Whether you’re a new boat owner, an experienced captain, or a reluctant first mate, discover online boating courses and hands-on training to build your confidence on the water.
Photo, Getty Images
Photo, Getty Images
Whether you’ve been a boater for 30 days or 30 years, chances are your boating education has been uneven. You’re good at what you need to be good at for your style of boating. Maybe you can confidently pick up a mooring ball but feel uneasy with anchoring out. Perhaps you know every inch of your navigation systems but still avoid running after dark. Or maybe you’ve always left navigation and docking to someone else.
The BoatU.S. Foundation offers a wealth of learning opportunities ranging from our free online state boating safety course you can knock out in a few hours to focused microcourses that you can complete while waiting in line at the DMV to renew your license.
So instead of asking which course(s) should I take, ask a different question: What kind of boater do I want to be? Then choose your major.
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Go from “I’m not sure what I’m doing” to confidently taking your boat out with friends or family.
Core curriculum
Hands-on training
Seek hands-on instruction in boat handling and docking. Our Foundation’s On-Water Training Locator will point you to at-the-helm training with courses such as Introduction to Powerboating, Precision Docking & Boat Handling, and Open-Water Boat Handling.
You’re ready to graduate when:
You’re comfortable planning and executing a routine outing without relying on your more experienced boating buddy.
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Skip the true beginner material and concentrate on areas where experience alone doesn’t necessarily make you proficient.
Core curriculum
Elective
Choose one thing you routinely let someone else worry about and take a BoatUS Foundation advanced course.
You’re ready to graduate when:
You stop saying, “I can do that, but I’d rather have someone else do it.”
You have enough years on the water to believe you don’t need to read this article.
Individualized training
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Final exam:
Hand the helm to someone else and explain why you do what you do. If you can’t explain it, perhaps there’s still something worth brushing up on.
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Stop treating sunset as a mandatory return-to-the-dock deadline. Or perhaps you just want to be prepared in case you get stuck out on the water after sundown.
Prerequisites
Required course
Internship
Take a familiar route after dark with an experienced operator aboard before trying unfamiliar waters.
You’re ready to graduate when:
Those lights in the distance start conveying information instead of looking like a Christmas tree.
Get everyone home safely if the regular skipper suddenly can’t. You don’t have to become the primary operator, but you do need to know enough to start and stop the boat, take the helm safely, understand basic navigation and markers, use the radio/call for help, recognize collision situations, and return to the dock.
Core curriculum
Photo, BoatU.S. Foundation
You’re ready to graduate when:
The skipper asks, “What would you do if I fell overboard or became ill?” and you have a confident answer.
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Learn practical ways to be a responsible boat owner and a better steward for your boating environment.
Core curriculum
Additional reading
Visit BoatUS.org/preserving-clean-water to learn more about caring for our ecosystem, proper fueling procedures, boat maintenance, waste management and recycling, on-board sewage management, clean marinas, and more.
You’re ready to graduate when:
Your boating habits leave as little evidence behind as possible.
State-specific online boating safety course teaches you everything you need to operate a boat safely and legally in the United States, including navigation rules, safety equipment, handling emergencies, and protecting the environment. Many states require a safety course certification to operate a boat.
Find a free state-approved boating safety course
* Some states charge a nominal fee to cover registration costs.
Learn important and fundamental skills needed to operate a boat safely and responsibly. Courses covering aids to navigation, nighttime boating, S.C.A.N., and clean boating are ideal for beginner and experienced boaters alike.
Find a free basic boating course
Expand your knowledge of navigation, communications, boat systems, weather, trailering, and more. Costs for BoatUS members range from $22.50 to $34.95. Use your BoatUS member number at checkout to receive savings.
Find affordable, small-class instruction in docking, maneuvering, and boat operation under the watchful eye of Coast Guard-licensed instructors.
Planning to rent a boat while visiting Florida or Maine? These courses meet short-term state boating safety requirements but do NOT provide a permanent certificate.
Published: October 2026
Managing Editor, BoatUS Magazine
Stacey is an award-winning marine journalist and photographer who, as BoatUS Magazine's managing editor, handles some of the national publication’s most complex features, as well as keeping it on time, accurate, clear, and timely. Stacey also manages the magazine’s active website and social-media engagement, and is part of the BoatUS video team, helping to produce more than 30 how-to videos a year. Stacey recalls that one of her earliest memories in life includes being hung by her ankles in the engine compartment of her family's 1963 Egg Harbor, helping with repair work and searching for lost items. Her love of boats may only be matched by her love of horses; she spent 20 years writing, editing, and photographing for equestrian magazines and books — including Practical Horseman