We run all our powerboat courses with a maximum of three students in each boat to ensure that everyone gets plenty of time at the helm. We aim to teach all our courses wherever possible on our large 7.8 metre Ribcraft with single 225hp or 250hp engines, & the boats in the pictures on our website are the boats we use to teach on. All our boats are commercially coded by the Coastguard, which is not a requirement for teaching but is an additional safety standard.
We are occasionally asked to run private courses on a one-to-one basis and are always happy to do so; this is inevitably a more expensive way of training, but there are obvious advantages if you require individual attention and maximum time spent behind the wheel – please call or email us if you would like more information. We also run private courses for groups of two or more – again please call or email us if this is of interest.
RYA Powerboat Level 1 course – 1 day
The aim of the course is to provide a practical introduction to boat handling and safety in powerboats, and the minimum age for candidates is 8 years old. The course includes boat preparation, boat handling at slow and high speed, mooring alongside and on a buoy, launching & recovering off a trailer, safety, and basic rules of the road. We aim to spend most of the day on the boat so after a briefing and introduction ashore we get kitted up and onto the water.
This is a really good introduction to powerboating – no previous knowledge or experience is required, so this is a great course for those who are too young to do the level 2 course, and for those who just want a shorter taster than the more comprehensive two-day level 2 course.
RYA Powerboat Level 2 course – 2 days
In the same way as the Level 1 course, The RYA Powerboat Level 2 course is also designed as an introduction to powerboating, and again no previous knowledge or experience is required, however as a two day course it covers a much wider range of topics, giving a very good, broad base of experience for anyone who is keen to develop to a point where they can safely take a boat out on their own. It is also the minimum requirement for anyone wishing to bareboat charter one of our ribs (bareboat means rent without a skipper, i.e. self drive hire). The minimum age for the course is 12 years old, and you do not have to do level 1 first.
The aim of the Level 2 course is to teach boat handling and seamanship in powerboats, and the course is a good route for anyone requiring an ICC (International Certificate of Competence) up to 10 metres, as this is an equivalent qualification (for more info on ICCs click on the link on the left side of this page; there is also a link to the ICC pages on the RYA website on our links page). In addition the Level 2 course completion certificate can also be commercially endorsed for anyone working on boats who requires a basic commercial boating qualification.
For all these reasons the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course is our most popular course, and we find most people tend to use this as their entry point into powerboating. We also get many experienced mariners choosing to start with this course if their experience is in another field such as sailing.
RYA Powerboat Level 2 Direct assessment
If you have plenty of experience but no certificates to prove it, you can always just take a Level 2 test. This direct assessment tests your theory knowledge and practical boat handling skills, and usually takes between two and three hours. This is a great shortcut if you have been boating regularly for a fair while, but it is worth noting that the test does not include any teaching time, and you have to be able to answer theory questions from any part of the level 2 syllabus so a little revision is usually a good idea! You also already need to be a proficient boat handler. To discuss your suitability for a direct assessment give us a call or send us an email.
RYA Intermediate Powerboat Course – 2 days
The minimum age for the RYA Intermediate Powerboat course is 16years old, and the aim of the course is to teach powerboating up to the standard required to complete a short coastal passage by day. Candidates should be to the standard of the Level 2 certificate, although it is not a requirement to hold the Level 2 certificate. The course takes everything learned on the level 2 course a stage further, looking in more detail at passage planning and pilotage, both in theory and in practice, and we try to plan and run several passages during the two days – this is a great way of taking your knowledge a step further beyond the basics.
It is strongly recommended, but not essential, that participants already hold the Short Range Certificate (or the old VHF radio certificate) and have a current marine first aid qualification such as RYA 1st aid.
RYA Advanced Powerboat course – 2 days including a night exercise
The Advanced powerboat course is both interesting and challenging. It is more technical than the other powerboat courses, looking at areas such as night-time navigation (we plan and run a passage after dark on the first evening which can mean a very late finish to the first day in the summer). We also look at safety topics such as grid search patterns, helicopter rescue, rough water handling etc, and go into much more detail on subjects such as meteorology. Looking for chocolate bars in the Solent is the marine equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack, but we are disappointed on the rare occasions when we come back unsuccessful!
Your boat handling will need to be good, and your theory knowledge should already be to the level of Day Skipper Theory as the pace of the course is fast with lots packed into the two days. In order to be able to do the course participants already have to hold the Short Range Certificate (or the old VHF radio certificate) and a current marine first aid qualification such as RYA 1st aid.
The Advanced Powerboat course is the pinnacle of the RYA powerboat courses and is used by many as a work-up to...
The Advanced Powerboat Exam – an MCA/RYA exam enabling successful candidates to become commercially endorsed to skipper commercial vessels with up to 12 people on board up to 20 miles from a safe haven. We can organise an Advanced exam on your behalf, and can provide a boat if required. The exam typically takes between 4 and 8 hours and candidates are expected to be accomplished boat handlers and navigators, both in daylight and darkness. For more information on commercial training and qualifications click the link on the left side of this page.