I am going to Keuka lake in New York and I was wondering about boating laws. Can you help me?

54jknb5487dfg46 asked:

I have a small 12 or 14 foot boat (aluminum) and a small trolling motor (electric). How do you have to be to operate a trolling motor. I am 14 and my mom cannot physically operate the motor due to arm pain. I wanted to operate it but I don’t know if I need a license/coarse, and if I do how fast can I get one because I am leaving tomorrow.

Tags: Aluminum, Boating Laws, Trolling Motor

This entry was posted on Friday, August 13th, 2010 at 6:42 am and is filed under Boats & Boating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “I am going to Keuka lake in New York and I was wondering about boating laws. Can you help me?”

? says:

August 15, 2010 at 5:14 pm

In NYS, individuals less than 18 years of age who have
not successfully completed a boating safety course may only
operate a vessel while under the direct supervision of an individual
who is 18 years of age or older.
So, if your Mom or another person over 18 is going to be with you, you’ll be fine… If not, regretfully, you won’t be legal.
Sorry kid, my heart goes out to you… I didn’t agree with this law when they changed it… used to be, you would be legal up to and including 10hp. But hey… take boating safety course and next time out, you’ll be fine…
This time however, as long as Mom is in the boat with you – you are good to go! So, I hope for your sake, she likes (or is at least willing) to go boating!
You don’t have enough time this trip, but so you know, here is the link to NYS information on how you can take the course and get your license…

Best if luck!
Happy & Safe Boating!
Capt. John