If you’re passionate about powerboating and interested in passing on your knowledge to others, you should consider becoming an RYA Powerboat Instructor. We offer a two day (or three for Advanced Instructors) course followed by an assessment day which provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to teach others.

Required previous experience/qualifications for RYA Powerboat Level 2 Instructor course

• Must hold the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course certificate

• Have at least five seasons’ experience of powerboating, preferably in a range of boat types and sizes (for those who use powerboats as an integral part of their full-time occupation, then this period is reduced to one season)

• Hold a valid first aid certificate such as RYA First Aid (full list of certificates recognised by the RYA can be found here) and prove competence

Requirements to pass the course

• Successfully complete a Powerboat Instructor Skills Assessment

• Complete some pre-course work (a link to the pre-course work pack will be included in your booking confirmation email)

• You must be an RYA member (please make sure you know your membership number)

Course content

During the course you will cover:

• The principles of practical instruction

• Lesson planning

• Teaching style and methods up to RYA Powerboat Level 2.

• Use of questioning, preparation and use of visual aids

• Assessment of students

• Learning, explanation and presentation of theory subjects

• Structure of the scheme

• Planning progressive teaching sessions

• Preparation of boats and equipment

Course structure

Day 1 – Skills assessment day (£100 per person)

This is a day, which involves both being on the water and time spent in the classroom, where we assess your current ability. We are not trying to catch you out but just to make sure that your powerboating skills meet the level required to attend the course.

Days 2 to 4 – Powerboat instructor course (£395 per person)

The three-day course is taught by an RYA Powerboat Trainer and is moderated on the final day by a second RYA Powerboat Trainer.

During the course you will be expected to give a ten minute presentation on one of the following topics from the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course:

• Types of craft: hull shapes and sea keeping ability

• Engines and drives; outboard, inboard and outdrives

• Advice to inland drivers about coastal waters

• Use and limitations of GPS

• Sources of weather information

• Distress signals

• Rules of the road

• Charts, symbols and buoyage

• Tides

It is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the following subjects prior to the course as you will be delivering one of them. Your topic will be allocated on the first day of the course.

Additional notes

On successful completion of your course you will be asked to sign a health declaration stating that you are not suffering from any physical or mental impairment which has an adverse effect on your ability to properly discharge your duty of care as an instructor. If you are unable to sign the standard declaration, you will be required to complete a medical questionnaire.

Recommended reading to enhance your experience of the course:

• RYA Powerboat Logbook (G20)

• RYA Powerboat Instructor Handbook (G19)

• Other books that might be useful are the Start Powerboating Handbook (G48) and the Powerboating Handbook (G13)