A 17-year-old with no card steers a 50 horsepower boat in Florida beside a card holder who is in charge. How old must that card holder be?Answer: 18 or older. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
A Florida boater born in 1995 has no card. On which water may that person still run a 40 horsepower boat under section 327.395?Answer: A private lake or pond. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
A Florida boater finishes an approved course and receives the boating safety identification card. When does the card expire?Answer: Never; it is valid for life. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(5)
A Florida operator born in 1990 needs the boating safety documents when the vessel's motor is how large?Answer: 10 horsepower or greater. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(1)
A Florida resident with no card buys a boat. For how long after the purchase may the buyer operate it with the bill of sale aboard?Answer: 90 days. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
A nonresident brings a boating safety card from another state to Florida. Whose minimum requirements must the course behind it meet or exceed?Answer: The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
Show all 102 questions (96 more)
Boating safety identification card, continued
A renter born in 1999 wants a 60 horsepower rental boat in Florida. What must the renter present to the livery?Answer: The boating safety documents that section 327.395 requires. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(4)
A student has passed a Florida boating safety course and the card has not arrived. What covers the next 90 days on the water?Answer: Photographic identification and the course's boating safety education certificate. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
A visitor passes Florida's temporary certificate examination. For how many days after it is issued does the temporary certificate last?Answer: 90 days. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(5)
According to the course topics in section 327.395(4), leaving the vessel running is a danger at which moment?Answer: When a passenger is boarding or disembarking. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(4)
Besides the Florida boating safety identification card itself, what must a covered operator have aboard?Answer: Photographic identification. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(2)
Florida's boating safety education law applies to an operator born on or after which date?Answer: January 1, 1988. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(1)
How does a person earn Florida's temporary certificate instead of the lifetime card?Answer: By passing a temporary certificate examination. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(3)
In which formats may the commission issue the Florida boating safety identification card?Answer: Digital, electronic or paper. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(5)
The proper use and lifesaving benefits of which device must a Florida boating safety course cover?Answer: The engine cutoff switch. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(4)
Section 327.395 lists dangers a Florida course must teach. Which seating danger is on the list?Answer: A passenger riding on a seat back, gunwale, transom, bow or motor cover. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(4)
Section 327.395(4) sets parts that every approved Florida boater course must contain. Which is one of them?Answer: Divers-down warning devices and awareness of divers in the water. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(4)
Section 327.731 orders a boating safety course for certain violators. Within how many days must proof of completion be filed with the commission?Answer: 90 days. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.731(1)
Until what happens may a person ordered into the course by section 327.731 not operate a vessel?Answer: Until proof of completing the course is filed with the commission. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.731(1)
What does the accompanying adult take on when an operator without a card runs the boat under section 327.395(6)(c)?Answer: Responsibility for safe operation and for any violation during it. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
What must the course certificate in section 327.395(6)(f) show, at a minimum?Answer: The student's name, date of birth and the date the course examination was passed. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
Which agency issues the Florida boating safety identification card?Answer: The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(2)
Which license exempts its holder from Florida's boating safety education section?Answer: A United States Coast Guard license to serve as master of a vessel. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(6)
Which of these does section 327.395(2) accept as proof of boating education, when carried with photographic identification?Answer: A Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(2)
Which starting hazard is named among the course topics in section 327.395(4)?Answer: Starting a vessel with the engine in gear. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.395(4)
Ages and rented vessels 8
A 12-year-old operates a personal watercraft in Florida with the owner's knowledge. Who else is breaking section 327.39?Answer: The owner who knowingly permitted it. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(6)
A livery in Florida counts the renter's group against a number on the boat. Which number?Answer: The maximum on the authorized persons capacity plate. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(3)
A rented boat is unnecessarily overdue in Florida. After how many hours past the contracted time must the livery notify law enforcement?Answer: More than 4 hours. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(5)
How old must a rider be before taking the controls of a personal watercraft in Florida?Answer: 14. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(5)
Section 327.54(6) sets an age a customer must have reached before a livery hands over anything with an engine. What age?Answer: 18. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(6)
