On-The-Water Courses

2 TRAINING BOAT LOCATIONS:

GREATER ANNAPOLIS & KENT NARROWS, MARYLAND &

BAYBRIDGE BOAT SHOW, ANNAPOLIS POWERBOAT SHOW

WE ALSO OFFER PRIVATE INSTRUCTION AROUND MARYLAND, VIRGINIA & DELAWARE

3 Hour, 8 Hour and 16 Hour Hands-On Courses for Students Aged 12+

National Safe Boating Council & US Powerboating Curriculums

Licensed, Insured and Accredited National Safe Boating Council and US Powerboating school. We offer courses aboard our training boats in Greater Annapolis or the Kent Narrows or private lessons aboard your boat. Don’t see a course time that fits your schedule?

Email us at: training@boatingacademy.net or Text us at: (410) 829-5057 and we will try our best to accommodate you.

Check Course Schedules in BOTH locations as dates and times vary.

Gift Vouchers Available on the Course Schedule

Module 1: Introduction to Powerboating

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle Speed | 3 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | National Safe Boating Council Curriculum | Students aged 12+

  • Safety & Pre-departure

  • Basic Navigation

  • Centering the wheel

  • Shifting gears 

  • Stops

  • Anchoring

  • Station Holding

This course focuses on the essentials of close-quarters boat control. It is taught by a USCG licensed captain who is also an NSBC Instructor aboard our 21’ or 23’ training vessel.

$225

Module 2: Precision Docking & Boat Handling

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle Speed | 3 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | National Safe Boating Council Curriculum | Students aged 12+

  • Safety & Pre-depature

  • Basic Navigation

  • 180-degree turnarounds

  • Docking on port & starboard

  • Departing and returning to the dock

  • Using S.C.A.N. procedures

This course builds upon the skills of Module 1 and continues to focus on the essentials of close-quarters boat control with an emphasis on more docking and fine tuned boat handling. It is taught by a USCG licensed captain who is also an NSBC Instructor aboard our 21’ or 23’ training vessel.

$225

Module 3: Open Water Boat Handling

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle & Planing Speed | 3 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | National Safe Boating Council Curriculum | Students aged 12+

  • Safety & Pre-depature

  • Basic Navigation

  • Utilizing boat trim

  • Displacement & Planning

  • Ferrying

  • Emergency Stops

This course builds upon the essentials of close-quarters boat control and focuses on open water boat control at idle, displacement and planing speeds. It is taught by a USCG licensed captain who is also an NSBC Instructor aboard our 21’ or 23’ training vessel.

$225

Module 4: Open Water Advanced Maneuvering

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle & Planing Speed | 3 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | National Safe Boating Council Curriculum | Students aged 12+

  • Safety & Pre-depature

  • Basic Navigation

  • Crossing waves and wakes

  • Person overboard retrieval

  • Sharp turning on plane

  • Advanced avoidance

This course builds upon the skills learned in Open Water Boat Handling and focuses on advanced maneuvers at idle, displacement and planing speeds. It is taught by a USCG licensed captain who is also an NSBC Instructor aboard our 21’ or 23’ training vessel.

$225

Women Making Waves

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle & Planing Speed | 3 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | Women Only Course | Female Captain Instructor | National Safe Boating Council Curriculum | Students aged 12+

This women’s only 3 hour course is offered in all 4 of the 3 hour NSBC modules. You can take Women Making Waves in: Intro to Powerboating, Precision Docking & Boat Handling, Open Water Boat Handling and Advanced Open Water Boat Maneuvering. It is taught by a female USCG licensed captain who is also an NSBC Instructor aboard our 21’ or 23’ training vessel.

$225

US Powerboating Course: Accelerated Safe Powerboat Handling

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle & Planing Speed | 8 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | USPowerboating Material, Logbook and Certification Included | Students aged 12 + | $625

  • Safety, prep & weather briefings

  • Maneuvering concepts

  • Challenge test-out

  • Basic Navigation

  • Engine & electrical systems

  • Starting procedures

  • Docking

  • Leaving & returning to a slip

  • Close-quarters maneuvers

  • Anchoring

  • Steering a range

  • Proceeding to a destination

  • Person in Water rescue

This 8 hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who has taken a classroom boating course but needs experience to safely operate a powerboat and improve their boat handling skills. Students will be expected to study the course materials at home and pass a written exam covering equipment requirements, rules of the road, aids to navigations, preparation, environmental regulations, safety, and emergencies. The US Powerboating, “Start Powerboating Right!” course book will be mailed to you prior to that start of the course. There will be a full review prior to the test so please do not stress over this. This is a fun, full day course- we often go by boat to a waterfront restaurant to enjoy lunch together and review for our test. Upon completion, students receive a US Powerboating Logbook with a certification sticker.

