Boating License Test Boating Safety and Navigation Rules 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A red buoy marks which side of a channel when returning from open water toward a harbor?
- The right (starboard) side (Correct answer)
- The left (port) side
- The center of the channel
- A submerged wreck
Correct answer: The right (starboard) side
Under 'red right returning,' keep red buoys on your starboard side when returning from sea.
Question 2: What does a green can buoy indicate?
- Keep it on your port side when returning to port (Correct answer)
- Keep it on your starboard side when returning
- It marks an anchorage
- It marks a swimming area
Correct answer: Keep it on your port side when returning to port
Green cans are odd-numbered marks kept to port when returning from open water.
Question 3: A buoy with red and white vertical stripes indicates what?
- Safe water or mid-channel, pass on either side (Correct answer)
- A hazard directly ahead
- A speed-limit zone
- A restricted military area
Correct answer: Safe water or mid-channel, pass on either side
Red-and-white vertically striped buoys mark safe water or the center of a channel.
Question 4: What does a white buoy with an orange diamond mean?
- Danger warning (Correct answer)
- No wake zone
- Controlled area
- Information only
Correct answer: Danger warning
An orange diamond is a danger marker warning of rocks, dams, or other hazards.
Question 5: A white regulatory buoy with an orange circle displays what type of marking?
- A controlled area such as a speed or no-wake zone (Correct answer)
- General information
- A danger warning
- Safe water
Correct answer: A controlled area such as a speed or no-wake zone
An orange circle indicates a controlled area, often with restrictions like speed limits printed inside.
Question 6: What color light does a lighted buoy on the port side of a channel typically show?
- Green (Correct answer)
- Red
- Yellow
- White
Correct answer: Green
Port-side channel marks generally show green lights, matching green can buoys.
Question 7: A buoy showing an orange square with a boat symbol crossed out means what?
- Boats are excluded from that area (Correct answer)
- It is a fuel dock
- It marks a fishing zone
- It marks safe anchorage
Correct answer: Boats are excluded from that area
An orange crossed-out symbol marks an exclusion area closed to boating.
Boating License Test Boating Safety and Navigation Rules 3
A red buoy marks which side of a channel when returning from open water toward a harbor?