@kboyd @sailing My experience with boating certifications is that they are money grab. Companies create certifications. They charge instructors to get certified to teach them. They charge students to get certified. The source company makes and sells training material of average quality and doesn't make sure that their testing materials have just one correct answer per question. This has been my experience with the power boat division of American Sailing, American Boating.
this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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@bhhaskin @kboyd @sailing It's the bareboat company's insurance company that requires it. If you knew what charter guests got into, you'd understand why. Even after "certification," they still do damage to the boats.
I went from a 17 foot jet boat to a 32 foot trawler and really thought I was going to have trouble getting insurance. But no, I had no trouble getting it. And nowadays I think my USCG captains license would be enough "certification" to charter a boat.
@kboyd @sailing The charter company my boat is placed with was using American Sailing (and American Boating) to certify future charter guests. They had to dump American Boating because their new courses and course materials are so bad. Instead, they created their own classes for powerboats and that's what we teach. Honestly, I think they make nearly as much money training as they do charting boats.
@kboyd @sailing The company I teach for (which is the company that my boat charters with) offers really great multi day "learn and cruise" classes. It's how they certify future charter guests. I think it would be especially fun if you could manage to get a group of three (their minimum) in a class together. Their sailing instructors are really good. (I'm not too impressed with most of their powerboat instructors, who seemed to be sailors first.)
Dunno if available in Canada but in Europe the RYA training has become a de facto standard. Most rental companies will rent you a boat if one personal has the day skipper and the other the competent crew.
I have done them myself up to costal skipper sail because that's what they require in Spain. That was before I got my own boat 😉 It's a solid preparation.
Only drawbacks: quite military-type education and expensive. But if you can put up with that, worth it.
Not if you are chartering in the BVI. They'll pretty much give anybody (with valid credit card) a boat down there!
I don't know how well it aligns with the syllabus (never been that interested in non-mandatory certs), but the book Coastal Turmoil is quite good. We had a nice full summer's cruise through Norway, Shetland, Hebrides, and the Irish Sea with that