People trying to squeeze in some boating with the last bit of warm weather should be warned: They'll need to carry new proof of certification on board.

New Transport Canada rules in effect Tuesday require motor boaters to pass a test, giving them a Pleasure Craft Operating Card, which is required at all times when going out on the water.

The test asks 36 questions on how to share waterways, use safety equipment and respond to emergencies.

Test takers must answer at least 27 questions right in less than 45 minutes to get a passing grade. Boaters only have to pass the test once because the card is valid for life.

But at least one experienced boater who took the test says it is too easy, and isn't designed to check if boaters actually know what they're doing on the water.

"Most people probably don't even look at the material and (then) pass the test," he says. "It's a very simple challenge," says Norman Schneiderman of Dartmouth Nova Scotia.

He says the test should be "something where you're actually getting a person on the craft and see how they can operate it, and teach them to operate it."

But Chris Shaw, who owns a boating supply store in Dartmouth says the new certification teaches basic safety tips, which is a step in the right direction.

"I think it's time to kind of bring safety and some regulation to the recreational boating industry," he says.

Transport Canada says this program is the reason why the number of boating fatalities has dropped from 200 nationally in 1999 to 126 in 2006.

Anyone born after April 1, 1983 has already needed a card to operate a boat since 1999.

Transport Canada's website has a list of approved boating schools that provide training courses, some of which are offered online. Boaters have to take the test through the school. It costs about $50.

Boatsmart, a school in Toronto says that of the 10 million boaters in Canada, only two million have their card so far.

People who rent a boat don't need the card. Instead they need to fill out a safety checklist the day they rent it. 

Drivers will have to bring their card on board at all times and anyone who doesn't have one will be fined $250 no matter their age or experience.