The RYA Powerboat training range of courses offers 6 courses, 2 of which may be viewed as more professional courses. The 4 key courses offer a natural progression from beginner to advanced as the diagram below illustrates.

Level 1
If you have no experience of powerboats before, then this is the course you should start with. There are no expectations of any previous experience and the minimum age to take the course is 8 years old.

It will introduce you to the various methods used for both lauching and recovering a boat from a trailer, as well as ensuring you leave with reasonable day to day boat handling and of course, safety skills. To help you learn all of this you will also go through an amount of the theory behind what you are doing. Following the course which lasts for 1 day, you will be able to drive a boat whilst under the supervision of a suitably qualified and / or experienced person.

Level 2
Like Level 1, Level 2 also assumes that you have no previous experience (but can be preceeded by Level 1 should you wish) of powerboats although in this instance the minimum age is 12 years old. This is a two day course and although it covers all that you see in Level 1 above, it will also introduce you to mooring and anchoring which are important skills to get to grips with both for your own safety and enjoyment, as well as others around you.

To a point, the course aims to get you to a stage of being self-sufficient. That doesn't mean you'll be an all weather boater, but in good conditions staying locally you should have a good grasp of what it going on. You will also have learnt and be more knowledgeable of both your own, and your boats limitations. Once you have attained your Level 2, sometimes known as the 'National Powerboat Certificate', you will be able to apply to the RYA for your International Certificate of Competence (ICC).

Intermediate Course
Before taking this 2 day course course you should be of a Level 2 standard with the coastal endorsement. If you've only boated on lakes before you'll be missing this and should talk to the sea school about it. The minimum age that you can take the course at is 16 years old.

At this level the important skills of pilotage and passage planning are brought in to play. You'll be introduced to techniques using both traditional paper based charts as well as electronic techniques.

All the skills are focused on planing boats and by the end of the course you will be well equipped to both plan and carry out short coastal passages during day light hours.

Advanced Course
Before taking this 2 day course you should be of a Level 2 standard and be proficient with your navigation and chartwork skills to the level of Day Skipper Theory. The minimum age is 17.

If you would like to undertake more challenging trips, which may involve returning to port after dark then this is the course for you to work towards. You'll be focusing on more advanced techniques for the safe handling of your planing boat both in daylight hours and at night as well as looking at heavy weather handling. Following the course you'll be able to plan and undertake coastal passages which may involve you returning to a familiar port / marina in darkness. As part of the course you will carry out one navigational exercise at night.

Additional Courses
The following two are more generally taken by those who are either pursuing powerboats professionally or at a local club. That said, if you would like to take your learning experience as far as possible in a training environment then these are for you too. The reality is that at some point things you'll learn here will be useful in practice (certainly we've been towed by a powerboat before when the wind died and we were (...too far out) in a Fireball sailing dinghy!).

Advanced Exam Course
For those of you who wish to use your powerboat skills professionally, then you'll need to take this exam which lasts around 5 to 6 hours and examines all that you have learnt up to and including the Advanced Course.

Safety Boat Course
Again, if your powerboat training is for professional reasons whether at a sea school, holiday sailing centre or to provide cover for Sunday sailing at your local club, then you'll likely need to take this 2 day course.

You'll be expected to be at a minimum of Level 2 standard, and have a basic grasp of sailing boats too. The course will focus on rescue techniques for a variety of craft including windsurfers, sailing dinghies and canoes, as well as how to approach and rescue people who are already in the water. You'll also spend some time looking at how to undertake a tow using a powerboat should that be necessary. For those of you who are coming at this from the club angle, then the race management and mark laying sections will also be of particular use.