Hacknslash Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 I think the operators card is a FARCE. Nothing but a blatent moneygrab. YES it is law and you will be fined without it. But lets get serious. I need a card to operate my 36lb thrust electric motor on a canoe. Taking the same test I can also operate a 1000cc seadoo and travel at 60mph on the water........anyone see the problem there? I passed the test without opening one book......all common sense. Or I can forgo the card and operate a boat under a rental agreement and realy have no formal training at all. the operators card is about as useless as the longgun registry in my humble opinion. (well decent for a one time revenue raiser I guess) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Andrews Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Personally I think it's needed but there are people who have one that don't practice common sense. Knowing which side to pass in a channel and who has the right of way is important in crowded waters. As our population increases and more and more people get the money to throw a vessel in the water the more dangerous it gets. H&S you may have been raised around common sense but look at the boat ramp etiquette issues. common sense doesn't even get a chance to make it to the water. Unlike a street crash it takes responders much longer to get to you if a collision occurs on the lake due to a ignorant lane change. The boaters card can't be compared to the long gun registry either. If they were keeping your info online and threatening to search your home because they believe your card wasn't stored properly then maybe. I'd compare the course to the firearms education course which I do firmly stand behind. An uneducated airhead with a gun or a jetski can be very dangerous. I will agree though that there needs to be a little more cutoff when it comes to power. An electric motor on a canoe may still cause a larger craft to swerve causing an accident but it's highly unlikely. Some here say you should have to take a test to get your fishing licence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TC1OZ Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Just look at how many morons have a license to drive a car.... will more tests really help? Common sense isn't so common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacknslash Posted June 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 What I meant Chilli is the operators card (in its current standing) is a joke. Since they are bringing it in, I personally think they should make it a mandatory course (like the hunter safety or the P.A.L. ) Yes it would be a pain for people with experience, but maybe then new boaters would actually learn something instead of just going in for a shotgun test that takes 15-20 mins (which at Bass Pro Shops you can retake the test and only pay when you pass). Common sense..you are rght...can't be taught...too bad would really help out this world if we could teach it! Lets leave the long gun registry for another rant.....lol bet we could fill pages and pages about the "usefulness" of this legislation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Same old. same old Yes it's a tax grab. I'm sure we could come up with a list of at least 50 other cash cows like the tire tax, taxes on postage, sales tax on the gas tax, etc.... ad nauseum The closest thing to a decent course was the powerboat squadron's course from years back. Less than 1/2 the card holders would pass that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TC1OZ Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Not trying to start an argument.... but just because you pass a test doesn't mean you will apply the information "obtained" from the test. Make them as difficult as you want, doesn't change a damn thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirka13 Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 previous to me getting my license i knew nothing about boat safety other than life jacket at all times,i bought pleasure craft operators course book and just read it just as if it was a tom clancy book, front to back and i think i got 97-98%, i learned a fair amount out of that little book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ola Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 and i also passed without so much as seeing a boating manual. i did ask the guy if it wasn't a bit disconcerting to have people able to wander into a test with no prep whatsoever and pass. he did agree that it did seem nonproductive. it IS a good idea BUT it has to be a real TEST since boating is a responsibility not only for the operator but to everyone he will come in contact with on the water. sitting in my kayak, i would like to be confident the boater racing at me has some clue what he is doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpo Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Also passed 1st try, but I was also fished for 30 yrs in a boat and was taught buy the old man that was "NAVY" ...........common sense rule appies for a lot. Some people don't have it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Not trying to start an argument.... but just because you pass a test doesn't mean you will apply the information "obtained" from the test.Make them as difficult as you want, doesn't change a damn thing. Quite right. Real testing will just help to stall some of the real idiots. Just like all the useless tools out there driving without license or insurance. The problem is society's general lack of respect for law. Far too many people only heeding laws when they are convenient or when it is advantageous. Until people realize that laws serve a purpose, fear of consequences are not an adequate deterrant here in Canada. We need minimum fines starting at $1000 and judges willing to impose heavy sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkEdge Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 I say nix the heavy money fine. Do the same for boating licenses they do for P.A.L.s. Screw up on the water, lose it for good. End of file. Otherwise, it's just a pointless amount of money. It's about the same as parking fines. Some people park, don't feed meters, and get a ticket. They pay, and the next day, do it again. It'd be like if you got three parking tickets in a 30 day period, lose your license for 30 days. I bet those meters would get more change in them. Just my thought. I don't have a boat license, nor do I have a P.A.L. (yet), but the rules controlling punishment aren't near as tough in some aspects as they should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnn Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Also passed 1st try, but I was also fished for 30 yrs in a boat and was taught buy the old man that was "NAVY" ...........common sense rule appies for a lot. Some people don't have it Also passed with no problem. People who know are'nt the problem. The ones who think that they know are. Just sit at the PC launch some sunday morning and watch the disaster when a lot of them are putting and taking their boats out of the water. If they have such a problem there what is happening on the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpo Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 You are right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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