Well a buddy of mine told me the following a i need some help from those you who own a boat or know a lot about boats.

It varies from state to state 151...In NY, persons above the age of 14 are allowed to operate a personal watercraft if they posses a boating safety certificate. Until the year 2009, boaters of the age 10-13 are allowed to operate personal watercrafts with some restrictions. Persons between 10-18 years of age are allowed to operate MOTORBOATS if they possess the safety certificate. Persons under the age of 10 are allowed to operate motorboats (excluding personal watercrafts) if they are under the supervision of someone above the age of 18 or someone between the age of 10-18 who has completed the Boaters Safety Education course and holds a certificate. So your going to have to check your state regulations.

try www.boatus.org They have online safety courses and state rules and regulations. I know the Washington state rules and regs were there and when WA made it mandatory to have a boating safety license to operate boats on WA state waters, that's where I got my certificate. As for the cost, you may have to check your states fish and wildlife website, or whoever issues the license. WA charges $10 for a lifetime safety license.

Thanks Hoss and Barresi, This is what i was looking for, Now i just have to find a manual to study :\

Check with your local Power Squadron or Coast Guard Auxiliary. They often run a boating safety course (as well as others) that are offered for a minimal cost, usually just enough to cover the cost of materials.

You might also try your local Sheriff's office. I know ours holds free classes with the Marine Unit Deputies a couple times a year, or your local fish and wildlife office

I did the online study in New Jersey. I think it 35$ but you could study for as long as you wanted. At the end of the course they gave me a choice of official places to take the actual test. I'd check the FL coast guard site or check with your local bait and tackle shop. Good Luck.

Just keep in mind that a boating "safety course" although maybe required to operate a power boat/personal watercraft depending on the persons age in some states, is not the same as a US Coast Guard Captains License. Different requirements and alot harder to earn. The most common USCG Lic. is the OUPV (six pack), which entitles the holder to operate and take up to 6 paying passengers. There's a bunch more requirements and entitlements, but I won't get into that. Thats for another discussion.

The USCG licenses are intended more for persons operating a vessel "for hire" rather than the recreational boater. Licensing for recreational boaters varies widely from state to state. A USCG license may or may not satisfy these requirements. The place to check requirements is not the Coast Guard but the state agency in your state of residence that registers watercraft. Here in Illinois, that is the DNR, but in some states may be a dept of registration or the Secretary of State's office or even the DMV.