Could You Pass a Boating License Test?

By: Gavin Thagard
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Could You Pass a Boating License Test?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

It's a sunny summer day and nothing sounds better than hitting the open water on your brand new boat. There's one thing, though: You need your boating license. Could you past the test to get it, so you don't have to miss out on the fun? Here's a quiz where you can find out! 

Boating is one of the top recreational activities in the world. Each year, thousands of people make their way to rivers, lakes and oceans from continents all over the world to catch a quick dip in the water and escape the heat, and many of those people who are looking for some summer fun are boaters, and, of course, boating can be quite fun, but just like any other mechanical machine with a motor, you have to be cautious and obey certain rules to drive a boat, ensuring that everyone is able to have fun while being safe. 

Do you know what it takes to get your boating license, though? Do you know about all of the boating lights and what they mean, or how to tell if another boat has the right of way? If you don't want to miss out on any summer fun, take this quiz and see if you are ready to get your boating license! 

Heading out to catch some waves
Matt Porteous
What is it called when a boat tips on its side?
Sunk
Waved
Capsized
There are many famous cases of boats capsizing. One occurred in 1915, when the SS Eastland tipped over in the Chicago River.
Washed

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Senior man sailing on boat at night
Stanislaw Pytel
What is a PFD?
Park for drivers
Personal flotation device
911 can't help you on the open water. Instead, a boater is supposed to use a distress signal.
Pull forward dock
Power for drive

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Mother fastening son's life jacket
David Jakle
Make sure your lifejackets are NOT what before taking off?
Ripped or damaged
If you're out on a boat fishing, look for birds on the water. They will tell you if fish are nearby.
Inflated
On your boat
Orange

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woman sea kayaking
Max Bailen
PFDs should be worn based on what?
Preference
Color
Shape
Size and weight requirements
Boats come in all sizes. Smaller boats include kayaks and canoes.

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Life jackets
Brian Bumby
PFDs must be what on your boat?
Hanging from the side
Put away
Readily accessible
Large boats are used for traveling by sea. Yachts and sailboats are larger boats commonly owned for recreational use.
Tied together with a rope

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Boy enjoying boat ride
Sverre Haugland
Children under what age must wear a PFD, according to federal regulation?
10
13
Early canoes were made by carving out the inside of logs. These were common among Native Americans.
16
18

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Couple driving speedboat
Jim Arbogast
What is required on your boat?
Bathroom
Sunglasses
Towel
Sound-producing device
The oldest boat ever recovered was the Pesse canoe. It was built around 10,000 years ago.

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Sailboat
Ph. Francesco Ciccotti
In coastal waters, boats must carry what?
A distress signal
The Pesse canoe was discovered in the Netherlands during construction of a motorway in 1955. It is currently held in the Drents Museum.
Water
A boiler tank
A microphone

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Disaster Preparedness
Rosemary Calvert
What do you need to have to put out a fire?
Bucket
Fire blanket
Fire extinguisher
Though the Pesse canoe only dates back 10,000 years, there is plenty of evidence to indicate that boats were used nearly 1,000,000 years ago. Most evidence points to the disbursement of people into places like Australia and Crete.
Sand

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Coral Triangle
ANATOLI MYSHLYAEV
Never put what into any waters?
Sewage
Fish
Other water
Plastic
During the American Civil War, the first ironclad warships met in battle. This meeting changed marine warfare forever.

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Cruise Ship Cabin compact bathroom
apomares
A boat with a toilet must have what?
Toilet paper
Marine Sanitation Device
Before ironclad warships, naval warfare was defined by ship of the line tactics. Here, a ship with the most guns usually won the battle.
Air freshener
Bleach

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pipe with pouring water
nesneJkraM
You CAN'T release sewage where?
Open waters
Anywhere
In flowing water
No Discharge Zone
The sides of a boat have names. The left side is referred to at the port side, while the right side is called the starboard side.

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nature scenery
Arthit Somsakul
Where do you release your sewage holding tank?
Reservoir​
Open water
Pumpout Station
The body of a boat is referred to as the hull. However, this does not include the engine or any sails.
3 miles out

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Percival Landing
Tim Thompson / Bradel Images
What must you do before taking your boat out?
Register it
Many boaters live in houseboats, which are docked near shore. Often, these boats never leave the dock.
Paint it
Clean it
Test drive it

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Rescue boat training at nautical training facility
Monty Rakusen
What type of watercraft must have a registration?
Any
Motorboats
Ferries are a popular form of transportation across rivers and lakes. Ferries carry both people and cars.
Kayaks​
Canoes

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yacht sailing on silent sea
Anton Petrus
Where must your boat registration number go?
The engine
The back
Underneath
The bow
There are nearly 12 million recreational boats registered in the United States. However, since 2005, the numbers have dipped slightly.

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Mature Couple and Young Couple Sit on the Deck of a Yacht Looking at the View
Digital Vision
Many states require that your boat have what?
Title
There are over 5,000 sailboats sold in the United States each year. Nautor's Swan and Hallberg-Rassy are two of the largest manufacturers​ of sailboats.
Sun guard
Onboard water pump
At least 8 oars

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Luxury yachts
Pola Damonte via Getty Images
What must your boat have before you can register it?
An engine
A sail
Hull Identification Number
During the Civil War, Robert Smalls, a slave, stole a Confederate ship and delivered it to the North. After gaining his freedom, he went back to fight in the war.
An inspection

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A group of scuba divers in an inflatable boat
Noel Hendrickson
What causes the most accidents onboard a boat?
Driving too fast
Turning too sharp
Lights being out
Overloaded boats
A Swedish warship, the Vasa, sank in 1628. When the ship was recovered in 1961, it was pretty much completely still intact. Now, that's a well-built ship.

