Boater Safety Certification is easier than ever

I remember taking the local Boater Safety Course back in 1980 (or thereabouts) in preparation for the initial season on my first boat. The instructor was Hilton Wright who was a longstanding member of the DE Coast Guard Auxiliary. He taught the course in his official Coast Guard uniform and it was somewhat intimidating. It was much more difficult than I expected at the time and there were quite a few sections that had a “hands-on” component like Marlinspike. I actually had to study the manual to pass the course and attain certification.

Today, it is so easy to prepare for and take the course from the privacy of your own computer if you are in a state that offers the online program. The company is ‘Boat ED’ and their website is boat-ed.com. They customize the course to accommodate each state’s boating laws. Forty-two of the fifty states have this service for boaters through this company. On the East Coast, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, RI, SC, and VA offer the online certification. East Coast states that do not offer this program are ME, MA, CN, NY and NJ.

The course is broken down into an outline and you can move from topic to topic to study the content (over several days in my case). At the end of each topic is a review so you can get a flavor of the real test questions. Some of the topics have visual graphics so the viewer can see precisely what is being taught.

When you feel you are well prepared you can take the test. The test consists of 60, multiple-choice questions. After I took the course, I marched through the questions post haste. The fee is $24.50 and you only pay if you pass and get your certification.

Most states now have requirements for new boaters to take their Safe Boating Course. I strongly recommend that all boaters take the course, even if it is a second time. If you need to renew your DE Boat Registration or purchase a DE Fishing License stop by our Newark, Delaware Showroom (Click Here for License Info.)