What are the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) requirements for occasional visitors to Canadian waters?
Non-residents are subject to the same regulations as residents: An operator card is required if the boat you plan to use is more than four metres long. This applies even if you bring your own boat or borrow a friend’s. But, if you’d rather not be writing the test when you could be relaxing on the dock, you can get an equivalent card in your own state. Canada has a reciprocal agreement with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), so that NASBLA-approved cards are recognized here and PCOCs are recognized abroad.
Strange as it seems, you don’t need a card to rent a boat. That’s because the rental company is required to take customers through a “dockside checklist” (a screening process) before letting you loose on the water. Canadian boat-rental companies have worked with the Canadian Coast Guard’s Office of Boating Safety to develop the checklist, which is incorporated into the rental contract. It will allow you to operate a specific rental vessel for a stated time period on a stated body of water without having a card.
Related Story Transport Canada seeks public input on pleasure craft licence changes
Related Story Changes could be coming to pleasure craft licensing in Canada
Related Story Boat sales continue to skyrocket