Powerboat
Courses
Shorebased
Courses
Specialist
Courses
Powerboat
Courses
Start your Powerboat training with a course appropriate to your experience – you don’t have to start at the beginning. Our recommended pathway through the courses is shown in the flow diagram below.
Afloat, Ashore & Online Course Pathways
S
Powerboat Courses
Afloat
S
Navigation Courses
Ashore/Online
Level 1
Essential Navigation & Seamanship
Level 2
Safety Boat
Tender Operator
Level 2
Day Skipper
Intermediate
Coastal Skipper or
Yachtmaster™ Offshore
Advanced
RYA
Advanced Powerboat
Key
Afloat
Ashore
Online
Practical exam
Afloat
Oral exam
Ashore
Necessary completion
of preceding course
Recommended
progression
Other Certificates of
Competence
RYA
Yachtmaster™ Coastal
RYA
Yachtmaster™ Offshore
RYA
Yachtmaster™ Ocean
Course Details
The RYA powerboat courses are primarily for those using open powered craft such as RIBs and sports boats, and also for the professional open boat skipper who is required to prove their competence or provide certification for work.
| Course | Assumed Knowledge | Course Content | Ability Post Course | Min. Duration | Min. Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | None | Boating safety, boat handling, basic theory. | A basic understanding of powerboating. | 1 day | 8 |
| Level 2 | None | Close quarters boat handling, planing speed manoeuvres, man overboard recovery, collision regulations. | Able to handle a powerboat in familiar waters by day. | 2 days | 12 |
| Intermediate | Boat handling to Level 2 standard. Navigation to Day Skipper shorebased standard recommended. | Daytime navigation skills, passage planning, use of plotting instruments, GPS and electronic navigation. | Able to navigate a powerboat on coastal passages by day. | 2 days | 16 |
| Advanced | Boat handling to Intermediate standard. Navigation to Coastal Skipper/ Yachtmaster™ Offshore. | Skippering techniques for coastal passages including night pilotage. | Able to navigate a powerboat on coastal passages by day and night. | 2 days | 17 |
| Safety Boat | Powerboat Level 2 certificate required. | Recovery techniques for various craft and fleet management. | Able to provide safety cover in a racing or training environment. | 2 days | 16 |
| Tender Operator | Powerboat Level 2 certificate required with coastal endorsement. | Passenger safety and comfort, basic day and night pilotage, emergency situations. | Able to carry out short ship to shore transfers by day and night. | 2 days | 17 |
Shorebased
Courses
Start your Shorebased training with a course appropriate to your experience – you don’t have to start at the beginning. Our recommended pathway through the courses is shown in the flow diagram below.
Ashore & Online Course Pathways
S
Navigation Courses
Ashore/Online
Essential Navigation & Seamanship
Day Skipper
Coastal Skipper or
Yachtmaster™ Offshore
Yachtmaster™ Ocean
Key
Ashore
Online
Recommended
progression
Course Details
As well as improving knowledge, many of our courses meet regulatory requirements and are pre-requisites for higher qualifications such as the RYA Yachtmaster™ Certificates of Competence, commercial endorsements and RYA instructor training.
| Course | Assumed Knowledge | Course Content | Ability Post Course | Min. Duration | Min. Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Navigation & Seamanship | None | Charts and publications, safety, buoyage, tides, navigation, pilotage, rules of the road, anchoring, weather forecasts, passage planning. | Basic knowledge of navigation and safety | 16 hours | None |
| Day Skipper | Some practical experience is desirable. | Seamanship, coastal navigation and pilotage, chartwork, electronic charts, position fixing, plotting a course to steer, weather forecasting and meteorology, tides, collision regulations. | Background knowledge to skipper a small yacht in familiar waters by day. | 40+ hours exam | None |
| Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster™ Offshore | Knowledge to Day Skipper shorebased standard. | Position fixing, course shaping and plotting, tidal knowledge, use of Almanacs and Admiralty publications, electronic position finding equipment, taking and interpreting forecasts, plotting weather systems, weather predictions, using a barometer. | Background knowledge to skipper a yacht on coastal passages by day and night. | 40+ hours exam | None |
| Yachtmaster™ Ocean | Navigation to Co Skipper/YM Offshore shorebased standard. Coastal and offshore cruising experience. | The earth and the celestial sphere, practical guide to use and care of sextant at sea, meridian altitudes, sun, star and other sights, ocean passage planning. | Background knowledge to skipper a yacht on ocean passages. | 40+ hours exam | None |
Specialist
Courses
Expand your knowledge and skills in specialist areas with one of our short courses. Usually one-day or a number of shorter sessions, they are perfect as a stand alone course or to complement your practical training on the water.
Ashore & Online Course Pathways
Specialist Courses
Ashore/Online
Basic Sea Survival
Diesel Engine
Marine Radio (SRC)
Offshore Safety
First Aid
Radar
Professional Practices & Responsibilities
CEVNI
Test
Safe
& Fun
Key
Ashore
Online
Course Details
| Course | Assumed Knowledge | Course Content | Ability Post Course | Min. Duration | Min. Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Sea Survival | None | Liferafts and the equipment they contain, survival techniques, lifejackets, medical aspects of sea survival, search and rescue techniques. | A good knowledge of the safety equipment carried on small boats and the techniques needed to survive at sea in heavy weather. | 1 day | None |
| Diesel Engine | None | The four stroke cycle, fuel, cooling and air systems, engine electrical systems, spares and tool requirements, winterisation and servicing. | Aware of the main systems of a marine diesel engine. Able to prevent breakdown at sea and rectify defects not requiring workshop support. | 1 day | None |
| Marine Radio Short Range Course (SRC) | None | Basics of radio operation, frequencies, distress, emergency and medical assistance procedures, making ship to shore telephone calls, Digital Selective Calling, Global Maritime Distress Safety System. | Able to operate the radio and know the procedures required to use it. | 10+ hours exam | 16 |
| Offshore Safety | None | The one day Sea Survival Course and one day of training in seamanship and emergencies including heavy weather seamanship, weather forecasting, fire fighting and man overboard recovery. | A nunderstanding of techniques for dealing with heavy weather along with skills to deal with on board damage and emergencies. | 2 days | None |
| First Aid | None | The recovery position in a confined space, CPR, including the drowning protocol, cold shock and hypothermia from immersion and/or exposure, seasickness and dehydration, medical assistance or advice by VHF, helicopter rescue. | A working knowledge of first aid for people using small craft. | 1 day | None |
| Radar | None | Radar wave propagation, radar set components, target definition and discrimination, radar reflectors, types of radar display, radar plotting, navigation, range and bearing. | Understand the use of radar in small boats as an aid to navigation and for collision avoidance. | 1 day | None |
| Professional Practices & Responsibilities | None | The professional maritime world, importance of correct manning, keeping skills up to date, safe management of commercial vessels, the compulsory carriage and maintenance of safety equipment and how to create and implement risk control. | Understand your duty of care and legal responsibilities to crew, passengers and other water users. | Approx 8-10 hours | None |
| CEVNI Test | None | Rules and regulations of the European inland waterways. | Able to identify signs, buoyage, sound signals, lights and shapes used on inland waterways. | N/A | 16 |
| Safe and Fun | None | An introduction to safeguarding and child protection. | Understand good safeguarding practice, how to recognise potential signs of abuse, how to deal with it and who to refer any concerns to. | Equivalent to approx 3 hours classroom training | 16 |