Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A new state law will require Massachusetts boaters to pass safety courses before heading out to sea, or anywhere else on the water.
Right now, Massachusetts doesn't require any safety courses or licenses for boat owners, meaning anyone who buys a boat can be out on the water almost immediately, without necessarily knowing what they're doing.
“We’re the only state in new England that doesn’t require that,” Public Affairs Officer Kevin Ritchie with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary told WBZ NewsRadio.
This new law, called the Hanson-Milone Boater Safety Act, will change that, with the ultimate goal of making the waterways safer for everyone. Lawmakers on Beacon Hill had been trying to get this law passed for a decade before it was signed into law by Governor Maura Healey last month.
The law is named after David Hanson, a volunteer firefighter who died at age 20 in a boating accident near Plymouth Harbor in 2010, and Paul Milone, Weymouth's late harbor master who was a longtime advocate for boat safety.
"There’s plenty to know about once you get a boat and you’re out on the waterways regarding navigation, safety equipment, and right now, somebody can go out and not really know what to do,” Ritchie said. “We find people under the influence while operating their boats which is a huge safety concern also," he noted.
The law will take effect in April 2026. It will require those born after Jan. 1, 1989 to complete the educational course by April 1, 2026. Anyone born before will have until April 1, 2028.
“This law is going to make boaters more educated and absolutely help us while we’re out there patrolling the water ways,” Ritchie said.
The course will be offered both online and in-person.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.