Proof on board: young operators, visitors and rental boats

Marguerite is fifty-eight, and it's the first hot weekend at the family cottage. Her grandson is fourteen and has his eye on the personal watercraft. Her brother is up from Ohio for the week, and he'd like to take the runabout out for a spin. Both of them are looking at her. She owns the boats, so the decisions are hers.

So here's the question. Who is allowed to drive what, and what proof does each of them need?

Start with the grandson. Under the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations, no one under sixteen may operate a personal watercraft, supervised or not. That's settled. For other boats, under twelve means a limit of seven and a half kilowatts, that's ten horsepower. Under sixteen, the limit is thirty kilowatts, that's forty horsepower. Those limits lift only when someone sixteen or older is right there in the boat, directly supervising.

A few more points. Transport Canada says the supervisor needs their own proof of competency too. The young driver still needs his own proof on board, supervised or not. And the adult who allows a young person to break these rules is breaking them too. Transport Canada also says personal watercraft riders need proof of age on board, so bring ID. All of this is general information, not legal advice.

Now her brother. A visitor who lives outside Canada and brings his own boat here for less than forty-five days in a row doesn't need Canadian proof, but he carries proof of where he lives. The rules do apply when a visitor drives a Canadian boat, a rental or a charter. So her brother needs proof of competency, either a Canadian card or a boating certificate that meets his home state's requirements.

What if he'd rented instead? A rental boat safety checklist counts as proof, but only for the rental period. Everyone who will drive signs it, along with the rental agent, and it stays on board. It only works when you rent from a company, and boat-sharing websites count. A private rental between two people doesn't. And a boating course taken in Canada before April the first, nineteen ninety-nine, still counts as proof.

On the water. On a summer weekend on the Saint Lawrence, rental pontoons, visiting boaters and cottage families all share the same stretch of river. From the helm, you can't tell who's carrying what proof. So the checking happens at the dock, by whoever hands over the keys. When a teenager asks for the personal watercraft, the answer isn't about how responsible he seems. It's his age.

Let's change one fact. Make the grandson sixteen. Now he may drive the personal watercraft, as long as he has his own proof of competency on board, and ID that shows his age. Transport Canada says there's no horsepower limit at sixteen. Same boy, one birthday, and a different answer.

The mistake boaters make is thinking an adult sitting beside a young driver fixes everything. Supervision lifts the horsepower limits. It never makes a personal watercraft legal for someone under sixteen, and it doesn't replace the young driver's own proof.

Here's the rule, in one breath. Under sixteen, never a personal watercraft. Horsepower limits lift only with a supervisor sixteen or older in the boat. And every driver carries their own proof.

This week, if you'll be renting, read Transport Canada's rental boat checklist for your type of boat before you arrive. There are versions for tiller steering, wheel steering, pontoons, personal watercraft, houseboats, and canoes and kayaks. Next time, boat talk, the words the test uses.