powerboating courses

On the Water Training

The Fastest Way to Learn to Boat. Guaranteed!

Make the commitment to develop your skills, embrace your love of boating, and join our boating community as a safe & confident boater.  Your family and friends will love you for it!

Find a Course

Welcome to the boating community.

If you are new to the exciting world of boating, it helps to have a trusted guide that you can rely on for expert advice on building your confidence, knowledge & skills.

At SaferBoater, we have hundreds of elite USCG-Certified  Master Captains teaching our standardized on-the-water training programs to people just like you.

You will learn everything you need to know about safety and boat handling so you have the confidence and skill to keep your family safe as you enjoy the freedom a new boat brings.

For Beginners - our four 3hr Skill Builder Modules are an excellent way to learn about safety, rules, and boat handling to build your confidence and skill.

For More Experienced Boaters - our Personalized Skill-Builder courses allow you to focus on the specific areas you want to develop.  These include docking, trailering, advanced maneuvers & skill refreshers.

Women's Power Boating

We also host the World Famous Women's Only Safe Boat Handling course, tailored to empower women to safely and confidently maneuver boats up to 25 feet.  Class is taught by two experienced female captains and takes place over two consecutive days.

“ There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats .” ~ Kenneth Grahame

We remain open Year-Round and our instructors boast the highest level of certifications & training in the industry.

As an internationally accredited Training School , you have access to a wide variety of education classes, certification opportunities, and personalized skill-building training.

All courses are taught on the water, with classes ranging from 3 to 46 hours, depending on the level of skill or certification desired.

You get the same great training from each of our captains throughout the U.S., regardless if you take a course in Maine or Florida, Texas, or Ohio.  Its the same premier experience in every location.

Why Choose Us?

The SaferBoater Difference

Any licensed captain can theoretically teach you the basics of how to drive a boat. So why is SaferBoater so Succesful in teaching new boat owners?

Because our On The Water Training Program is the Fastest Way to Learn to Boat. Guaranteed!

To start, we offer standardized, certified training courses.  This means you could visit hundreds of our captains and get the same premier boater training, regardless if you attend a class in Maine, Florida, Texas, or Ohio.

Equally as important, you will have the knowledge, capability and legal eligibility required to buy, rent & operate boats in each state that requires a boating license.  As an added benefit, our curriculum will meet the requirements (and even save  you money) with most insurance carriers as well.

SaferBoater students also build practical knowledge quicker because we teach our certification lessons first in a classroom and then on a boat! Our hands-on training approach dominates the old, boring classroom-only or online style used by other schools.

Every course we offer is hands-on and water based, with expert instruction provided by Certified Sailing/Powerboat Instructors.  We empower students with the skills and confidence they need to get more out of their boating experience, all while allowing them to become safer boat operators.

We also hold the distinction of being one of the only accredited schools for US Powerboating and US Sailing in the U.S.

Classes are held year-round, with Specialty Programs catering exclusively to women, families, private groups, teens & youth aged 10+, and first-time boat owners.

So while there may be many boat captains, we have the only standardized system available to turn you from a novice to a confident captain in just a few short days.

East Coast : Maine - Texas We have begun our Westward expansion as of Fall of 2023.

Earn US Sailing | US Powerboating | NSBC  Certifications

Sailing/Yachting

As a rigorously Trained & Certified U.S. Sailing School , we are one of only a handful of schools in the entire United States authorized to certify you with both a Sailing and Yacht IPC certification . How you can get certified:

• US Sailing is the Congress-chartered governing body over the sport of sailing.
• US Powerboating, their sister branch, is the Only Organization authorized by the European Union to issue an International Proficiency Certificate (IPC) for Motoryachts in the US.
• Thus, we are able to offer both Sailing and Yacht IPC certification .

Partners & Supporters

Explore Our Newsletter

Be FIRST to receive Upgrades, Videos & Free Stuff

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Not Sure WHERE to start?

We offer courses For Beginners up to master captains...so if you have questions, we have answers.

• Safe Powerboat Training
• Safety & Rescue Boat Handling

Course Types

About our courses.

US Powerboat Training’s philosophy is that there is no substitute for practical, hands-on experience. After all, you wouldn’t drive a car without taking driver’s education so consider us your source for  Driver’s Education for Boaters TM .

Our courses are offered at over 100 Course Providers and Powerboat Training Centers around the country and are taught by knowledgeable, professional instructors who are dedicated to ensuring you get the most out of your educational experience. With offerings ranging from beginner to advanced, we are sure we have something for everyone.

We strive to emphasize the fun side of boating while ensuring that you feel safe, comfortable and confident!

In addition to practical training, we offer comprehensive books and videos designed to help you learn quickly and easily. As a partner of the United States Coast Guard, we understand the value of high quality education and importance of safe boating practices.

What course is right for me?

Safe powerboat handling.

Safe Powerboat Handling combines classroom instruction with practical, hands-on experience.

• Single Engine Course – $1,095 per person plus fuel
• Twin Engine Course – $1,295 per person plus fuel

Recommended for:

• New boaters
• First-time boat owners
• Sailing instructors and coaches
• Advanced boaters looking to brush up on skills
• Professional mariners

Safety & Rescue Boat Handling

Safety & Rescue Boat Handling topics range from equipment, preparation and operator and crew responsibilities during an emergency to the practical techniques used in rescue situations.

• $895 per person plus fuel
• Commercial certification
• Mark boat operators
• First responders

Private Training

Private Instruction is available in all facets of powerboating on your own boat or on one of ours. This includes refresher courses as well as confidence-building practice in docking, close quarters maneuvering, or whatever skillset you’d like to improve on.

Private Instruction Is $175 per hour with a minimum of three (3) hours.  These prices do not include certification. Give us a call and together we can build a program to meet your needs and objectives.

• membership |

RPBA COURSES

Close Quarters Powerboat Handling

Close Quarters Powerboat Handling is an intensive, 12-hour powerboat handling course that is designed to provide the skills necessary to maneuver a powerboat confidently, competently and safely in tight spaces. Successful completion of the program indicates the student has demonstrated competence in handling either a twin inboard, single inboard or outboard/stern drive vessel in close quarters in light wind and or currents. Core program elements include basic and advanced docking and undocking maneuvers, situational assessment and planning, crew communication and passenger safety.

The goal of this course is to teach safe, efficient use of radar for small-craft navigation in any condition of visibility. Radar teaches safe, efficient use of small-craft radar for piloting, chart navigation, and collision avoidance, including radar principles and practical matters of radar operation as well as using a realistic PC based radar simulator to illustrate radar measurements. This course covers a broad range of topics related to radar. Specific topics to be learned include, how radar works, interpreting the screen, position navigation, radar and navigation rules.

Coastal Navigation

In this RPBA course you will learn to demonstrate the navigational theory required to safely navigate a powerboat in coastal or inland waters using paper and pencil techniques. Navigation includes determining your location and the best route to your destination plus a continual assessment of progress being made. The navigator must consider land masses, channels and the sea bottom, other traffic, obstructions, navigational aids, forcast and actual weather and sea conditions.

Marine Weather

Weather is a big subject with many facets, but when it comes to marine weather it boils down to the wind. The RPBA Marine Weather course teaches mariners how to take weather into account in the planning and navigation of voyages, both local and global. Anyone who ventures onto the water can benefit from this course. In this course you will learn to understand the proper use of weather information in planning and adapting navigation and demonstrate the ability to use both the latest technological tools as well as traditional maritime skills to forecast weather conditions.

RPBA Schools

• Boating Safety
• Twin Inboard
• Single Inboard
• Stern Drive / Outboard