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Podcasts Take Two
Want to get that boat out on the water? Don't forget your boating driver's license.
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Nov 17, 2015
Listen • 5:29
Want to get that boat out on the water? Don't forget your boating driver's license.
New requirements starting in 2018 will require people to obtain a state issued operator card if they plan on taking the wheel of a motorized boat.
A National Parks Service boat transports staffers to and from the Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor.
A National Parks Service boat transports staffers to and from the Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)

New requirements starting in 2018 will require people to obtain a state issued operator card if they plan on taking the wheel of a motorized boat.

Starting in 2018 California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways will require anyone 20 years old or younger to get a California Vessel Operator Card, which is similar to  a driver's license for boating. By 2025 everyone, regardless of age, will be required to have an operating card. The Division of Boating and Waterways still has a lot to decide when it comes to what the exact license test will entail and how much it will cost.

David Ingles, general manager at Blue Pacific Boating, thinks requiring operator cards is a good start. But requirements for renting, buying and driving boats could go further.