Q. Does a current USCG license satisfy the education requirements? |
A. Yes, it does. Anyone holding a USCG operators license is exempt from the education requirements. |
Q. Is this a license that is now required to operate a boat? |
A.
No, this is NOT a license requirement. It is an educational requirement
that mandates that everyone that operates a power vessel take a boat
safety course that is approved by the Superintendent of the State
Police. |
Q. I took a course a few years ago but do not have a Boating Safety Certificate issued from the State Police, what do I do? |
A. You can contact the State Police directly at (609) 882-2000 Ext. 6181 and they will look it up for you. |
Q. How will I know if the course I took was a state certified course that satisfies the education requirements? |
A.
You should have received a Boating Safety Certificate issued by the
State Police. If you are unsure of whether or not you have taken the
correct course, you can contact the State Police at (609) 882-2000 Ext.
6181. |
Q. Does a current Captain's license satisfy the education requirements? |
A. No, it does not. Anyone holding a captain's license must completed a boating safety course to meet the education requirements. Unless that captain's license is a United States Coast Guard Captain's License, which is compliant. See experianced boater provision below. |
Q. I have been boating for a number of years; will I still need to take the boating safety course? |
There is an experienced boater provision that was written into the law
in response to boaters that have been boating for a number of years.
This language allows the Superintendent of the State of Police to
develop an "experienced boater test". Persons taking and passing the
test will not be required to complete the boat safety course.
THE OPT-OUT TEST IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Directly from the state police or from Paradise Cruises (same price)
http://www.njsp.org/maritime/testout.html
http://www.paradisecruisesnj.com/
Opt-Out Option EXPIRES as of June 1, 2008!
|
Q. II live in another state, do I need a boat safety certificate? |
A.
Yes - Out-of-state residents are not exempt from the education requirement listed above; however, NJ does honor boat safety certificates from other states issued to a resident of the issuing state . We will also honor boat safety courses for out-of-state residents that are National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved if they are from an in-person course.
|
Q. How will I know when I need to take the course by? |
A. The education requirement is being phased in over the next four years as follows: |
| Persons
born after December 31, 1978 have to take the course immediately.
Persons born after December 31,1968 and on or before December 31, 1978
have to take the course before June 1, 2006. Persons born after
December 31, 1958 and on or before December 31, 1968 have to take the
course before June 1, 2007. Persons born after December 31, 1948 and on
or before December 31, 1958 have to take the course before June 1,
2008. All other persons need to haven taken the course before June 1,
2009. |
Q. I currently have a boat operator's license, does this satisfy the requirements? |
A.
No, it does not. The boat operators license is a "Non-Tidal Boat
Operator License" that is issued by the MVC and is only required if you
boat on non-tidal waters such as lakes and non-tidal rivers in NJ.
Where applicable, it must be carried in addition to the Boating Safety
Certificate. |
Q. Does an online boating safety course meet NJ state requirents for the boating safety certificate? |
A. No. Current online courses are NOT accepted to fulfill the boating safety cerficate requirement. As per NJ State Police Marine Services, after July 1st, 2006 you will be able to take a NJSP approved course online (the person I talked to didn't say, but I think they might be designing their own online course), but will still need to take the test in person at a testing facility. Meanwhile, if you want to take one just to practice, here is one website you can use:
http://www.boatingbasicsonline.com/course/boating/3_1.php |
Q. Is a boating safety certificate required to rent a boat? |
A. No. The rental laws require only that a person receive safety instruction from the rental company prior to use and these laws and regulations have been in effect since 1997. |
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