Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - General
Course Aim: To teach boat handling, seamanship, pilotage and navigation up to the standards required to drive a planning powerboat safely by day and night in tidal coastal waters with which the candidate is familiar.
Course Duration
2 days. We start at 9 – 10am on day one and will finish about 3 – 4 hours after it gets dark. On day two we start at either 9 or 10am and typically finish between 4 and 5pm.
Instructor – student ratio
3 students to 1 Instructor and boat. We often run 2 – 3 boats per course the benefit being you get to use different boats and benefit from the interaction with other students. You often will find that you learn as much from watching another student execute a manoeuvre as you do from doing it yourself.
Prior experience
The course assumes you can handle a powerboat very well as it is about developing your skills rather than starting them! It also assumes you understand navigation to the level of Yachtmaster/Coastal Skipper Theory (although you don’t actually need the qualification). We would always suggest that we have a chat with you about your experience before you book the course to ensure that this is the best course for you
Minimum Age
17
Why choose Powerboat Training UK for your RYA Advanced Powerboat course?
Our boats ~ with 7.8m and 6.8m Ribcrafts as our main teaching boats we have invested considerably so that you get to use quality kit in great condition. Each RIB is fully equipped for training up to Advanced level and are fitted with Icom and Garmin electronics.
Our location and teaching facilities ~ Poole Harbour is a truly amazing teaching location – so much so that the RNLI and the Royal Marines base their training operations here. Our classrooms are well resourced, professional, clean and tidy.
Likewise our base in Lymington at Aquasafe Powerboat School is at Lymington Yacht Haven which like Cobbs Quay is a large marina with a huge range of craft. Our classrooms are well resourced, clean and professional.
Our Instructors ~ we ensure that our instructors are teaching 100% ‘Best Practice’ and have a process whereby we constantly review their sessions to ensure that you get the most productive experience from your time with us. All teach because they love boating and we work with them to constantly ‘upskill’ their qualifications and experience.
Our history ~ we started the school over ten years ago and have grown a reputation for delivering on our promises. Our clients range from individuals with their own craft to organisations such as Sunseeker, the RNLI and we were awarded the RYA Training contract by Dorset Police for the London 2012 Olympic events in Weymouth.
RYA Books ~ we are also very proud to have written the RYA Powerboat Handbook for the RYA (now in it’s third edition) and the recently launched RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook.
What is included in the course price? ~ when you undertake your Advanced Course on our boats then the price you pay includes Fuel (often charged as extra at the end of courses by schools), and free use of waterproofs/drysuits (once again often charged as an extra). Price includes VAT too – yet another common extra. From 2014 with the launch of the RYA Advanced Powerboat Handbook you get a free copy of this book written by us for the RYA.
Does the course price represent good value? ~ remember in life you pretty much get what you pay for. We don’t pretend to be the cheapest but the course will be on well maintained first rate craft, and run by instructors guaranteed to teach current best practice. We have great facilities in a large marina offering a great all-round experience. Check out the other relevant pages on this website to see what we mean.
Course prices ~ £360 per head for 1 person, £351 per head for 2 persons, £342 per head for 3 persons.
Some of the offers available when buying this course include…..
Special Offer No1!! Book and pay for your VHF Course at the same time as you book the Advanced course and only pay £75 for the VHF course (including course pack). (Usual cost is £100, you also need to pay the RYA Fee which is £60). You can choose whether to undertake the course in the classroom or online. We run VHF Courses every two weeks so fitting you in will never be an issue – we run these courses in Poole and Lymington.
Special Offer No2!! We also offer the opportunity to book the RYA Yachtmaster Theory Course (online version) for £280 when booked alongside an Advanced Powerboat course. For advanced users this is a great course to ensure that you have all of the background knowledge necessary to undertake longer passages.
Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - The Course
The Advanced powerboat course is aimed at experienced leisure powerboaters and professional users keen, or needing to, to develop their knowledge onto the next level.
It is a challenging course and gives students the chance to develop their capabilities and knowledge in a variety of areas. A key aspect of the course is the planning and execution of two passages – one by day and one by night. Equally, given that attendees are likely to be undertaking longer passages in less good conditions a key feature of the course is developing the capability of the skipper to manage the crew and boat taking decisions in challenging situations.
The quality of the Instructors makes a huge difference to the value you derive from the course. Our Advanced Instructors are hugely experienced and teach these courses throughout the year to a range of leisure, commercial and military users.
NB: If you want to work commercially you will need your Advanced Powerboat Exam – Advanced Powerboat
Your instructor will cover the following topics with you during your course:
- Preparation for sea
- Boat Handling (inc rough water)
- Passage making
- Pilotage
- Meteorology
- Rules of the road
- Use of engines
- Emergency situations
- Undertaking searches
- Night cruising
Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - This course is aimed at
The pinnacle of the courses within the RYA powerboat scheme the Advanced Powerboat course suits:
- Experienced leisure users who tend to boat throughout the year keen to develop their understanding of areas such as rough water handling, search patterns and helicopter rescue. The opportunity to develop the capability to navigate at night is always a significant area of interest to attendees.
- Those keen to work commercially will almost certainly want to attend the Advanced Powerboat course before attending their Advanced Powerboat Examination as the course is a way to ensure that they are ‘doing it right’ and in a manner that is likely to prove acceptable to the examiner.
