Missouri Jetboaters Association: HAVE YOU GOT YOUR BOATING LICENSE, KIDS?

Friday, April 16, 2010

HAVE YOU GOT YOUR BOATING LICENSE, KIDS?

Missouri Revised Statutes

Chapter 306
Watercraft Regulation and Licensing--State Water Patrol
Section 306.127

August 28, 2009

Boating safety identification card required, when, requirements, fee--inapplicable, when--temporary boater education permit issued to nonresidents, when, rules, fee authorized, expiration date.
306.127. 1. Beginning January 1, 2005, every person born after January 1, 1984, or as required pursuant to section 306.128, who* operates a vessel on the lakes of this state shall possess, on the vessel, a boating safety identification card issued by the Missouri state water patrol or its agent which shows that he or she has:

(1) Successfully completed a boating safety course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and certified by the Missouri state water patrol. The boating safety course may include a course sponsored by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary or the United States Power Squadron. The Missouri state water patrol may appoint agents to administer a boater education course or course equivalency examination and issue boater identification cards under guidelines established by the water patrol. The Missouri state water patrol shall maintain a list of approved courses; or

(2) Successfully passed an equivalency examination prepared by the Missouri state water patrol and administered by the Missouri state water patrol or its agent. The equivalency examination shall have a degree of difficulty equal to, or greater than, that of the examinations given at the conclusion of an approved boating safety course; or

(3) A valid master's, mate's, or operator's license issued by the United States Coast Guard.

2. The Missouri state water patrol or its agent shall issue a permanent boating safety identification card to each person who complies with the requirements of this section which is valid for life unless invalidated pursuant to law.

3. The Missouri state water patrol may charge a fee for such card or any replacement card that does not substantially exceed the costs of administrating this section. The Missouri state water patrol or its designated agent shall collect such fees. These funds shall be forwarded to general revenue.

4. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who:

(1) Is licensed by the United States Coast Guard to serve as master of a vessel;

(2) Operates a vessel only on a private lake or pond that is not classified as waters of the state;

(3) Until January 1, 2006, is a nonresident who is visiting the state for sixty days or less;

(4) Is participating in an event or regatta approved by the water patrol;

(5) Is a nonresident who has proof of a valid boating certificate or license issued by another state if the boating course is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA);

(6) Is exempted by rule of the water patrol;

(7) Is currently serving in any branch of the United States armed forces, reserves, or Missouri national guard, or any spouse of a person currently in such service; or

(8) Has previously successfully completed a boating safety education course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).

5. The Missouri state water patrol shall inform other states of the requirements of this section.

6. No individual shall be detained or stopped strictly for the purpose of checking whether the individual possesses a boating safety identification card or a temporary boater education permit.

**7. Beginning January 1, 2006, any nonresident born after January 1, 1984, desiring to operate a rental vessel on the lakes of this state, may obtain a temporary boater education permit by completing and passing a written examination developed by the Missouri state water patrol, provided the person meets the minimum age requirements for operating a vessel in this state. The Missouri state water patrol is authorized to promulgate rules for developing the examination and any requirements necessary for issuance of the temporary boater education permit. The temporary boater education permit shall expire when the nonresident obtains a permanent identification card pursuant to subsection 2 of this section or thirty days after issuance, whichever occurs first. The Missouri state water patrol may charge a fee not to exceed ten dollars for such temporary permit. Upon successful completion of an examination and prior to renting a vessel, the business entity responsible for giving the examination shall collect such fee and forward all collected fees to the Missouri state water patrol on a monthly basis for deposit in the state general revenue fund. Such business entity shall incur no additional liability in accepting the responsibility for administering the examination. This subsection shall terminate on December 31, 2010.

(L. 2003 S.B. 1, A.L. 2004 S.B. 1259)
*Word "who" does not appear in original rolls.

**Subsection 7 expires 12-31-10
Mo. State Water Patrol

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Hi, my name's Tom Usher and I've been thinking about something. I've been running the Meramec River for 30 years now in power boats, both with pumps and props. Before that I spent most of my life around cruisers and houseboats on the Mississippi River and Lake of the Ozarks.

There's one thing in common between all of these waters as far as boating goes; some people know what they're doing and some don't. There are rules in boating called "The Rules of the Road". They are applicable no matter what body of water you're on or what type of boat you're in, from a raft to a 60' Chris Craft on up. The rules exist so that people can travel safely on the water with a reasonable expectation of what others around them are going to do.

Very few boaters have taken the time to attend classes from the Coast Guard or the Power Squadron to learn about the machine they're operating or the rules that govern its operation. Most just get in and go, figuring that it's the water so it's a big party and the hell with safety and concern for others. That attitude gets people killed every single year.

As someone that has been around boats all my life I can say without much fear of being wrong that running jetboats on small rivers is the most potentially dangerous type of boating there is short of racing. It mixes high speed, shallow water, rocks, stumps, current, trees and sharp turns into some of the most incredibly fun yet treacherously nasty boating you're going to find. Mix in canoes, rafts, tubers, swimmers and drinking and I'm amazed we have as few accidents as we do.

Jetboaters have a bad reputation among average Missourians. The only time most people are exposed to us is when they get out and rent a canoe once or twice a year and travel in packs jambing the river from side to side. Most of these canoeist are from urban areas and have very little exposure to the rivers and river life. Consequently they don't understand that we pass so close to them, not because we want to, but because we have no choice. They are floating, swimming or have decided to beach their canoes directly in the narrow channel that we have to use to get through. This seems to leave the impression that we're just a bunch of white trash river rats intent on ruining their time on the river and threatening their safety. With rare exception, this isn't the case.

And this is where the "Rules of the Road" kick in. All of us that use the river need to know these rules and live by them. That includes the canoeists and rafters. We need to put a system in place that will allow boaters on the small rivers to receive at least a modicum of training before they hit the water.

I'm not talking licencing and classes and all that, but more of an informal educational program. Something that supplies the boater with information when they buy their boat or rent a canoe.

I think that we as jetboaters, because we use the river more than others and are far more familiar with it, need to take the lead in this effort. To this end I would like to propose the formation of the Missouri Jetboaters Association. We need some sort of formal group to speak for us in the political world and to protect our interests. We need to be proactive in safety and environmental concerns along the river to head off those that will try to ban us from it. We need to police ourselves so that we can have access to the rivers we love.

The thing is, I'm not sure how to go about getting something like this started. My buddy and I were talking about this last night and figured social networking would have to play a big role. We can get the word out through talking to people on the river and at outfitters and boat dealers. There are legal requirements that have to be met and we wouldn't want to forget the tax man.

Maybe this could start as an informal thing but to be effective it would have to be formalized pretty quickly. I talked to the Water Patrol and they are producing a DVD on river safety that they are going to make available to outfitters. Maybe we should work with them.

The other advantage to something like this is that it would allow for jetboaters to get together every once in a while for meetings to discuss concerns and ideas. We just have to find a big gravel bar and get permission to use it. The internet will also give us the means to communicate about problems and issues that need to be addressed. even something as simple as announcements about a get together somewhere or that a tree needs to be cut out of the channel someplace.

As you can tell all of this is in the planning and talking stage right now so any suggestions would be appreciated. Leave your comments and if you want your contact information. I can be reached at tomusher@catholicexchange.com.

Missouri Jetboaters Association

Friday, April 16, 2010

HAVE YOU GOT YOUR BOATING LICENSE, KIDS?

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