Safety Courses & Instruction


Boating Safety Course

If you are serious about boating, you really need to look into taking a boating safety course. When you are in charge of a powerful watercraft on the water, it’s so very important to practice safe boating procedures for both you as well as your fellow boaters.

There are all sorts of boating safety courses available to you when you look around. Check with the local marina and ask about what they have scheduled. If there is a boating club nearby, they will almost always offer a boating safety course for a small fee. These courses are usually taught by the club professional, so you’ll know you are getting some good advice.

Turn to the United States Coast Guard for some really great tips on boating safety. The courses that are sanctioned by the USCG are taught all around the country. They take boating safety very seriously, so taking a USCG boating safety course will get you all the information you need.

We live in an Internet world, there are many, many places online where you can take a course from the comfort of your own home. They will take you step-by-step through what you need to know and then quiz you on your progress. Here are a few places we’ve found that offer online boating courses:

* www.boatsafe.com
* www.boat-ed.com
* www.boatingbasicsonline.com
* www.boatus.org
* www.uscgboating.org

All of these courses are designed to teach you what you need to know about boating safety and prepare you for your next boating trip.

There are also many websites that have boating safety courses online for kids as well. It’s essential that children know how to stay safe on board a boat. These courses are fun as well as informative and are geared directly to the younger generation.

You will see that these boating safety courses cover a variety of topics such as boat handling, reading the weather, required equipment on board, and the importance of wearing a life vest. The live boating safety courses are taught by licensed professionals. The online courses are often sanctioned by organizations that make them legitimate.

Taking a boating safety course can be the best step you can ever take toward responsible boating. Nothing will replace the information you’ll get and you can take to the waters knowing that you are fully prepared to boat safely. 



Boating Instruction

When you decide to take up boating as a hobby, it’s important to get boating instruction from a competent professional who can teach you all about this great sport. Boating instruction entails much more than just showing you how to operate a boat. It also encompasses boating safety along with boat and engine maintenance.

When you receive boating instruction, you’ll be learning about boating as a sport, but it will do so much more for you. It can make boating much more enjoyable, make you more skilled as a captain, and can even save you money! Getting boating instruction through certified classes could provide you with a discount on your boating insurance!

There are many places where you can find reputable boating instruction.  Start with a local marina. Like a golf pro shop, the marina will have a “boat pro” on staff that will be happy to help you with your boating education. Many marinas have classes you can take on site that will teach you everything you need to know.

Boating instruction is available online. This is a great way to be able to study all aspects of boating from the comfort of your own home. However, keep in mind that you won’t have the benefit of a live person to ask questions of.

What should you look for in choose a boating instruction class?  Here are a few of the components that the class should include:

* Certified instructors with proper qualifications
* Boat operation
* Boat mechanics and maintenance
* Boating safety
* Navigation rules
* Coast Guard requirements for safe boats
* Proper seamanship

Another great advantage to taking a boating instruction course is that it will help to qualify you for your boating license. Like getting a driver’s license, you will have to take a test to obtain your boat license.  Having the advantage of a class that can teach you what you need to know will prepare you in the best way possible.

Boating instruction will also tell you how to register your boat, best ways to store your boat, and how to ramp your boat – all things that the responsible skipper should know well. You can also get the best information on proper boat maintenance as well as basic engine repair.

When you decide to captain your own vessel, boating instruction is a big part of becoming a responsible skipper. Get as much as you can as often as you can – even if you are an experienced boater. It never hurts to have a refresher course along the way. Boating instruction is your way of telling everyone “I know what I’m doing, and you can trust me!”