RYA Powerboat Courses
The attached graphic shows the RYA courses and progression structure for powerboat handling. The RTC offers the following powerboat courses (subject to demand and instructor availability):
- Powerboat Level 2 (PB2)
- Safety Boat*
The asterisk (*) denotes an advanced level course which will not be suitable for beginners or those with only limited powerboating experience. Please note the RYA course progression as implied by the flowchart's dotted lines. We do not offer the PB1 course as students prefer to go straight on to the PB2.
The RYA PB2 course runs for a minimum of 16 hours over 2 days and may be preceded by 3-4 hours of theory studied beforehand (at the instructor's discretion) so that the course on-the-water time can be maximised. This course is available for adults and young people of 12 years or above who have no prior experience of powerboating.
The RYA Safety Boat course builds on the PB2 skill levels and is also of 16 hours duration. It has a specific focus on how to recover a variety of craft, including dinghies (single-handed and double-handed), windsurfers, paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, kite surfers, etc. The minimum age requirement is 16 years. Successful completion of the RYA Safety Boat course is now a prerequisite for all Dinghy Instructors (DIs) aspiring to progress to Senior Instructor (SI) level. We tend to run this course once per annum according to member demand for training.
Please note that it is not possible to enrol on the RYA Safety Boat course without first having gained PB2 and, ideally, a minimum of 10-12 hours practical experience post-qualification.
Last year we introduced a 'slimline' version of the RYA Safety Boat course specifically for those members holding PB2 who did not wish to take the full RYA Safety Boat course. The '1-day Lake-Specific Safety Boat Course' covers craft recovery essentials and the techniques commonly applied to dinghies, windsurfers and kite surfers that use Lake 16. Please note that successful completion of this course does not qualify the holder to RYA Safety Boat level and will preclude them from operating a powerboat at any other centre where the RYA qualification is mandated.
Downloads
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RYA Powerboat Level 2 - PB2 course plan_2023.pdf
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RYA Powerboat training courses.pdf
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RYA Safety Boat course plan_2026.pdf
Last updated 19:39 on 15 May 2026