kcgbjc

This would just bring up the arguement, what is a performance boat. Does that mean I have be licensed to drive my Eliminator while some unlicensed a-hole runs into me with his Bayliner?

Reed Jensen

I say let Darwin sort them out.....

noiseguy

We need to have a license to drive a car.
Truck drivers need additional licensing.

I think it is easy to just say this is a revenue source for
big brother.

I am aware that the Federal Department of Transportation is
pushing hard on states to make boat operator licensing
mandatory across the US.

The reason, at least the reason forwarded is that
recreational boating is number two in deaths nation wide.
I think this is for recreational motor vehicle activity.
Who knows how many boating injuries are occurring every year,
it must number in the tens of thousands.

With PWC's out there like swarms of bees able to go 50>60
mph and the average boat operating up around 50-mph,
oh yea and us crazies flying around at 70+mph, maybe
it's time for some mandatory licensing. I think it has to be
for all boaters, not just for one group.

Raylar

Hell I hate government thinking they can make idiots safe! Hell, that's why we call them idiots! An irressponsible idiot behind the wheel of a boat is always going to be an idiot, even with a license. I would much rather see a Performance Parent License for all the idiot parents out there not even trying to teach responsibility to their offspring! Hell, its easier to have kids than it is to get a drivers license, therein lies the problem!
Whew, that feels better!
Raylar

Wasabe

I'm not telling what I voted for

gdfatha

Wasabe

It is far later than your bed time..

JROMY

If you posess a Captain's License, insurance companies should be forced by law to give you MASSIVE discounts. They don't give you crap now, and this is a real license that takes some time to earn and actually makes people safer on the water. My .02.

Wasabe

Agreed.

Raylar

Licenses, boating classes, bull****! Just think about this! Most all of those intelligent, caring, responsible,safe automobile drivers have licenses don't they! Many of them have even taken driver ed. classes! We all know how great most of the clueless drivers are out there on our wonderful highways, don't we! If you think licenses and bureaucracies will get the idiots on the water to drive boats safely then you are more naive than I thought. Best advice, keep your eyes wide open, your hands on the wheel and pray a lot!
Raylar

CBR

Well I guess it depends who instructs you in the training classes. I have taken useful lessons in competitive driving from "name" race drivers and will always listen to those with more experience than I have, in anything.

Same with the boat, always happy to learn from the more experienced OSOers on this board. Some of my most memorable conversations are with the "old dudes" who have been there and done that, before I have.

Nothing beats hands on training, quite different from reading something in a book. Hence, I am in favor of "hands on" training for performance boaters who would like to get insurance discounts for taking the time and spending the money to take high speed boater training. Particularly for cats!!

Nothing required about it, but I'll bet this would please SLy Goldberg who could set up a whole new division and price structure to deal with "lower risk" boaters!