RYA Powerboat Level 2

RYA Powerboat Level 2 is a two-day practical course that teaches you to drive a small powerboat safely and competently. It's the RYA's core powerboat qualification: you learn to handle the boat at low speed in tight spaces, launch and recover it, anchor, come alongside and pick up someone who has fallen overboard. No experience is needed.

Who it suits

• New powerboat and RIB owners who want proper training rather than learning by trial and error
• Sailors who drive tenders, club rescue boats or coach boats
• People who want an internationally recognised powerboat qualification
• Anyone 12 or over, the RYA's minimum age

What you'll actually do

The course runs over two days on the water. The RYA says it can take place on inland or coastal waters, and in planing or displacement boats. Most of the time goes on slow-speed handling, because that's where most mistakes happen: turning in tight spaces, coming alongside a pontoon, leaving a berth, and picking up a mooring buoy. You'll also practise man overboard recovery and anchoring, learn the collision regulations, and get an introduction to driving at planing speed.

The RYA syllabus covers launching and recovery, boat handling, securing to a buoy, anchoring, leaving and coming alongside, and man overboard. Your certificate is endorsed to show the type of boat you trained in.

Key ideas explained

• Kill cord (engine cut-off switch) — a lanyard clipped between the driver and the ignition. If the driver falls out or is thrown from the helm, the engine stops. Wearing it every time the engine is running is one of the most important habits in powerboating.
• Displacement and planing — at low speed a hull pushes through the water. With enough power it rises and skims across the surface (planing), which changes how it steers, how it handles waves and how far it takes to stop.
• Steering needs drive — an outboard or sterndrive steers by pointing its thrust. In neutral you have very little steering, so slow-speed control comes from short, gentle bursts of gear.
• Wind and tide in close quarters — approaching into the wind or current (stemming it) gives you more control and lets you stop precisely. Much of the course is about reading which force is stronger.
• Man overboard in a powerboat — keep the casualty in sight, approach slowly and upwind or up-tide, and put the engine in neutral well before they're near the propeller.
• Trim — adjusting the angle of the outboard or drive changes how the bow sits in the water, which affects speed, comfort and handling.

Where it fits

The RYA says Level 2 forms the basis of the International Certificate of Competence. Sailors who want to handle support boats often pair it with keelboat or dinghy courses, and cruising sailors may find the RYA Diesel Engine course a useful companion.

Getting ready

• Dress for spray and wind chill even on warm days: a waterproof jacket, warm layers, sunglasses with a strap and sunscreen.
• Wear shoes with good grip that you don't mind getting wet.
• Ask the school what boat you'll train in (RIB, sports boat or displacement), how many students share a boat, and whether lifejackets and waterproofs are provided.

Good to know in Australia

This course is not an Australian recreational boat licence. Driving a powered recreational vessel in Australia generally requires a state-issued licence, and the rules differ between states, so check with your state's maritime authority. If you'll use a marine VHF radio, you'll need an operator qualification such as the SROCP.