What must a Florida livery provide before it rents a vessel, under section 327.54(3)(e)?Answer: Pre-rental or pre-ride instruction. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(3)
Which livery vessels are outside Florida's ban on renting to a person under 18?Answer: Human-powered vessels. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(6)
Which of these is a required part of a Florida livery's pre-rental instruction?Answer: Emergency procedures such as responses to capsizing and falls overboard. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.54(3)
Personal watercraft 11
A lanyard cutoff came as standard on a personal watercraft in Florida. What does section 327.39(2) have the rider fasten it to?Answer: To his or her person, clothing or personal flotation device. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(2)
Before a rented personal watercraft goes out in Florida, what must its operator have received?Answer: Instruction in the safe handling of personal watercraft. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(6)
Florida keeps personal watercraft off the water overnight. Between which times?Answer: From one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(3)
Florida's flotation rule for a personal watercraft covers each person riding on it and who else?Answer: Each person being towed behind it. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(1)
How long is a personal watercraft at most, as Florida's definitions describe it?Answer: Less than 16 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.02(36)
Section 327.02(36) describes the engine arrangement that makes a small craft a personal watercraft. Which arrangement?Answer: An inboard motor powering a water jet pump. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.02(36)
Section 327.39(1) rules out one style of approved flotation gear for anyone on a personal watercraft. Which style?Answer: An inflatable device. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(1)
Section 327.39(4) also names a last-second move as reckless. Which one?Answer: Swerving at the last possible moment to avoid collision. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(4)
Section 327.39(4) gives examples of reckless riding. Which one involves other boats in a crowded area?Answer: Weaving through congested vessel traffic. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(4)
When is jumping another vessel's wake on a Florida personal watercraft reckless under section 327.39(4)?Answer: When done unreasonably or unnecessarily close to that vessel, or when visibility around it is obstructed. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(4)
Who is exempt from Florida's night hours for personal watercraft?Answer: A fire or emergency rescue service employee on official duty. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.39(3)
Life jackets 4
Florida's rule that young children wear a flotation device applies on vessels of what length?Answer: Less than 26 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(1)
On a Florida vessel under 26 feet that is underway, a child below what age must be wearing a personal flotation device?Answer: Under 6. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(1)
Section 327.50 says a vessel is underway at all times but four. When is it not underway?Answer: When it is anchored, moored, made fast to the shore or aground. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(1)
What kind of flotation device must a water skier wear in Florida?Answer: A noninflatable device approved by the Coast Guard. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(2)
Careless operation and slow speed zones 13
A boat is still coming off plane and settling into the water. Is it at slow speed, minimum wake under Florida law?Answer: No. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.463(1)
A construction barge in Florida flies an orange flag to show active work. Inside what distance must passing vessels be at slow speed, minimum wake?Answer: 300 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.463(3)
A Florida boater fails to operate in a reasonable and prudent manner with regard for other traffic and posted restrictions. What is that under section 327.33(2)?Answer: Careless operation. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.33(2)
A Florida vessel is operated reasonably and prudently, with no negligence, and its wake washes a shoreline. How does section 327.33(2) treat that wake?Answer: It is not damage or endangerment to property. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.33(2)
A law enforcement boat has its emergency lights on. How much room does Florida's special hazards section give it before others must be at slow speed, minimum wake?Answer: 300 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.463(2)
A paddler must get a kayak across the marked channel of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. How does section 327.371 require the crossing to be made?Answer: In the most direct, continuous and expeditious manner, without interfering with other traffic. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.371(1)
Besides an emergency, whose vessels are outside the restrictions of a marked Florida boating-restricted area?Answer: Law enforcement, firefighting or rescue vessels of a governmental entity. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.46(4)
How big must the orange flag on a Florida construction vessel or barge be?Answer: At least 2 feet by 3 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.463(3)
Section 327.32 calls every vessel in Florida a dangerous instrumentality. What degree of care must its operator exercise?Answer: The highest degree of care. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.32
Under section 327.463, when is a vessel operating at slow speed, minimum wake?Answer: When it is fully off plane, completely settled into the water and making no wake or minimum wake. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.463(1)
Unless chapter 327 says otherwise, by what is fault in a Florida boating accident determined?Answer: The navigation rules. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.33(4)
What does Florida law call operating a vessel in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property?Answer: Reckless operation. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.33(1)
