For Immediate Release

Date: December 16, 2005

Boaters 50 and Younger Need Boater Education Card

Boaters age 50 and younger are required in 2006 to carry a boater education card when operating powerboats greater than 10 hp, according to the Oregon State Marine Board. Almost 120,000 cards have been distributed to boaters so far. While more than 10,000 operators in this age group have already gotten their education card, an estimated 22,000 have not.

The slow winter season is an excellent time to take a boating safety class and apply for your boater education card- before the springtime rush. “Applications come rushing in on the first nice days of spring,” says Ashley Massey, Mandatory Boater Education Program Coordinator for the Marine Board. “Heavy volume can delay processing of boater education card applications. Boaters should be thinking about completing a class and applying for their cards now, before they get the itch to go boating this spring or summer.” The cost of the card is a one-time $10 fee. This past summer 478 boaters were cited for not carrying a card, a fine of $94.

The boater education card shows that the holder has completed a basic boater education course. The boater education law was enacted by the 1999 Oregon Legislature to reduce accidents, injuries and property damage on Oregon’s increasingly crowded waterways. The Marine Board is phasing the requirement in by age. When fully implemented, it will apply to all boaters operating boats greater than 10 hp. The age requirement will increase to boaters 60 and younger in 2007, 70 and younger in 2008 and all boaters in 2009.

For information on the program, or for available classroom and online courses, as well as equivalency exams for experienced boaters, check the Marine Board’s website at www.boatoregon.com or call (503) 378-5163.

###