Education

Be an Educated, Safer Boater

Too often new boaters, and even seasoned ones, believe boating is easy. (“I know how to drive a boat.”) Boating is a learned skill that can be as dangerous, or even more so, than driving a car.

For more than 100 years, we have provided boaters with unsurpassed education on the water, in the classroom and online. Our educational opportunities go beyond the basics to help you and your family be the best boaters you can be.


Basic Boating Education

America's Boating Course (public boating safety course, including Texas Boater's License exam)

Available online or in-person!


Two-Hour Seminars

America's Boating Club has a series of short seminars covering specific topics of interest to boaters. Some of the topics that are available cover GPS, chart reading, VHF radio usage (including the Digital Selective Calling feature found on all new radios), and on-board weather forecasting. These seminars are usually taught in a single two-hour class. A student note book is included, along with a take-away guide or other items that are useful on your boat. Seminars on other topics are now being completed, and will be released in the near future.


Advanced Educational Opportunities

Electives

Elective Courses in six area are offered by America's Boating Club. They cover separate and independent topics and therefore may be taken in any order according to a person's interests and time.

  • Engine Maintenance covers the operating principles and basic care and maintenance of outboard and inboard engines, including diesels.

  • Marine Electronics covers installation and maintenance of both boat electrical systems (AC and DC) and marine electronics (VHF radio, radar, GPS, etc).

  • Cruise Planning covers topics of interest for someone planning a cruise – whether for just a weekend or for a year – including preparation and planning, anchoring, security, chartering, and cruising outside the US.

  • Weather covers weather systems, patterns and forecasting.

  • Sail covers everything from the basic elements of how a sailboat works to sail trim, rig tuning, and sailboat racing.

  • Instructor Development teaches effective communication skills for not only USPS instructors but everyone, covering various methods of presenting information to others, effective use of audiovisual aids (including PowerPoint), etc.

Contact our Educational Officer for more information.

Advanced Grades

Five Advanced Grade courses are offered by America's Boating Club. They are designed to be taken in sequence because each builds on skills taught in the previous course.

  • Seamanship covers basic deck seamanship, marlinspike (knots and ropes), anchoring and rafting, basic boat care and maintenance, and nautical and USPS customs and etiquette.

  • Piloting is the first and most basic navigation course, covering chart reading, course plotting, and basic coastal or inland navigation, including basic GPS usage. This course goes into more detail than the charting information covered in the public courses.

  • Advanced Piloting covers more advanced coastal navigation techniques, navigation in tides and currents, and more advanced GPS usage.

  • Junior Navigation teaches the basics of offshore navigation, including basic celestial navigation using the sun and offshore course planning.

  • Navigation is the most advanced navigation course taught by USPS, covering more advanced celestial navigation techniques, emergency navigation, and additional sight reduction techniques.

Contact our Educational Officer for more information.