U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary PE Speedgram No. 4-96

Number 4-96 -- 9 July 1997

PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ONE-HOUR COURSE

A new, single-lesson Personal Watercraft One-Hour Course is now available from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Materials Center [Course Stock # 10200(PWC-OH); Instructor Kit Stock # 10205]. The complete course consists of:

A. Instructor Guide and Exam Answers (One piece of 8 1/2 x 14 as a four-fold double sided brochure)
B. Student Examination (One piece of 8 1/2 x 14 as a four-fold double sided brochure)
C. Personal Watercraft Rider's Handbook (45 page booklet)
D. Certificate
E. Student Card

The Personal Watercraft Rider's Handbook is now marked with the logo of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX) rather than the mark of a major PWC manufacturer. In addition, changes have been made in several areas of the book to better align them with other USCGAUX training materials.

The new course is not designed to replace other USCGAUX PWC training materials at this time. As a one-hour program, the course is not approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Moreover, it may not meet the requirements of the state in which it is being taught. However, the program may be used in several ways:

The course can be used as an add-on module to the Boating Safely Course (BSC) to supplement the current material on personal watercraft. The BSC is NASBLA approved and, therefore, can serve as an approved safe boating course for those states requiring mandatory education for PWC riders when supplemented with a discussion of applicable state laws and regulations.
The "portability" of the Personal Watercraft One-Hour Course allows for ease of presentation at marinas, PWC rental agencies, etc. In this manner, many riders who hesitate to take traditional classroom programs, will have the opportunity to learn PWC basics and the need to be a responsible skipper in, on, and near the water.
Given the relatively short duration of the program, it may be used as an educational supplement when conducting courtesy marine examinations with groups of PWC riders.

A key element of the program is the Personal Watercraft Rider's Handbook. The answers to all the examination questions appear in the Rider's Handbook. While the Instructor's Guide has all the correct answers to the Student Exam highlighted in bold print, the instructor should be thoroughly familiar with Rider's Handbook.

The instructor must develop a lesson plan from the Presentation Outline to insure that the student is exposed to material covered on the exam.

Instructors should become familiar with PWC and how they are operated. A visit to a nearby PWC dealer is recommended. Most dealers are eager to point out the features of PWC and might welcome the opportunity to have the course presented in their showroom or ramp.

The certificate and student card (wallet size) packed with this program are identical to those used in previous PWC course material. Therefore, it is important to add the words "One-Hour" above "Personal Watercraft Course." Advise students that the certificate and wallet card only indicate that they have successfully completed this one-hour educational course. Students should be encouraged to increase their boating safety knowledge by attending other Auxiliary courses.

What next? The Personal Watercraft One-Hour Course was developed as an interim measure until PWC material could be incorporated into currently available USCGAUX, NASBLA approved, training material. At this time, the Boating Safely Course (BSC) is currently being revised to meet this objective. As the timing for this program is firmed up, a Speed-gram will be issued covering details of this initiative and the status of all PWC training material currently in circulation.