Spotlight on our Boating Education Courses
At America’s Boating Club | United States Power Squadrons, we take pride in providing a wide range of courses that are designed to enhance your skills and confidence out on the water. Whether you are new to the world of boating or a seasoned captain, our boating education courses provide valuable insights that will make your boating experience safe and more enjoyable. We will guide you through five of our key boating courses that every boater should consider taking.
America’s Boating Course
With America’s Boating Course, you’ll receive a comprehensive introduction to recreational boating. Whether you enjoy power boating, sailing, paddle sports, or personal watercraft, we’ve got you and your family covered. The course topics include essential topics such as federal and state boating laws, required boating safety equipment, and how to respond to medical emergencies out on the water. Our boater safety course meets most states certification requirements, proper operation, boat types, and much more. and will allow you to satisfy most state boat license or operator certificate requirements.
Boat Handling Course
This course will walk you through how to handle your vessel in a variety of situations. Build confidence in docking, anchoring, and other seamanship skills to enhance your boating experience. The boat handling course is intended for recreational boaters who have already completed a basic boating course and want to gain more knowledge, skill, and confidence to ensure boating safety and fun. Some of the topics that this course covers include:
- Rules of the Road: A Practical Approach - This aspect of the course covers navigational rules and what to do when you share the waters with other boaters.
- Confidence in Docking and Undocking - Learn how to dock like a pro, protecting your boat, passengers, and yourself with the necessary docking skills needed.
- Knots and Line Handling - Dive into how to secure your boat to docks, piers, and other vessels. Designed to help you understand which lines and knots to use in a variety of situations.
Marine Electrical Systems
Learn how boat electrical systems work and how to diagnose problems that can simply be repaired. Develop a basic understanding of electrical principals, equipment current demands, wiring, and much more. This course is intended to be completed in eight two-hour sessions and followed by an exam. Here is a list of attributes included in the course:
- Boat electrical wiring practices
- Direct current (DC) power
- Alternating current (AC) power
- Galvanic and stray current corrosion
- Lightning protection
- Trouble shooting
- Proper wiring methods
- How to read electrical wiring diagrams
Radar for Boaters Course
This course will dive into different types of radar equipment their capabilities and limitations, as well as their features and how you can apply them to your boating needs. We recommend that students who wish to take this course should also have completed a NASBLA-approved boating safety course. Completion of the Marine Navigation Course and have boating experience is also recommended. Our Radar for Boaters course is also a requirement for Boat Operator Certification-Offshore Navigation certification.
Weather Course
The safety and comfort of those who venture out-on-the water have always been weather dependent. In this course students will become keener observers of the weather, but weather observations only have meaning in the context of the basic principles of meteorology — the science of the atmosphere. The course focuses on how weather systems form, behave, move, and interact with one another and reflects the availability of all sorts of weather reports and forecasts on the Internet. This general weather course benefits those sitting in their living rooms, as much as those standing behind the helm.
Elevate Your Boating Experience
Our courses are available both in-person and as an online boater education course, providing flexibility for boaters no matter their schedule. By investing in a boating safety education course, you can enhance your skills and contribute to safer waterways for everyone. We provide boater education to enhance your boating experience ensuring that you have fun while staying safe. Join America’s Boating Club | United States Power Squadrons and build confidence out on the water.