Education Requirement

Year Age
2008 12 to 20 yrs old
2009 25 and younger
2010 30 and younger
2011 35 and younger
2012 40 and younger
2013 50 and younger
2014 59 and younger
after 2014 Card required for any person born after Jan. 1, 1955
Note: The law applies to operators of motorboats with 15 horsepower or greater.

Boater Safety Education Bill Signed by Governor Gregoire. Read the press release. Read the text of SB5145 Go to WAMBE to read more on the Washington Alliance for Mandatory Boater Education.

Like to have your kids see the animated 'Bobber - The Water Safety Dog'? Click Here

Our basic course is the Boatsmart course, which covers Introduction to Boating, Boating Law, Boat Safety Equipment, Safe Boating, Navigation, Boating Problems, Trailering, and Special Boating Situations. There are homework questions at the end of each section to assist retention of the information presented. This course is offered four or more times a year. You will receive an excellent take-home manual covering all elements of safe boating in the Puget Sound waters and how to qualify your boat for State and Federal Regulations. The course also satisfies the newly passed State of Washington law requiring most boat operators to pass a safe boating test, effective in 2006.
OTHER USPS SQUADRON BOATING COURSES
NOSPS offers two other public boating courses. The Squadron Boating Course and ABC (America's Boating Course), both designed to be useful to all boaters, from the fisherman in an outboard to the skipper of a large cruiser or sailboat. All boaters are subject to nautical rules and regulations. Skippers should learn and respect traditional boating courtesies. The courses are meant to be of interest to the entire family; older children are welcome. We encourage your family to attend as a group.
The Squadron Boating Course covers additional topics such as an introduction to reading charts and plotting courses that are not in the Boatsmart course. It now includes an introduction to Using Digital Charts. The student manual comes with a CD-ROM, which includes the Maptech Chart Navigator software, a sampling of digital charts and maps across the country and digital versions of the fictitious Bowditch Bay and 1210Tr practice charts. The Squadron Boating Course is a traditional civic service of the United States Power Squadron's organization. Since 1914 local squadrons have presented the course to the public – to date more than 3 million people have attended our basic course. Learning boating safety is important and the increased knowledge will enhance your safety on the water and your enjoyment of the sport.
The ABC Course is essentially the same as the Boatsmart course, except that the ABC course is targeted for home study. Once you have the course in hand, you can study the material at your leisure. When you feel you can answer the questions, NOSPS will proctor the exam for you, which will then qualify you for the Washington State Operator's card. To order the ABC course, call Peyton Greenough (360) 683-6506 or e-mail calmseashelp@yahoo.com.