When may a vessel be fastened to a lawfully placed uniform waterway marker in Florida?Answer: In an emergency, or with the written consent of the marker's owner. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.42(1)
Divers-down devices, skiing and parasailing 22
A boat is being used to teach a water sport in Florida and a student is in the water. What must the operator do under section 327.50(4)?Answer: Use an engine cutoff switch and wear an operative link to it. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(4)
A Florida boat tows a person on a parasail. May a wide-angle mirror take the place of the observer?Answer: No; a person besides the operator must observe. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(1)
A vessel has to pass closer to a divers-down warning device than Florida's set distances. How fast may it go?Answer: No faster than is necessary to maintain headway and steerageway. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(6)
All divers are back aboard a Florida dive boat. What does section 327.331(7) say about the divers-down warning device?Answer: It may not be displayed. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(7)
Commercial parasailing is prohibited in Florida when the sustained wind in the area is more than what speed?Answer: 20 miles per hour. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.375(5)
Commercial parasailing must stop in Florida when a known lightning storm comes within how many miles?Answer: 7 miles. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.375(5)
Florida bars towing a skier so that a collision with an object is likely. Which objects are the exception?Answer: Slalom buoys, ski jumps and like objects normally used in skiing. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(4)
From where on a vessel must a divers-down warning device be displayed in Florida?Answer: The highest point, or another place where it is not obstructed from any direction. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(8)
How large must the divers-down symbol be when it is displayed from a vessel in Florida?Answer: At least 20 by 24 inches. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(1)
How large must the divers-down symbol be when it is displayed from the water in Florida?Answer: At least 12 inches by 12 inches. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(1)
How near the marked channel of the Florida Intracoastal Waterway may a vessel tow a parasail, unless federal law permits otherwise?Answer: No nearer than 100 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(5)
On a Florida river, inlet or navigation channel, what distance must a vessel operator try to keep from a divers-down warning device?Answer: At least 100 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(4)
On Florida waters other than rivers, inlets and navigation channels, how far must a vessel operator try to stay from a divers-down warning device?Answer: At least 300 feet. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(5)
Parasailing is barred within what distance of the boundary of an airport in Florida, unless federal law permits it?Answer: 2 miles. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(5)
What does Florida's divers-down symbol look like?Answer: Red with a white diagonal stripe. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(1)
What keeps a Florida divers-down flag readable when there is no breeze?Answer: A wire or other stiffener that keeps it fully unfurled. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(1)
When does Florida's ban on water skiing begin each evening?Answer: One-half hour after sunset. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(2)
Where are Florida divers excused from displaying a divers-down warning device?Answer: In an area customarily used for swimming only. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(2)
Which divers-down warning device may not be used or displayed onboard a vessel in Florida?Answer: A divers-down buoy. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(2)
Who is a diver under section 327.331?Answer: A person wholly or partially submerged who has a face mask and snorkel or underwater breathing apparatus. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.331(1)
Who is excused from Florida's observer rule and night hours for skiing?Answer: A performer in a professional exhibition, or a participant in an official regatta, race or tournament. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(3)
With no observer in the boat, what does section 327.37(1)(a) accept in Florida for watching a towed skier?Answer: A wide-angle rear view mirror that lets the operator observe the skier. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.37(1)
Accidents and reports 9
A Florida boating accident causes property damage and nothing else. At what apparent total must the operator give notice to law enforcement?Answer: At least $2,000. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(2)
A personal injury makes a Florida boating accident reportable when it needs what?Answer: Medical treatment beyond immediate first aid. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(2)
A rented boat is in an accident in Florida. Who is responsible for complying with the reporting sections?Answer: The person who offered the vessel for lease, rental or charter. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.301(6)
After a Florida accident the operator is incapable of making the written report. Who must make it?Answer: The owner of the vessel. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.301(1)
Besides the commission's Division of Law Enforcement, to whom may a Florida operator give notice of a reportable accident?Answer: The county sheriff, or the police chief of the municipality, where it occurred. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(2)
How quickly must a Florida operator give notice of a reportable boating accident?Answer: Without delay, by the quickest means available. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(2)
Nobody is aboard the moored vessel a Florida operator has just struck. What does section 327.30(1) ask of that operator?Answer: All reasonable steps to locate and notify its owner or person in charge. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(1)
When does a Florida operator not need to forward a written accident report to the division?Answer: When the investigating officer has made a written report of the accident. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.301(1)
