It's a friggin 20 buck tax grab with a ridiculous exam that proves nothing
regarding operator competency!

You now need one despite the fact you might have a Master/Minor Waters
certification.

It's ridiculous.


CM

"Ryk" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 16:12:02 GMT, "Gordon" wrote:

Washington state wants to institute a revamped law to require boating
drivers licenses. To those in states who have such laws, what are the pros
and cons of your system and does it prevent accidents etc or is it just
another red tape gizmo to collect money for the state?

Canada recently brought in a licensing requirement. The red tape and
operator cost has been negligible as it is a one time license without
a renewal requirement. The big plus is that kids under 16 can no
longer legally drive jet skis. However, the rules don't seem to
prevent a couple of inexperienced 19 year olds from legally renting
one *right now* on some kind of provisional license.

I think it's a good thing, if only because it makes it clear one
should have some qualification before jumping into a boat and hitting
the throttle. The testing is so simple that anybody should be able to
get one after reading the Coast Guard Safety Brochure, so it is not
much of a hurdle to clear. Quite possibly the bar should be higher.

Ryk