New York Boat Course
All boaters born on or after May 1, 1996 are required to complete an approved boater education course to operate a watercraft
Approved by New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
The minimum age to take the course is 10 and you do not need to be a resident of the state. Pass the course and be certified for life!
Three steps to become a Licensed Boater
1
Complete Course
State-accredited online course for all ages
2
Pass The Online Exam
Unlimited re-tries
3
Go Boating
Print temporary license and start boating!
Enjoy Two Weeks Free
Join the Wavve Boating Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Course
You must be 14 years of age or older and must pass a boating safety education course before you are allowed to operate a watercraft in New York.
Persons at least 10 years old and born on or after May 1, 1996 may operate recreational boat other than PWC only if he or she:
Passed a boating safety course approved by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and has the State Boating Safety Certificate on board or is accompanied on board by a person 18 years of age or older who either has a State Boating Safety Certificate on board or is not required to have a certificate.
Person at least 14 years old may operate a PWC only if he or she:
Has passed a boating safety course approved by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and history Preservation and is carrying the State Boating Safety Certificate on board or is accompanied by a person 18 years of age or older who holds a State Boating Safety Certificate.
No Person under 14 years of age may operate PWC.
You must be 14 years of age or older and must pass a boating safety education course before you are allowed to operate a watercraft in New York.
Only the following are exempted in having a boating safety certificate:
Both U.S. and Canadian licensed commercial vessel operators,
State certified instructors,
Certified instructors of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Power Squadrons,
Police/peace officers, fire/rescue personnel and lifeguards acting pursuant to their assigned duties.
The minimum age to take this course is 10 years old.
The course takes a minimum of 3 hours
No, you can do it over one sitting or as many sittings as you would like
No, you do not need to be a resident of New York to take this course
No, you did not fail the course and need to try again
You need to score 76.00% to pass chapter quizzes
There are 60 questions on the final exam.
You need to score 76.00% to pass the final online exam
There are quizzes at the end of each chapter in the boater education course
No, it is not an open book exam
Yes, you must pass the course before taking the exam
No, we do not the materials available offline
Yes, you must pass (the course and) the exam before you can drive a boat
Yes, the boater education course provides a foundation for other boating courses
Certification
No this is just a certificate that proves that you have taken a boating safety course and passed the exam.
You can print the certificate after passing the exam and start boating. Your permanent card will be mailed within 2 to 3 weeks.
You can print your temporary certificate from your dashboard after logging in
Once you pass and pay for the New York boater course, you will be able to immediately print out the Certificate of Completion. This is your proof of online course completion. You can print the Certificate of Completion right then, and/or request that a PDF be emailed to you.
The New York boater education card is good for your lifetime
No, if you took a boater education course in another state or in Canada, it will be recognized in New York
No, you do not need to renew your boater education card. It is good for life
You can use your temporary certificate for [60 days] to operate a personal watercraft, after which you are required to have your New York boater education card
Starting January 1, 2020. New York is implementing a phase-in-by-age law that will require a new age group to become certified per year which requires all motorized boat and PWC operators to pass a boater safety course and to have a New York boater card by January 1, 2025.
All motorized boat operators born on or after January 1, 1993 will be required to carry the New York boater card by January 1, 2020.
No, you do not need a proof of competency to operate a non-powered watercraft
Your boater education from another state or Canada is proof of competency
Yes, your boater education card can be revokable and suspendable if laws are broken
Please email [email protected]
Yes, there is a penalty for not carrying your New York boater education card while boating
Course Accreditation
Yes, our New York boater education course is approved by the New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Yes, our New York boater education course is approved by NASBLA
For visting boaters, all US states, US territories, Canadian provinces, and Canadian territories will recognize boater eduation cards that meet NASBLA (National Association of State Boating Law Administrators) and Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Cards that meet Transport Canada's requirements
The phone # is 518-474-0456 and the mailing address is 625 Broadway, , Albany, New York 12207
Price & Billing
The New York boater education course costs $29.99
Yes, our website is secure and it is safe to enter your credit card information
Customers can using debit and credit. We do not accept Bitcoin or other digital currencies at this time
No, there is no annual cost
The New York boater course is valid for your lifetime from the time of registration and payment
Please email us your issue or concern and we will review on a customer-by-customer basis.
Yes, we have an affiliate program where we reward referrals. Below is the link for more information and to sign up: https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=57099
We offer referrals through our affiliate program (https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=57099). We may do promotions from time to time
Replacement Documents
You can re-print your temporary card after logging into your account, assuming you passed the course and exam
Please email [email protected]
Account
Select a course and click the "Sign Up!" button
On the Login screen, click "Lost Password?" and follow the steps
Please email [email protected] or call 1.888.885.8830
No, you will not lose your progress
You can login as many times as you would like
IT
Yes, you can access the course on a mobile phone
Yes, you can access the course from a desktop, mobile phone or tablet
If you lose your internet connection, it will take you back to the point in the course you were currently at
Yes, the course will run on any web browser
You can take the exam on any computer that has an internet connection and a browser
There are no videos in the course
Moving to New York
Yes, provided it was issued from your current state of residence, and the course was approved by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators. Look for the NASBLA logo on your certificate.
Yes as long as it meets the requirement set by NASBLA.
There are no limits on how long you can drive a boat with your out of state card as long as it is recognized and approved by NASBLA.
You can get more information by visiting New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation (ny.gov).
General
If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact us directly at [email protected] or by phone @ 1.888.885.8830
Our hours of operation are 9am-midnight EST
We offer an official online boat course to get your boater card, which is accredited by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and the New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Please email [email protected]
Please check out our job postings or email [email protected]