- Existing Powerboat Instructors keen to develop onto become an Advanced Powerboat Instructor will need to undertake the Advanced Course as one of the steps towards becoming an APBI.
- Existing commercial users operating at a level below the Advanced level will often use the advanced courses as a form of ‘Continuing Professional Development’ (CPD). to ensure those skippers continue to develop their skills
We can undertake Advanced Powerboat courses on your own boat subject to the craft being suitable for the course. We are able to run courses throughout the year at any location subject to the approval of the RYA.
Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - Syllabus
Aim:To teach boat handling, seamanship, pilotage and navigation up to the standards required to drive a planing powerboat safely by day and night in tidal coastal waters with which the candidate may be familiar.
Assumed knowledge: Candidates should be competent to the standard of the Intermediate Powerboat Certificate with a thorough knowledge of navigation and chart work to the level of the Yachtmaster Theory Shorebased certificate.
Candidates are recommended to hold a valid first aid certificate and a VHF operator’s certificate.
Understands: The subject will be covered in greater depth and you will be asked to demonstrate a basic understanding and go away from the course able to develop your own skill in this area.
Can: The subject will be covered in great depth, including background theory, demonstrations by the instructor and repeated practice by yourself until you can demonstrate good skills in the subject.
Preparation for Sea
Can:
- Prepare the powerboat
- Carry out fuel and engine checks
- Stow and secure gear
Boat Handling
Knowledge of:
- Differences for a twin engine vessel
Understands:
- The importance of boat control in waves and adequate seating to minimise the possibility of back injury
- Characteristics of various hull forms and propeller configurations
- Action to be taken in rough weather
Can:
- Demonstrate a practical understanding and correct use of power trip and trim tabs
- Demonstrate an awareness of the effects of wind and tide when manoeuvring, including:
- Steering to transits and in buoyed channels
- Turning in a confined space
- Berthing in various conditions of wind and tide
- Picking up and leaving a mooring buoy
- Demonstrate the use of an appropriate length kill cord at all times
Passage making and responsibility as Skipper
Understands:
- The importance of pre-trip planning
- Planning and making coastal passages, taking into account the relevant navigational hazards,the type of boat and the strengths of the crew.
- Chart plotters and radar , their advantages and limitations
Can:
- Organise the navigation, safety and welfare of the crew during a powerboat passage
- Navigate at higher speed using a range of techniques
- Use electronic navigational equipment for planning and undertaking a passage, including the use of waypoints, routes and XTE, SOG, COG, BTW, DTW
Pilotage
Can:
- Carry out pilotage plans and pilotage for entry into or departure from harbour
- Use leading and clearing lines, transits, back bearings and soundings as aids to pilotage
- Use GPS and understand its limitations in pilotage
- Navigate using soundings
Meteorology
Understands:
- Terms used in shipping forecasts, including the Beaufort scale and their significance to small craft.
- Sources of forecast information and interpretation of forecasts including synoptic charts
- The significance of meteorological trends
Can:
- Interpret a Synoptic chart
- Use and interpret forecasts to make decisions about passages
Rules of the Road
Can:
- Apply the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Use of Engines
Knowledge of:
- How to change a propeller
- Propeller diameter and pitch
- Propeller ventilation and cavitations
Understands:
- Checks to be made before starting, during running and after stopping for diesel and petrol engines
- Periodic checks on engines and electrical system including spark plugs, water filter and pump impellers
- Transmission belts
- Spares to be carried
Emergency Situations
Understands:
- Correct action to take in emergency situations
- Fire prevention and fighting
- Hull damage/watertight integrity
- What to do in a medical emergency
- Towing and being towed
- Helicopter rescue procedures
- Issue distress by all available means
- Search patterns
Can:
- Pick up a man overboard in all available conditions
Night Cruising
Can:
- Take charge of a powerboat at night, including leaving and entering harbour
- Demonstrate ability at keeping a proper lookout and identifying lit and unlit marks by night.
(Copyright Powerboat Training UK/RYA)
Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - Gallery
Advanced Powerboat – on our boats - Book Now
Thank you for your interest in this course.
Hopefully the dates that we have scheduled work well with your availability. If the dates don’t quite work then we are always keen to be as flexible as possible so please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
We’re always really keen to chat to you when you’re booking a course as whilst we are happy to take bookings through this system for your convenience – nothing beats chatting about boats and courses!
Don’t forget too that if you are an individual or company/organisation booking a few people onto courses then we may be able to schedule dates around you. Equally, for bookings some time in the future we can usually juggle our course dates if what we have scheduled doesn’t quite work for you.
Also…We have an automatic cutoff built into this system that doesn’t allow you to book within 48 hours of the course starting. We may still have places though – use the contact button to alert us to your interest.
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| Date | Duration | Location | Availability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 27 Apr 2024 | 2 days | Poole | Fully booked | |
| Mon 13 May 2024 | 2 days | Poole | Fully booked | |
| Mon 03 Jun 2024 | 2 days | Poole | 1 space | Book now |
| Sat 14 Sep 2024 | 2 days | Poole | 3 spaces | Book now |
| Thu 31 Oct 2024 | 2 days | Poole | 3 spaces | Book now |
| Sat 23 Nov 2024 | 2 days | Poole | 3 spaces | Book now |