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50 Years: The Department of Boating and Waterways, 1957 to 2007
Welcome to Our 50th Anniversary Publication!
For decades, California’s reputation as a boater’s paradise with an
abundance of water recreational opportunities has lured millions of
visitors to the Golden State and increased the desire of many residents
to enjoy the water. For the past 50 years, the Department of Boating
and Waterways (Cal Boating) has improved and safeguarded the
boating experience for all users – from Mission Bay in San Diego to
the crystal clear water of Lake Tahoe and along every lake, river and
stream in between.
Long before Cal Boating was established, the growing popularity of
recreational boating revealed a pressing need for state government
to address boating safety issues and provide facilities for the boating
public. By 1957, national retail sales of boats had approached $2
million, nearly tripling the amount from the beginning of the decade.
In the same time period, outboard motor sales had expanded by 250
percent. The growing boating community began to rally for creation
of coastal “harbors of refuge,” which grew out of the boaters’ need
for a safe haven to berth their boats on the coast during storms and
inclement weather.
In the 1950s, California boat owners could obtain a rebate on the
gasoline taxes used to propel their vessels. But boaters saw an
advantage in putting their gasoline tax dollars to use collectively
rather than receiving individual rebates. The idea of having a special
fund and a state boating agency to implement a safe harbors program
began to take shape. Finally, in the late 1950s, boaters were successful
in introducing legislation that established the Division of Small Craft
Harbors within the Department of Natural Resources, along with a
five-member Small Craft Harbors Commission.
Raynor Tsuneyoshi
Director
Department of
Boating and Waterways
L E T T E R F R OM T HE D I R E C TOR