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Motorized Flatwater Boat Operator for Field Services

Rescue
Safety
Private

Overview

Motorized Flatwater Boat Operator training will equip students to operate any motorized craft in a safe and efficient manner on non-moving or flatwater water such as lakes, resevoirs, estuaries, or tidal water. We can easily tailor the curriculum to inboards, outboards, jets, props or PWCs.

According to the Lifesaving Society, powerboating is the second highest cause of preventable water-related drownings. This comprehensive course will develop the sense of confidence and necessary skills to operate a boat at a variety of speeds in non-moving water, and to avoid becoming a statistic.

The curriculum includes pre-trip safety checks, identification of hazards, watercraft handling, man-overboard, boat-based victim rescue, dealing with capsizes, and general on-water safety.

Limited classroom time and a low student to instructor ratio allows for lots of hands-on practice time for each participant.

Please note: Clients must provide their own watercraft.


Motorized Flatwater Boat Operator Course Details

Duration

2 days

Format

½ day classroom, 1 ½ days on the water

(+ optional night session)

Participants

Minimum 4. Maximum 6.

Prerequisites
  • 18+ years of age
  • Basic swimming ability
  • In good physical condition
Price

$699

Annual Training Maintenance

Click here to read about the options available for annual guided practice

Required Equipment
  • Personal flotation device (Type III or V)*
  • Water-sports or rescue helmet*

* Rental included in course fee

Takeaways & Documentation
  • Personalized skill sheet signed by the instructor
  • Certificate of completion

Motorized Flatwater Boat Operator Course Outline

Classroom Session

  • Rescue 3 Philosophy
  • Waves and currents
  • Personal and team equipment
  • Boat-based safety equipment
  • Communications
  • Introduction to ropes, knots and specialized gear
  • Boat maintenance and trouble-shooting
  • Pre-trip safety checklist
  • Dryland rope work
  • Boat inspection

Water Session

  • Self rescue swimming skills
  • Hazard avoidance
  • Boat handling, figure 8s, maintaining a position
  • Optional: night operations session (after dark)
  • Maneuvering with the engine cut (motorized boats only)
  • Man overboard
  • Parbuckling
  • Swamping, capsizing
  • Flipping and righting
  • Rescue scenario
  • Written examination
  • Debrief

We only offer this as a private course

Our courses ensure personalized hands-on training through human-based scenarios

Private Courses

Training Maintenance

If you have a group that would like to review their training together, the training maintenance program may be right for you.

Your group pays the instructor’s daily teaching fee and travel costs associated with bringing the instructor to your training location, along with an annual fee to be part of the maintenance program. This is generally a pretty reasonable approach for training departments because:

  • it allows us to deliver the training in small chunks every year, rather than in one big chunk every three years
  • it gives department members more annual hands-on time with their skills
  • new members can integrate into maintenance programs by jumping on an open course from our public schedule

We track your members, and their status on course content completion within a three year cycle, which mirrors a traditional three year recertification cycle.  It’s an excellent value for the cost, and allows you to review your skills in your own backyard.

The training maintenance program replaces the need to recertifiy your training on a traditional three year recertification cycle.

Sorry – there’s no individual audit program available for this course

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