Own Boat Tuition &
Motorboat Training in Ireland
Learn to handle your own boat with confidence — on your boat, in your own area.
Whether you've just bought your first RIB, fishing boat, speedboat or motor cruiser, our experienced instructors can come to your home port and provide practical, one-to-one tuition tailored specifically to you, your boat and the waters you use.
Boat handling • Manoeuvring • Navigation • Passage planning • Safety
Enquire About Own Boat Tuition
Bought a boat? Learn to use it properly.
Owning a boat is exciting, but getting comfortable at the helm can take time — particularly when you're manoeuvring a larger boat in a busy marina, coming alongside in a tight berth or planning your first longer trip.
Our own boat tuition is designed around your boat, your experience and the type of boating you want to do.
Rather than putting you on a standard course boat, our instructor comes to you and works with you on the boat you will actually be using.
This is particularly useful for new boat owners who want to build confidence before heading out on their own with family and friends.
Training on your boat, in your own area
You don't need to bring your boat to us. We can come to you.
Our instructors operate in locations throughout Ireland, allowing us to provide tuition at your home port, marina, harbour or local waterway.
For example, we regularly work across areas including:
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Shannon & Erne Waterways
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Lough Ree
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Lough Derg
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Lough Corrib
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Dublin and surrounding waterways
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Coastal harbours and marinas right around the coast of Ireland
If your boat is based elsewhere, that's not necessarily a problem. We can arrange an instructor to travel to you where practical.
This is particularly important for us because we don't want the customer to have to learn on an unfamiliar boat in an unfamiliar location.
What can we help you with?
Boat Handling & Manoeuvring
Build confidence handling your boat at slow speed and in confined spaces.
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Coming alongside
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Leaving the berth
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Forward and reverse manoeuvring
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Turning in confined spaces
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Using engines and thrusters effectively
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Handling wind and current
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Manoeuvring in marinas and harbours
Marina & Berthing Skills
Struggling with tight berths or nervous about coming alongside?
We'll practise the manoeuvres you actually need in your own marina or harbour, including approaches, departures and handling your boat in restricted spaces.
Navigation & Passage Planning
Learn how to plan and execute trips confidently.
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Charts and electronic navigation
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Route planning
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Buoyage and marks
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Depths and hazards
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Weather considerations
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Passage planning
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Preparing for unfamiliar waterways
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Navigating between harbours and anchorages
Boat Systems & Equipment
Become familiar with the equipment on your own boat.
Depending on the vessel, tuition can include:
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Engines and controls
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Steering systems
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Bow/stern thrusters
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Electronic navigation
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VHF radio
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Anchoring equipment
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Safety equipment
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Bilge and emergency systems
Anchoring & Mooring
Learn how to safely approach, deploy and recover from an anchorage or mooring.
Safety & Emergency Procedures
Understand what to do when things don't go according to plan.
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Engine failure
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Loss of steering
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Man overboard
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Anchoring in an emergency
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VHF communications
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Emergency procedures
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Preparing your boat and crew for a trip
Motorboat & Cruiser Tuition on the River Shannon
New to owning a motor cruiser on the River Shannon? We can help. The Shannon and its lakes offer some of Ireland's best cruising, but handling a larger motorboat can be very different from driving a small RIB or speedboat.
Our instructors can work with you on your own cruiser, helping you develop the practical skills needed to confidently use your boat on the Shannon, Lough Ree, Lough Derg and surrounding waterways. Training can be built around the things you actually want to do — from leaving your berth on a Saturday morning to planning a multi-day cruise.
Typical requests from cruiser owners include:
“I'm nervous about getting in and out of the marina.”
“I want to learn how to manoeuvre the boat in tight spaces.”
“I've bought a larger boat and want someone to show me how to handle it.”
“I want to plan longer trips but I'm not confident with navigation.”
“I want to learn how to use the electronics on my boat properly.”
“I'd like my partner to become more confident handling the boat too.”
Tuition can be provided for individuals, couples or small groups, allowing everyone who uses the boat to build confidence and understand how to handle it safely.
Tuition tailored to you
There is no one-size-fits-all programme. Some customers may need a few hours concentrating almost entirely on boat handling and berthing.
Others may want a full day covering manoeuvring, navigation, passage planning, safety equipment and trip preparation.
We tailor the session around:
Your experience
Your boat
Your crew
Your local waters
What you want to achieve
You can book a single session or arrange further tuition as you build your experience.
RIBs, fishing boats, speedboats and motor cruisers
Tuition for a wide range of boats. We provide own boat tuition for a wide variety of recreational vessels, including:
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RIBs
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Fishing boats
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Speedboats
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Sports boats
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Motorboats
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Motor cruisers
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Cabin boats
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Inland waterways craft
Whether you're learning to handle a 5-metre RIB or a larger motor cruiser, the principle is the same: learn on the boat you actually own and in the waters where you intend to use it.
Certified training is also available
Looking for recognised certification? Own boat tuition doesn't have to be purely informal.
As an Irish Sailing Recognised Training Centre, we can also deliver relevant Irish Sailing Powerboat and Motorboat Training courses on your own boat, where the vessel and training requirements are suitable.
Not sure whether you need certification or simply practical tuition? Talk to us. We'll help you identify the most appropriate option.
How it works
1. Tell us about your boat
Tell us what you have, where it is based and what experience you currently have.
2. Tell us what you want to achieve
Maybe it's simply getting comfortable leaving the marina, or perhaps you want to plan longer cruising trips.
3. We arrange an instructor
We'll match your requirements with an appropriately experienced instructor from our team.
4. We come to you
Training takes place on your own boat and in your own local area, giving you experience that immediately transfers to your normal boating.
Pricing
What does own boat tuition cost? Own boat tuition is priced according to the training required, the duration of the session and the location of the boat.
We generally charge on a daily tuition basis, with travel/mileage costs applying where significant travel is required. For nearby locations, we may be able to provide tuition without an additional mileage charge.
Contact us with details of your boat and location and we'll provide a straightforward quotation.
Why Safe Water Training?
Practical instruction from experienced marine professionals
Safe Water Training isn't simply a recreational boating school. Our instructors bring extensive operational experience from commercial marine operations, search and rescue, emergency services and professional powerboat training.
That means our tuition focuses on more than simply getting the boat moving. We concentrate on developing practical boat-handling skills, situational awareness, navigation, decision-making and safe operating practices. And because our instructors operate throughout Ireland, we can bring that expertise to your boat and your local waters.
Want to feel more confident on your own boat?
Whether you've just bought your first boat or you've been boating for years but want to improve your skills, we can build a tuition session around you.
Tell us what boat you have, where it's based and what you'd like help with.