Which of these makes a Florida boating accident reportable even when no vessel collided?Answer: The disappearance of a person from on board in circumstances that suggest death or injury. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.30(2)
Equipment, loading and airboats 10
A boat under sail on Florida waters has an auxiliary engine that is switched off. Is it a motorboat under section 327.02?Answer: Yes; it is equipped with machinery for propulsion, running or not. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.02(30)
A Florida county adopts the sound regulation in section 327.65(2). What is the maximum sound level, measured 50 feet from the vessel?Answer: 90 dB A. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.65(2)
An airboat operator carries passengers for hire in Florida. Besides boater education, which proof must be aboard?Answer: Proof of a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.391(5)
Florida prohibits exhaust cutouts on vessel engines. Which vessels are excepted?Answer: Vessels competing in a regatta or official boat race, and on trial runs. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.65(1)
How high must the flag on a Florida airboat fly?Answer: At least 10 feet above the lowest portion of the vessel. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.391(3)
To which boats does Florida's maximum loading and horsepower section apply?Answer: Monohull motorboats less than 20 feet in length. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.52(1)
Under section 327.52(3), a covered Florida boat may not be operated when it exceeds which limits?Answer: Its maximum weight, persons or horsepower capacity. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.52(3)
What does the required flag on a Florida airboat look like?Answer: International orange, square or rectangular, at least 10 by 12 inches. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.391(3)
Which lights does section 327.50(3) prohibit on a Florida vessel, except as the navigation rules expressly provide?Answer: Flashing, occulting or revolving lights. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(3)
Whose safety equipment requirements does section 327.50 tell every Florida vessel owner and operator to follow?Answer: The United States Coast Guard's, as set out in the Code of Federal Regulations. Source: Fla. Stat. 327.50(1)
How this list was compiled: Written only from chapter 327 of the Florida Statutes, the Florida Vessel Safety Law (sections 327.02, 327.30, 327.301, 327.32, 327.33, 327.331, 327.37, 327.371, 327.375, 327.39, 327.391, 327.395, 327.42, 327.46, 327.463, 327.50, 327.52, 327.54, 327.65 and 327.731), read in the 2026 Florida Statutes on the Legislature's site, https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0327/0327.html, on 2026-10-02. Each question names its section and links to it. That an examination exists is section 327.395: the boating safety identification card follows a commission-approved course, and the 90-day temporary certificate follows a temporary certificate examination developed or approved by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The chapter gives no number of questions and no pass mark for either, so none is stored here. The commission's rules in the Florida Administrative Code were not read and nothing is asked from them. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the statute text; nothing is copied from a boater handbook, a boating course, a course provider's study guide or another practice test.
How it works
This unofficial Florida boating safety course study guide is a practice bank of state law only: every question comes from chapter 327, Florida Statutes, with its section. Navigation rules, buoys and boat handling are not here. Read October 2026.
Read the full guide
Born 1988 or later, 10 horsepower, 300 feet
Section 327.395 asks anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, for the boating safety identification card on a motor of 10 horsepower or more. Florida issues a card, not a license, valid for life. Personal watercraft start at age 14 (327.39). Vessels stay 300 feet from a divers-down device, 100 feet on rivers, inlets and channels (327.331).
What a Florida boater education study guide must cover
Section 327.395(4) lists what every approved course teaches: divers-down devices, the danger of riding on a bow, gunwale or transom, starting in gear, and the engine cutoff switch. The statute gives no question count or pass mark, so no pass line is shown.
One clock for two night rules: personal watercraft and water skiing both stop one-half hour after sunset.
Three ages to keep apart: a life jacket under 6, a personal watercraft from 14, a rented motorboat from 18.
Questions and answers
Who needs a Florida boating safety identification card?
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, who operates a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or more, carried with photo identification. Section 327.395(6) lists the exemptions, such as a private lake or an accompanying card holder of 18 or older.
Is there a Florida boating temps study guide for the temporary certificate here?
Yes, inside the card topic. Section 327.395 gives a temporary certificate, valid 90 days, to a person who passes an examination developed or approved by the commission. The commission's agents give that examination; this page only practices the law behind it.
How many questions are on the Florida boating safety course exam, and what is the pass mark?
Chapter 327 gives neither number. It requires an approved course for the card and an examination for the temporary certificate. Exam mode here asks 25 questions, this site's choice, with no pass line.
How old do you have to be to drive a boat in Florida?
Section 327.39 sets 14 as the age to operate a personal watercraft. A livery may not rent a motorboat to anyone under 18 (327.54). The card rule in section 327.395 goes by birth date, not age.
Is this study guide from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission?
No. This is not a government website, and the commission has reviewed nothing here. Each question rests on a section of chapter 327 that you can open and check. The approved course also teaches navigation rules and boat handling.