Boaters Safety Card

[whitten1823]

I am taking the Washington boaters safety course online. I came across this (Persons exempted from the phased-in mandatory boater safety education requirements include: Any person who is a non-resident and holds a current, approved out-of-state or out-of-country boaters safety education certificate or card.) I currently have a boaters safety card from Louisiana. Do I need to have one for Washington even though my wife is in the Army? Or would that be just for active duty members?

Thank you for any information

[Amx]

Call the Wa. dept. of fish and wildlife. But I'd say yes, and you can use the one you have to get a Wa. State card without taking the test or going thru the graduated sequence by year and age. My guess anyway.

Or call these people at State Parks;

http://www.parks.wa.gov/boating/boatered/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

contacts and phone number;

http://www.parks.wa.gov/contacts/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[whitten1823]

Called WDFW and they transferred me to park and recreations. Out of state card is only good for 60 days. Thank you for the help!!

[Amx]

Did they say you could just apply for a Wa State card without going thru the course? I'd think you could. Maybe call the Parks dept. back and ask.

[fishnislife]

So I'm thinking about taking the "mandatory" boating safety coarse and how that getting this card must be free.... Why not right? Ohh no. Then I read, mail your complete application with $10 and a legible copy of your proof of course completion to the address on the application form. Ok, so I go to the coarse to take it and oh ya, that has a $29.50 coarse fee.
I can't help but sit here and laugh at this state. Fee after fee after fee. And just the other day I had to re-new my car tabs and I was dinged with a $5 ferry construction fee. With no option to deny it. Crazy times. I could go on for ever about fees and taxes.
Sorry about the whinning but I just hope someday our great state realizes that it has nothing to do with how much money you tax, charge or take from your people, it's all about how you manage the money you do have.
And I will end up taking the coarse......maybe


fishnislife

[goodtimesfishing]

Ok, so I go to the coarse to take it and oh ya, that has a $29.50 coarse fee.


fishnislife

I wish I had the link for you...but if you find the right site the only fee is $10....that $29.50 fee is going to someone who has set up that site that links you to the actual site. The state charges $10 only.

[Bodofish]

As far as I understand it, No course is required. All you need to do is pass the test. Unfortunately they make it hard to get to the online test without taking a course first. WDFW has less than nothing to do with the boaters safety card. It's the DOL that issues and some consortium of insurance and marine industry and maybe State Parks that makes the curriculum.

[G-Man]

The card is issued by the Parks Department. The US Coast Guard Auxiliary offer one day courses, that satisfy the State requirements, for free. After completion of the course, you send in your paperwork with the $10 State fee and get your card in the mail shortly thereafter. You can visit the Coast Guard's web site and search for classes by zip code, there are always some available in the Puget Sound area.

[fishnislife]

Thanks for the info gentlemen. Is there a way to take the coarse/test online without paying more than the $10 card application fee? Where online would I go?



fishnislife

[Toni]

Thanks for the info gentlemen. Is there a way to take the coarse/test online without paying more than the $10 card application fee? Where online would I go?



fishnislife

Yes there is. I took it. I will try to find link.

Here is the one I did. I messed one portion up and needed help to unlock it or something. I was able to contact them and it was all good!
http://www.boatus.org/washington/

[fishnislife]

Thank you Toni your amazing. I am taking the coarse right now.




fishnislife

[Gringo Pescador]

The one Toni posted is the one I took - all you pay is the $10

[goodtimesfishing]

The one Toni posted is the one I took - all you pay is the $10

Ditto!
Same one I took.....$10 only. I also recall it freezing up and having to take part of the test twice.

[fishnislife]

I am doing it in small chunks and saving every couple of pages. It says it can take 3 hours.
Thanks again guys for stearing me in the right direction. $30 dollars saved that i can now spend on the boat.


fishnislife

[fishmanjh]

I don't know about anyone else ... I have been boating (Fishing) for 4 decades, and have never had any issues on the water, and am safe as hell when it comes to big water. So .... Now I need my test .... What a pain !! I didn't know there was a certain way or sequence to tying up, or untying my boat from the dock !!!

Just sayin'

[fishnislife]

I don't know about anyone else ... I have been boating (Fishing) for 4 decades, and have never had any issues on the water, and am safe as hell when it comes to big water. So .... Now I need my test .... What a pain !! I didn't know there was a certain way or sequence to tying up, or untying my boat from the dock !!!

Just sayin'

Agreed. I have been floating on the water ever since I came out of the water. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Just another way to suck money out of people. Just wait tell we are charged for the air we breath. It is coming.




fishnislife

[Amx]

I've only had 2 instances of idiot boaters in the time I've been on the water. Both times this summer. 1st was some idiot that had launched their boat and I was coming in to beach mine and trailer it. They were down behind their windshield of some river type al boat. One of them steered the boat and doing so pointed it straight at me, bow to bow, he didn't even look up to see where he was going. I blasted my horn, then he looked up over the cloudy windshield and steered in another direction. Maybe 50 feet at the most between our boats.

The other time I got on plane and went up lake along the shoreline. I was watching a boat going down lake as he turned across the lake, almost ran into me, I had to change course to the right which put the tube he was towing right beside my boat, and about 30 feet off/away. Then seconds later he swerved right and almost ran the tube into my boat. I swerved right again or I would have run over the tube. Ended up directly behind the tube about 40 behind it. I blasted my horn and then swerved out into the lake. Then I ran out in front of him cutting the corner of the lake, cut him off, stopped in front of him and told him off. He almost killed the 4 kids on the tube, and who knows who would have been injured/killed had his boat hit me. I still have that track on my depth finder's chart showing the evasive maneuvers I had to do. The jerkoff was so stupid he said I was sitting still.

[fishmanjh]

As mentioned .... It's just like driving a car, it's the other idiot that we need to watch out for. I have had some near misses on LK Washington with Jet Ski's ... Usually young kids screwing around and not paying atten. Defensive boating is what I call it. I only fish the BIG Lake early in the spring, and then later in the fall. I avoid the Summer crazies, and by that time I'm out on the Salt anyway.

[fishnislife]

Instead of taking the coarse I have opted to just take the certification (equivalency) exam. 75 questions and they are very easy. Requested it from the parks site and received it in a couple of days.
http://www.parks.wa.gov/446/Equivalency-Exam" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you need help on the questions they offer a guide online were you can find the answers.
http://www.boat-ed.com/washington/studyGuide/10105001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have the Adventures in Boating Washington Handbook and if I wasn't a 100% sure about an answer I checked the handbook and what I couldn't find in it, I found on the study guide online. Easy peasy.
Should only take a little while to receive my certificate to send in with the $10 and finally get this boaters card so I can be legit.



fishnislife