US Powerboating: Safe Powerboat Handling NASBLA Course

Single Engine Boat | Skills at Idle & Planing Speed | 16 Hour Course | 4:1 Student to Instructor | Earn Your Boating Safety Certification AND Safe Powerboat Handling certification | Students aged 12+ | $950

  • Safety, preparation & weather

  • Maneuvering concepts

  • Registration & capacities

  • Equipment requirements

  • Preparation & fueling procedures

  • Navigation rules of the road

  • Aids to navigation

  • Environment regulations

  • Engine & electrical systems

  • Starting procedures

  • Docking

  • Leaving & returning to a slip

  • Close-quarters maneuvers

  • Anchoring

  • Steering a range

  • Proceeding to a destination

  • Person in Water rescue

Currently only offered at our Kent Narrows Location This 16-hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who wants to learn how to safely operate a small motorboat and improve their boat-handling skills. No previous experience is required! The US Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) have approved this course and an increasing number of states have recognized it as meeting their requirements for a State Boating Education Certificate. These states include: CA, CT, FL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, OR, Puerto Rico, RI, VA, WA. If you do not live in one of those states, we will issue you a certification card from Maryland since this is where the course was taught.

If you were born after July 1, 1972, you are required to have your Boaters Safety Card when boating- this course meets those certifications AND gets you your Safe Powerboat Handling Certification, an accredited US Powerboating course.

The US Powerboating, “Start Powerboating Right!” course book will be mailed to you prior to that start of the course as well as review questions. Please go over prior to arriving. The days will be a mixture of classroom and on-water training. There will be a full review prior to the test so please do not stress over this. This is a fun, 2 day course- we often go by boat to a waterfront restaurant to enjoy lunch together and review for our test. Upon completion, students receive a US Powerboating Logbook with a Safe Powerboat Handling certification sticker as well as their Boating Safety Education Card. This course is taught aboard our 21’ or 23’ training boat.

Private Lessons On Your Boat or Ours

Customized on-water training available aboard your vessel or our training boats. Instructor comes to your location and works with you aboard your boat or you come to our training boat to build on-water confidence focusing on specific skillsets to meet your needs.

  • 3 hour minimum

  • Prices CLICK HERE

  • Please call or text Capt. Sarah with any questions: (410) 829-5057 or email: training@boatingacademy.net

Courses for everyone

Whether you are new to powerboating or would like to increase your confidence in docking and maneuvering in close quarters or open water, these courses are for you. Chesapeake Boating Academy’s On-Water Training Course Modules are designed to teach boat handling skills to recreational boaters or personnel hired to operate a vessel used in marine patrol. Taught by a NSBC (National Safe Boating Council) Certified Instructor and USPowerboating Instructor with a USCG Captains License, the course will progress from safety gear and the pre-launch checklist to docking and operating in close quarters to operating in open water with advanced maneuvers; each maneuver is repeated advancing from idle speed to displacement mode, then planing mode. The content of this course conforms to the American National Standard for on-water power skills as verified through an independent third-party assessment process.

We recommend students to start with Module 1 before advancing to Modules 2, 3 and 4.

General Cancellation Policy

Chesapeake Boating Academy has the highest commitment to quality courses with small instructor to student ratios. Due to the specialized nature of these courses we book our certified instructors and licensed captains in advance and are unable to issue refunds for cancellations made less than 14 days prior to the scheduled course. Our rescheduling and refund policy is set forth below.

  • More than 14 days notice: Chesapeake Boating Academy will reschedule you for another course or will issue you a coupon code for use in the future. Chesapeake Boating Academy may also issue you a full refund to your credit card if desired.

  • Less than 14 days notice: Chesapeake Boating Academy will issue you a coupon code for the full value of the purchased course for another course in your area.

  • Less than 7 days notice or no notice: Chesapeake Boating Academy not be able to offer any refund or credit.

    Chesapeake Boating Academy will do everything possible to avoid having to cancel or postpone courses. There may be times when this will be unavoidable; student safety is paramount and is at the forefront of any decision made.

    Weather postponements: If a course date needs to be cancelled or postponed due to unsafe weather or due to another event outside of Chesapeake Boating Academy’s control, a full refund or transfer to another course at the student’s choosing will be offered.

    In the unlikely event that courses are cancelled on the day they are scheduled to take place the final decision will rest with the Chesapeake Boating Academy administrator or designated person in charge. In this scenario the student will be issued with their choice of a full refund or a credit for another course.

    No refunds or compensation will be offered to students beyond the full cost of the course. Extraneous expenses incurred by the student such as hotel, travel, parking and other costs are not covered under this cancellation policy.

    If you are unable to participate in a course for which you have signed up, or wish to change your registration to another date or location, please get in touch with Chesapeake Boating Academy via telephone (410) 829-5057 or email Training@BoatingAcademy.net as soon as possible.