Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Who May Operate a Vessel

A vessel powered by 25 horsepower or less does not require the operator to have a Safe Boater Education Certificate.

A “ski craft” (motorized vessel less than 13 feet long that is capable of exceeding 20 miles per hour and has the capacity to carry no more than an operator and one other person) may be operated only by persons who are 16 years old or older and who have a valid Safe Boater Education Certificate as required by the “Schedule for Required Safe Boater Education.”

A vessel powered by more than 25 horsepower (other than a “ski craft”) may be operated by:

• A person under 16 years of age only if he or she is accompanied by a person 18 years old or older who has a valid Safe Boater Education Certificate. The accompanying person is responsible for any injury or damage caused during operation of the vessel.
• A person 16 years of age or older only if he or she has obtained a Safe Boater Education Certificate as required by the “Schedule for Required Safe Boater Education.”

A Safe Boater Education Certificate may be obtained by persons 16 years of age or older only and must be carried on board.

• Effective January 1, 2007, persons will be eligible to apply for a Safe Boater Education Certificate only by successfully passing one of the following:
  • A proctored examination administered as part of a classroom boating safety course approved by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol
  • A proctored equivalency examination approved by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol
  • A National Association of State Boating Law Administrators–approved course and examination from another state
• The home-study and Internet courses will still be available after January 1, 2007. The course completion certificate that you obtain by passing one of these courses will admit you to the proctored equivalency examination.

Operators who have obtained a Safe Boater Education Certificate prior to January 1, 2007, will not be required to retake a course or an examination.

Schedule for Required Safe Boater Education

Remember—Those required to have a Safe Boater Education Certificate must carry the certificate on board whenever they are operating a vessel powered by more than 25 horsepower.