Maryland Basic Boating Course

There are three methods in which to obtain a Maryland Basic Boating Safety Certificate.

I. Classroom

The Maryland Basic Boating Course is taught by trained instructors and must be a minimum of 8 hours in length. Students must attend all classroom sessions and achieve a score of 80% on the final exam in order to pass. Some agencies require that youngsters under a certain age attend with a participating adult. Most of the classroom classes will require registration. Please call the numbers listed with the courses for the specific information.

BOATING SAFETY CLASS LISTING

II. On-Line

The Maryland Basic Boating Course is now available on-line. Study at home, on your own schedule, and at your own pace. When you pass the on-line exam by scoring 80% or greater, you will immediately be able to print out a temporary certificate that is valid for 30 days. You will receive your Maryland Basic Boating Safety Education Certificate in the mail within 5 – 7 business days.

2 online course options: choose the one that's right for you!

• www.boat-ed.com/md
• www.BOATERexam.com/usa/maryland

III. Equivalency Exam

The Safety Education Section suggests that boaters attend a Maryland Basic Boating Class (remember, the law specifies that anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, must have a Certificate of Boating Safety Education in order to operate a mechanically propelled vessel on Maryland waters). However, due to certain circumstances, some people are unable to attend all sessions of the eight-hour course. In order to facilitate the availability of the course, the Maryland Natural Resources Police Safety Education Section has created the Maryland Basic Boating Equivalency Examination. Boaters who are unable to attend the class, and are in need of a Certificate of Boating Safety Education, may obtain a copy of the Boat Maryland textbook, the textbook used in all boating safety classes, at one of the locations listed below. After studying the material contained in the textbook, contact the one of the test sites marked with an asterisk, to schedule a date and time to take the exam. The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions designed to measure comprehension in regard to information contained in the textbook. A score of 80% is required to pass the examination. Failure to pass the examination after two attempts will require a student to attend a Boating Safety Education Section class in order obtain the Certificate of Boating Safety Education.

For further course information, please visit the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary website at www.cgaux.org, or the United States Power Squadron website at www.usps.org.

Equivalency Exam Listing