Franklin Furnace – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft is conducting a new Power Boating Basics Course that provides novice and untrained boaters the basic skills needed to properly and safely operate a power boat. The eight-hour course is open to the public and being offered June 13, at the Shawnee State Park Marina.
Class size will be limited. The course fee is $47. Participants must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver’s license be able to show proof they have completed a boater safety education course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.
Working in cooperation with various boating partners, the Division of Watercraft has developed its new power boating skills course that is aimed at educating boaters in the safe and proper methods of operating a power boat while at the same time hopefully reducing their likelihood of becoming involved in a boating accident.
Participants will get hands-on training from certified instructors that will include how to properly launch and retrieve a boat, basic boat docking procedures and basic open water power boat operations.
Among the many student objectives the power boating skills course aims for include: Proper on/off trailer launching and retrieval of a boat at a boat launch ramp; On-water approach and departure from a dock procedures; Man overboard drill, how to rescue a person in the water; Mooring and knot-tying techniques; Proper anchoring procedures; On-water power boat operating basics.
For more information on this boating skills development course, go online to the Division website at ohiodnr.com/watercraft/. To register for the course call 740-353-7668
