the online course. It is kind of pointless in my opinion. I have been driving boats and jey skis for about around 10 or 11 years and I dont think anything on the test is going to make me a safer boater. Its just a way to make money for the state.

If they wanted to do a real test, they should make us all pass a boat driving course like what you do with a car.

Yep, Just another tax.

[AirTool]

Yep, Just another tax.

In Texas, we call that a "money grab".

[whitelakerider]

Which White Lake do you go to SkiTower? haha they are everywhere out here. Crystal beach here has about 20 they rent out all day long and with a lake this small 20 ad up really quick when you put idiots on them. haha