Boating

Three Options for Boating Education

1. Free Boating Safety Class. View the current listing of classes and contact the instructor as directed (limited availability at this time).
2. Home Study. Review materials and take a test in the comfort of your own home at your own pace (no cost). To request the study materials call 208-514-2426 or complete the online order form. Please use the form below to submit your Home Study test.
3. Online Education. The following vendors are approved for the state of Idaho (fees may apply).

• • Boat-Ed (fee applies)
  • Boater Exam (fee applies)
  • Boat U.S. Foundation (free)
  • Boat Smart (fee applies)
  • Interactive Boating Course (fee applies)

Life Jacket Loaner Stations 

Find a Life Jacket Loaner Station near you!

Videos

• Boat-Ed Safety Matters Video Series
• Boat U.S. Foundation How to Select and Fit a Life Jacket on a Child
• Coldwater Safety Training and Information
• Boating Safety PSA #1- with Idaho’s Hale Family
• Boating Safety PSA #2 – with Captain Keith Colburn

Resources

• Idaho Boating Handbook – Provided by Boat-Ed
• Idaho Statutes – Idaho Safe Boating Act
• Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Rules (IDAPA)
• Sharpen your Skills – Boating Safety Practice Quiz
• Free Online Paddling Course
• Learn about Navigation Rules

Why should your kids wear a life jacket?

It’s the law!  Kids 14 years of age and under on boats 19 feet or less are required to wear a Coast Guard approved and properly fitting life jacket when underway.  It is recommended that all passengers on boats wear life jackets – it can be the difference between life and death in an emergency (especially in cold water).

Life Jacket Save Lives

• PFD’s (personal flotation devices) must be Coast Guard approved, properly sized, and in good condition (no broken buckles, torn straps, rips, tears, etc). They must also be within easy reach.
• Children 14 and under must wear an approved life jacket when they are aboard a boat 19 feet in length or less whenever the boat is underway or under power. This applies to manually propelled boats such as canoes and rafts in addition to powerboats, sailboats, personal watercraft (jet skis) and fishing float tubes.
• Regardless of age, you must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) aboard a personal watercraft (jet ski) and when being pulled behind a vessel (I.e. – waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, etc.)
• The size of the boat determines the specific design types and quantities of PFDs required:
• Boats less than 16 feet long, as well as canoes and kayaks of any length, must have at least one (1) Type I, Type II, or Type III PFD for each person on board. A Type IV cushion or ring buoy will not meet this requirement.
• Boats 16 feet and longer (except canoes and kayaks of any length) must also carry a Type IV PFD (ring or cushion buoy).
• A Type V is a special purpose PFD that may be used in place of a Type I, II, or III if listed on the label as approved for the type of boating the boater is doing, such as whitewater rafting.
• Exemptions: Seaplanes, sailboards, and certain racing boats are exempt from these PFD requirements. Fly fishing float tubes do not require a PFD on lakes less than 200 surface acres. Fly fishing pontoons do require PFDs on all Idaho waters.

Click here for more information on how to choose a life jacket.

Cold Water Kills!

Click here to watch a video depicting cold water safety training and techniques.

In the past ten years nearly 67% of the fatal boating accidents in Idaho were the result of victims involuntarily entering the water from small boats. The average water temperature of Idaho’s water is 52 degrees, even during the summer! Wearing a life jacket can greatly increase your risk of surviving a cold water immersion situation.

4 Dangerous Categories of Cold Water Immersion

Cold Shock – Initial entry – 5 minutes:

• Involuntary gasping, hyperventilation, & vertigo

Swim Failure – 5 – 30 minutes:

• Even the best swimmers cannot function in cold water  
• Muscles, nerves, arms & legs cool quickly
• Manual dexterity, grip strength & movement speed drop 60-80%

Hypothermia – 30 minutes or more:  

• Depends on water temperature, clothing, body type & behavior
• Heat loss is 25 times faster in the water

Post Immersion Collapse:            

• Heart problems can develop as cold blood is released into the body core from the extremities

To increase your chances of surviving cold water immersion, always wear your life jacket.

Learn more @ coldwatersafety.org

Life Jacket Loaner Stations

Find a Life Jacket Loaner Station near you!

Marine Event Law Enforcement Resources

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation trains and provides resources to Idaho sheriff’s deputies and others responsible for patrolling Idaho’s waterways.

Marine Event Permit Application

Idaho law requires the person in charge of marine events to apply for a marine event permit 30 days prior to the event.  You can download an electronic copy of the application or request a hard copy of the form from your local county sheriff’s office. If you download the electronic form, please save it, print it, then submit it directly to your local county sheriff’s office.

Please note that events on Federally controlled waters may be subject to additional permitting by the United States Coast Guard.  Coast Guard permit applications must be submitted 135 days in advance of the event.  Some popular Federal waters in Idaho include Lake Coeur d’Alene, Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille, Dworshak Reservoir, Bear Lake, Snake River, Clearwater River, St. Joe River, Salmon River, Priest River and Brownlee Reservoir.  Associated tributaries for these bodies of waters may also be Federally controlled. 

• View the complete list of Federally controlled waters
• Apply for a Coast Guard Permit

• General Report Form
• Additional People Form
• Additional Boat Form
• Additional Injury Form
• Additional Fatality Form

County RBS Grant Links and Resources

Apply for recreational boating safety grant

Marine Law Enforcement Reporting Database

Boat Idaho Instructor Report Form

Boating Safety Outreach Report Form

Paddle Sports Instructor Report Form

IDPR Equipment Requests

Request use of IDPR equipment (PWCs, Almar, or Jet Boat)

Questions:  E-Mail the MLE program

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