GRAND HAVEN -- Jacob Vanderlee wants to drive his family's jet boatby himself.
At 12, the Fruitport boy thought he was just two years away from being able to take the wheel alone.
But a bill signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm last week known as Ashleigh Iserman's Law, will raise the minimum age to operate a boat or jet ski without supervision from age 14 to 16.
It also requires anyone born after Dec. 31, 1978, to get a boating-safety certificate before operating a personal watercraft.
The law comes after Iserman, a 17-year-old Rochester Hills resident, died in 2004 when she crashed a jet ski into a boat on Walled Lake. She did not have a boating-safety certificate.
Lawmakers raised the minimum age to operate a boat or jet ski in hopes of instilling responsible boating at an earlier age and to bring it in line with the minimum age for driving a car.
Because Jacob will turn 14 before the law takes effect in 2011, he will be briefly eligible to pilot a personal watercraft. But after the law takes effect, Jacob -- who has his safety certificate -- will have to wait to drive again until he turns 16.
Matt Vanderlee, Jacob's father, said while he understands why the law was created, it "hurts responsible boaters."
"I took the course with (Jacob) as a refresher," Vanderlee said. "I still learn stuff. New stuff comes out every year. We see some pretty odd things on the water -- new boaters who don't know the right of way, things like that."
There's a fine line between a family's discretion as to whether or not the teen is responsible enough versus politicians stepping in, Vanderlee added.
But Sgt. Keith Koeman, of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Marine Division, agrees with lawmakers.
"You're dealing with a person who can make better choices," Koeman said. "You're dealing with these vessels, some of which can go 90 mph. Raising the age and still making the 14- to 16-year-old have to have an older person on board is a great decision. It can't hurt anybody."
Jacob and his friend, 10-year-old C.J. Anastor, of Spring Lake, frequent the Grand Haven channel in an inflatable Zodiac dinghy.
"I guess it's for a good cause," C.J. said. "But it's not going to be really fun. I've been waiting forever to be able to go out on my boat. But, this way, I won't get in a lot of trouble."
Those caught allowing youngsters to operate personal watercraft underage face a misdemeanor penalty punishable by 90 days in jail or up to a $100 fine.
E-mail Kristi Jourdan:
kjourdan@grpress.com http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/0...for_young.html 
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