July 17. By Dave Vieser. This year, the Lake Norman Marine Commission established new regulations designed to improve safety in and around the lake. The measures included vessel safety checks, permits for each rental boat, liability insurance minimums, and renter training and familiarization requirements.

The new laws have already proven useful and local boating enthusiasts commended the commission for their proactive work.

There’s just one problem: state law exempts boat renters from the need to take the training classes. Local officials are now scrambling to try and get the law changed in Raleigh to add further strength to the lake regulations. However there’s no guarantee that will happen.

Details

“The state law which exempts renters from education is a recipe for disaster,” said Elise Redmond, a lake safety advocate from Cornelius.

Redmond

“Boat renters without boater safety education put themselves and everyone on the water at risk. The repeal of 75A 16.2(5) will ensure that rental boat operators are trained properly, therefore creating a much safer boating environment for all of us,” she said.

Qualified, safety-aware boaters are out there too, and they can be injured by an unqualified renter in a heartbeat.

Exempt LKN?

With possible opposition from coastal boating interests looming, some have suggested a new law be written for just the Lake Norman area.

NC Rep. John Bradford (R-98) has asked for the problem to be fixed within a regulatory reform bill that is designed to clarify, amend, or correct details in existing state legislation. Bradford cautioned that there may be concerns expressed by House members who represent various boat rental operators in coastal areas since their business depends on renting watercraft.

Prior to Jan 1, 2024 there were no regulations for rental boat operation on Lake Norman. Since Covid, rental boat activity has exploded with rental boat-related deaths almost doubling.

Yet, state law states that “anyone who  possesses a rental or lease agreement from a vessel rental or leasing business that lists the person as the authorized operator of the vessel will be considered to be in compliance with the requirements of boater safety education.”(NC 75A 16 2(5).

Local safety officials are hoping that the state will change the law before they end their “short” 2024 legislative session.

Baucom

Push to repeal

“There is a push to repeal a section of the statute that exempts rental boat operators from the boaters safety education requirements,” said Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom. “Anything that brings awareness to safety issues or concerns on Lake Norman would be welcomed.”

It’s only a matter of time before a tragedy involving an uneducated boat renter occurs.

Redmond is hoping that the state legislature will move quickly. “It seems to me that this repeal would be a bipartisan measure which could eventually save countless numbers of lives on the lake.”