New Boat Owner Advice.
So, you’ve bought your new boat, but are you ready to use it?
Buying a boat is a serious life investment for most people, and comparable with purchasing a house, or that dream car. You spend significant time ensuring you have got the perfect boat for you and your family’s needs, but many new boat owners fail to appreciate the exciting and daunting challenges they may face, and what to do when things don’t go to plan.
Ryan Tozer, Managing Director and RYA Principal of iPowerboat Ltd, answers the most common questions that many new powerboat owners have regarding training.
Ryan is an expert instructor for everything involved around powerboating to offshore survival, and has trained thousands of people to operate them safely in both the leisure and commercial sectors.
Do I legally require training?
In short, no, not in the UK for leisure purposes. However, that does not mean you are exempt from regulation. You still need to remain compliant with international maritime law which involves voyage planning, carrying a radar reflector, assisting other vessels, using distress signals properly and carrying life saving signals.
You are also required to remain compliant with the collision regulations at all times.
Our Royal Yachting Association (RYA) courses are great fun, and are very informative, that’s why they are the UK’s most popular powerboat courses. All the knowledge you require to get going on your new boat can be obtained from these courses along with a little homework and time to put your new found skills in to practice.
What benefits will the training courses give me?
The benefits are extensive, and too many to list. Having trained thousands of people, and no two students have been the same, each student is given 100% effort. The training courses will provide the obvious benefits of;
Improving practical skills and competence,
Knowledge of navigation theory and what to do in emergency situations,
Advice on boat ownership, to name but a few.
However, there are hidden benefits which many do not consider. The training courses boost confidence, especially those who are anxious. We’ve managed to get new boat owners that are nervous to board their new boat to driving comfortably at 30 knots.
Depending on the value and power of the boat, your insurance company will usually request you to obtain a qualification to use your boat, and many will reduce the premium. RYA courses meet these insurance requirements.
Once I’ve passed my course, am I ready to take my boat anywhere I want?
It’s not recommended. Your introduction course is designed to get you using your boat in familiar waters by day, and to give you the confidence to use your new boat.
Going further offshore, means that you become more vulnerable. When things go wrong, help is not usually as close, or as quick to get to you. To prepare you for this, we have more advanced courses to train for this, as well as specialist short courses. These cover sea survival through to using your marine VHF radio.
However, experience is also a fundamental part to the learning process, so we don’t recommend that you come and do all your courses in one hit with a “zero to hero” approach, as you’ve not had to overcome the challenges that boating afloat will throw at you.
Speak to us about what you want to achieve and we’ll help you. If we know you are not ready for a course, we will not recommend it for you.
If you wish to use your boat abroad, or even hire a boat you may need an International Certificate of Competence (ICC).
Emergency situations… it’ll never happen to me, right?
We don’t go to sea to get in to an emergency situation, but sometimes things go wrong that it is totally beyond your control. This is the exact reason why we train. Your instructor will debate and discuss what you would, or should do in a variety of situations.
Learning how to recover a person from the water, how to deal with a fire, or how to diagnose an engine fault are just some of the skills and knowledge you will require. When owning a boat, every day is a school day, but one thing that is for certain is that the sea is not forgiving, and until things go wrong, we don’t fully appreciate how vulnerable we really are.
The knowledge and skills from our courses could prevent some situations in the first place, or allow you to make informed decisions on what to do.
Are the courses like going back to school?
As you are learning something new, then yes, but that’s where the similarities end. The courses have an entirely different approach and environment. I teach powerboating, because I love powerboating, yet I hated school!
The courses are fun, and delivered in a manner where you are learning without realising it. Making mistakes are a huge part of the courses. The instructor’s role is to create parameters for each situation to minimise risk. Making the mistake will allow you to understand how not to do it, therefore allowing the skill to be developed and improved.
Why iPowerboat, and what’s so special about us?
Ryan founded iPowerboat nearly 10 years ago, and like other UK training centres is recognised to run RYA approved training courses. What makes iPowerboat unique is our passion, teaching approach, equipment… and of course our magnificent location!
Having trained thousands of people, and regularly training a thousand students per year, with students traveling from all over the world – literally! iPowerboat is a very successful and respected training centre. If you’re a boater on the west coast of Scotland then there is a high chance, you’ll meet someone who trained here.
Expert knowledge, approach and reputation puts us in a position where we have the trust of large commercial organisations to meet their training needs.
Our equipment is some of the best. Our training RIBs are built for your needs. Don’t take my word for it, come to our training centre, or visit our website to see our boats and equipment. You’ll leave your course with the best value for money purchase since buying your boat!