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Older couple relaxing on sailboat
Lost Horizon Images
To avoid overloading, what must be attached to a boat?
Scale
Capacity plate
In 1969, Israel stole five boats from France and sailed them back to Israel. To be fair, they did buy the boats first, but France wouldn't release them because of an arms embargo.
Seat count number
Level

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people sitting together on boat
Zero Creatives
Which of the following is NOT listed on the capacity plate?
Maximum weight capacity
Maximum horsepower
Maximum water ratio
In 2004, a ship sunk off the coast of Texas when all of the passengers moved to one side of the boat. Of course, they had a good reason, as they were approaching a nude beach.
Maximum persons capacity

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iceberg lagoon
Noel Hendrickson
Which is NOT a problem with an overloaded boat?
Too high off the water
The fastest someone has ever traveled on water is 317 mph. This speed was achieved by Ken Warby in 1978.
Sinking from a wake
Flipping
Difficult to handle

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Friends riding speedboat
Jupiterimages
What is the most common reason that a boat breaks down?
Mechanical issues
Electrical issues
The Titanic, which took sail in 1912, was considered unsinkable. That's until it hit an iceberg, sending the ship into the depths of the ocean along with over 1,500 passengers.
Icebergs​
Missiles

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Panama City Skyline and nautical vessel
Kryssia Campos
What is required to operate a boat at night?
Lights
The Dona Paz was another vessel which sunk after colliding with an oil tanker. Nearly 5,000 people were killed in the collision.
Night vision
Binoculars
Scuba gear

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couple sitting on boat
Zero Creatives
What must boats over 26 ft have that outlines rules on dumping waste?
"Waste Rules" sign
"Dumping Rules" sign
"Save Our Seas" placard
Nearly half of America's rivers and lakes are too polluted for regular outdoor activity. This is mainly due to waste that is discharged into the water.
"How To Remove Waste" sign

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Boat in Oil Covered Water of Gulf of Mexico
Photographer Kris Krüg
What must you do if your boat discharges oil into the water?
Clean it up
Ignore it
Notify wildlife services within the year
Notify the Coast Guard
Clean water is a global crisis. It affects nearly half of the world's population, resulting in millions of deaths each year.

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cargo ship running on sea close warehouse harbor
anucha sirivisansuwan
When you see a commercial vessel, never do what?
Ride behind
Pass behind
Pass in front​
One of the largest oil spills ever occurred in 2010 when BP spilled over 200 million gallons. The spill polluted a large portion of the Louisiana coast, killing thousands of animals.
Pass from the side

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Man steering boat
Sam Edwards
What does H.E.L.P. stand for?
Help elevate longer posture
Help escape longer posture
Heat escape lessening posture
This is a technique you can use if you are stuck in the water, waiting for help. It will keep your vital organs warm longer.
Help escape leg posture

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Aerial view of city harbour at night
Travel_Motion
What color are sidelights?
Red and green
Other boats approaching from the side of your boat can see sidelights. The red light shows the port side of the boat, and the green light shows the starboard side.
Blue
Yellow and white
White

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GettyImages-644574500
Manuel Breva Colmeiro
Where is a stern light located on a boat?
Front
Back
Obviously, freshwater is an extremely valuable resource. It is primarily used for irrigation.
Top
Front left

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Sea Ice Edge
David Merron Photography
Which vessel should maintain its course and speed?
Upper vessel
Dominant vessel
Give-way vessel
Stand-on vessel
Have you ever heard stories about abandoned ships roaming the waters? Well, in 2013, a Russian cruise ship broke off from a towing line with no one onboard. The ship is still floating around somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Romantic couple looking out from boat at Dubai marina
Antonio Saba
What color light indicates you should stand on?
Green
Another famous story about a boat adrift was that of the Baychimo. This ship was abandoned in arctic ice in 1932. It was last seen, still floating, in 1969, nearly 40 years after it was abandoned.
Red
White
Blue

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Discovering Greece
Nick Brundle Photography
When you see a white light from another vessel, what are you doing to that vessel?
Hitting it
Overtaking it
Pirates were much more common in the 18th and 19th centuries than they are today. One famous pirate was Ching Shih, a former Chinese prostitute who would eventually control nearly 2,000 ships.
Pushing it
Encountering it

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Oil ship tanker park on the sea at dusk with beautiful sky waiting for load/unload oil from refinery for transportation
Suriyapong Thongsawang
How do you pass a vessel that you are overtaking?
Right
Left
Either way
An explorer, Tommy Thompson, who discovered gold on the SS Central America in 1988, disappeared for years after discovering the gold. In 2015, authorities finally found Thompson and arrested him.
You don't

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Police strobe lights illuminated on a patrol boat
Douglas Sacha
What are you approaching if you see a flashlight?
Port
Non-motorized vessel
In 2013, after his ship sunk, Harrison Okene, a chef for the ship, managed to survive for three days underwater after finding an air pocket. He was the only person onboard the ship to survive.
Log
Rocks

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