California Boater Card

Haha, the most hazardous part of boating is the ramp! Always a good time watching folks who don't know what they are doing...

We had a kid in the ICU who was run over by a boat on his SOT locally and was lucky to be alive. I can’t say much for privacy reasons but pretty severely damaged. I regret not getting permission from the parents to share details.

In Europe you can’t run anything over 10 hp without a license that requires extensive education and a lot of logged hours, more like what you need for a pilot’s license.

I salvaged a 28’ boat under the golden gate my memory is it was a bayliner. My thought at the time was anyone running a boat that size should know what they’re doing but apparently not

Not to get political but even if some of the regulations stuff gets ridiculous really California ain’t such a bad place

Just food for thought

Haha, the most hazardous part of boating is the ramp! Always a good time watching folks who don't know what they are doing...

We had

Just food for thought

Anything that helps peeps stay safe!!!  But yes CA gets carried away with “all” the requirements and restrictions… worked the Salmon/tuna boats in the 70’s in OR and one in CA simpler times but gotta do what we gotta do to keep fishin 😎. Have fun stay safe…

PS watched  USCG checking some yaks at Doran after a call from a friend said it was verbal warnings checking safety gear!!!

I will give this a try, just wondering why request the test in Spanish and not in English?

I grew up in the desert and I passed.  It was easy. 

To be honest an actually learned quite a few new tidbits. 

I saw that BoatU.S. Foundation has a free online course, so I signed up. The content looks fine, but every page has a 24 second timer. A page might have a single quiz question that takes you 3 seconds to answer, but even though you got it right you can't click to the next page until the timer runs out. Horrible! It is like something out of a dystopian novel.

I did this one and came here only to tell others to use a different method.

With that said, to all the naysayers, there are allot of new boaters that need this knowledge, we all know them so maybe it is a good idea.

I saw that BoatU.S. Foundation has a free online course, so I signed up. The content looks fine, but every page has a 24 second timer. A page might have a single quiz question that takes you 3 seconds to answer, but even though you got it right you can't click to the next page until the timer runs out. Horrible! It is like something out of a dystopian novel.

I did this one and came here only to tell others to use a different method.

With that said, to all the naysayers, there are allot of new boaters that need this knowledge, we all know them so maybe it is a good idea.

I got a package sent to me with a study book, test and answer sheet. I read the book, took the test and mailed in the filled out answer sheet. That was free. After I received notification of a passing score I had to pay $10 to order my boating card.

I got a package sent to me with a study book, test and answer sheet. I read the book, took the test and mailed in the filled out answer sheet. That was free. After I received notification of a passing score I had to pay $10 to order my boating card.

Can you share link where to request package sent? Thank you.

I did the Boat US Foundation one and it took me a while to complete it.

You know what’s crazy. I just rented a power boat (Jon boat with 5hp motor) at Pinecrest lake and I the law doesn’t require rental boat operators to have a boater card. The people who would probly need  go over the rules the most don’t need to apparently lol.

boatercard.parks.ca.gov

It is down for maintenance until 9/17 at 12 pm.

Thank you E Kayaker 

nannyfornia 
does it train you to back a trailer? 

Eta
Just another Tax...

If only they send mine that would be great! I ask 2x already nothing received.

FYI, I got my card a few years ago after a few years of not having a power boat. At the very end of the course it told me that the car only applied to boats with more than 10hp (15hp and above). My boat has a 9.9, so i don't need a boater card. Based on that, I would assume that unless you throw a 20hp outboard on your AI you should be fine without one on a kayak.

Phil

It took me about 3 weeks from paying for the boater card to taking and passing the free test and getting a temporary California Boater Card. July 20 to Aug 11.  Then another 2 weeks to get my real CA Boater Card.

I spoke to the person responsible for processing the boaters exams. He said he is the only person in the entire State of CA doing this.