Boater Education Card Exam (NASBLA-approved boating safety course)
Terms and boat types: practice questions
Our Boater Education Card (U.S.) bank has 24 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.
Question 1
On an outboard boat's capacity plate, the maximum weight figure covers:
- Only the engine weight
- Persons, motor and gear combined
- Only the passengers
- Only the gear and fuel on board
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B. Persons, motor and gear combined — 33 CFR 183.25: the outboard plate reads 'XXX Pounds, persons, motor, gear'; the separate persons figure limits people only.
Question 2
Which boats must carry a Coast Guard capacity plate from the builder?
- Every boat with a cabin
- Only personal watercraft
- All boats over 26 feet, including canoes, kayaks and sailboats
- Monohull boats under 20 feet, except sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatables
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D. Monohull boats under 20 feet, except sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatables — 33 CFR 183.21: the capacity marking rules apply to monohull boats less than 20 feet in length, except sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatable boats.
Question 3
How should gear be loaded in a small boat?
- Mostly in the bow to keep the stern light
- Stacked high in the middle so that it stays dry
- Stacked high so it stays dry
- Evenly, kept low and secured so it can't shift
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D. Evenly, kept low and secured so it can't shift — The Coast Guard guide: distribute the load evenly fore and aft and side to side, keep it low and secure gear to prevent shifting.
Question 4
Why should passengers stay seated and low in a small boat?
- It keeps the engine from overheating
- Seated passengers are required for the boat to keep its registration
- Standing raises the center of gravity and can capsize the boat
- Standing makes the hull plane too early
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C. Standing raises the center of gravity and can capsize the boat — The Coast Guard warns that standing in a boat raises the center of gravity and risks capsizing.
Question 5
Which type of boat tends to be the least stable and easiest to capsize, according to the Coast Guard?
- Large displacement trawlers
- Flat-bottom jon boats, canoes and kayaks
- Pontoon boats in calm water
- Deep-V offshore cruisers with wide, heavy hulls
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B. Flat-bottom jon boats, canoes and kayaks — The Coast Guard guide warns that semi-V hulls, flat-bottom jon boats, canoes, kayaks and SUPs tend to be less stable and can easily capsize.