Powerboats : Motorboats : Sailing Yachts : Theory

Welcome to Solent Boat Training - Your gateway to unrivalled adventures on the open water, offering expert training in Sailing, Motorboating and Powerboating

Solent RYA Powerboat, Sailing, Motorboat, Radio & Theory Courses

RYA Powerboat Training Courses-ExD3AU.jpg

Solent Boat Training runs the full range of RYA Powerboat courses including the popular RYA Powerboat Level 2 ICC from as little as £199 per person.

RYA-Sailing-Courses

Solent Boat Training runs the full RYA sailing courses scheme including the popular RYA Competent Crew & Day Skipper Courses.

RYAMotorboatCruisingCourses-2wJDPg-FYpK8H.jpg

Solent Boat Training offer the full range of RYA motorboat courses including RYA Motorboat Helmsman & RYA Day Skipper.

Solent Shorebased Courses

Solent Boat Training runs a wide range of shorebased courses including RYA VHF Radio, RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance & RYA First Aid at Sea from £49 per person.

gift vouchers

Solent Boat Training Special Offers & Gift Vouchers

RYA Navigation Course

Solent Boat Training runs all the RYA Navigation & Theory Courses including the popular RYA Day Skipper Theory.

Solent Day Sailing Courses

Our Solent Day Sailing Experiences are perfect for both absolute beginners with no sailing experience through to Qualified sailors looking for a day out on the water.

Sailing-Yacht-Marina-Skills

Close quarter handling in the marina and sail trim are taught in these one day courses.

Cross-Channel-Sailing

Sailing mile builders in the Solent and the West Country. Available for groups or individuals from £199pp

About Solent Boat Training - RYA Advanced Training Centre

Solent Boat Training (SBT) is a leading National RYA boat training centre, providing expert marine training to both the general public and the maritime industry.  Based within the famous English Solent and offering 20 years of experience, we pride ourselves in delivering Low Student Ratio and Competitively Priced Training.

Our courses cover a wide range of water and classroom skills, catering to leisure boaters looking to enhance their knowledge and expertise on the water.

We have students traveling from all over the UK, Europe and even the USA, to train with our approved RYA, HSE & MCA instructors.  All the courses and events found on our website are run by fully qualified instructors and skippers from our own training centre.

Our highly qualified instructors and state-of-the-art facilities allow us to offer comprehensive training programs, designed to meet the needs of boating enthusiasts of all levels. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned sailor, Solent Boat Training is committed to helping you achieve your maritime goals efficiently and safely.
 
We Specialise in Low Student to Instructor ratio training, at amazing competitive prices, because we believe in offering the best value for money.

 

Our Fleet of Boats are based in Southampton, allowing us to offer courses & events all over the Solent.

With our large assortment of yachts, motorboats & rigid inflatables, we have the complete flexibility to run courses for private individuals, companies and organisations alike. We offer training for all, from an absolute beginner to aspiring Yachtmaster Ocean Skippers. We also work alongside and are the training provider for Solent Boat Charters, a large local sailing events company. We have 6 classrooms, including a training workshop, all within the marina.  Together with free accommodation, included with all sailing courses, this means your training will be to the highest standard. We offer RYA courses from our Training Centre in Southampton, as well as own boat tuition all around the Solent area including, Yarmouth, Hamble, Lymington & Cowes.

RYA Powerboat Courses Inc Level 2 & ICC

We run the RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses throughout the year, on our own fleet of 6m training ribs, with Intermediate level training courses run on either of our 7.2m XS Ribs from our base in Southampton.

In addition, we also run MCA & SBT advanced powerboat training courses & events on our 7.5m XS Ribs. 

Many of these boats are MCA commercially coded vessels for day and night use up to 20 miles from land, far more than we actually require for these RYA powerboat courses.

We run a complete range of training courses including the RYA Intermediate Powerboat course and the RYA Advanced Powerboat course, with MCA commercial exam (by arrangement).

RYA courses are run from our Southampton based training centre, as well as own boat tuition all around the Solent including, Yarmouth, Hamble, Lymington & Cowes.

RYA Sail Cruising Courses Inc Competent Crew & Day Skipper

With our own fleet of Bavaria 37 cruising sailing yachts moored in Sharock Quay marina in Southampton offering the full range of RYA sail cruising courses from "Start Yachting", "RYA Competent Crew Course" the popular "RYA Day Skipper Practical Course" through to the Yachtmaster preparation course.

Their 3 double cabins and large saloon area make sailing the Solent, visiting new harbours and learning new skills a very pleasant experience indeed. We specialise in low ratio student to instructor courses as we feel this offers a more complete experience for very little extra expense.  We also offer our own SBT skills days, mileage builders and specialist events that fit perfectly in between the range of RYA sailing courses offered.

At SBT we believe in offering amazing value for money, compared to many local competitors, with most running courses a higher ratio of students per instructor on each course, while also charging more.

We offer our RYA courses from both Southampton and Lymington as well as own boat tuition all around the Solent including, Yarmouth, Hamble, Lymington & Cowes.

Sailing Mile Building & Experience Sailing Days

With our yachts based in centrally in Southampton, we are able to offer a vast range of sailing mile builders and sailing experience days.  This allows our past present and future students the chance to increase their knowledge and experience, whilst putting in to practice, previously learnt skills.


Sailing Experience Days Sailing Mile Builders

RYA Motor Cruising Courses

We have a fantastic Flybridge Motorboat called 'Kingfisher', a Rodman 1040 Adv.She is perfect for the entire range of RYA motorboat courses. ' RYA Motor Cruising Training Courses' run from our fleets base in Southampton's Shamrock Quay. 

SBT courses offer complete flexibility to train you in many aspects of motorboat handling and fits in between the RYA motorboat courses.

We can run motorboat courses from our Southampton base as well as own boat tuition all around the Solent including, Yarmouth, Hamble, Lymington & Cowes.

RYA & SBT - Shore Based & Theory Courses

Our classroom overlooks Shamrock Quay Marina in Southampton and is only 50 yards from the water's edge.

Our classrooms are a warm and safe environment for all of our shore based courses, including; RYA VHF Radio, Marine Radar, First Aid, Day Skipper Theory, Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Theory courses.

Our own SBT Outboard Petrol Engine Maintenance course and the RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance courses have become increasingly popular.

HSE First Aid Training Courses

SBT are a fully certified HSE first aid training centre offering the popular First Aid Courses including;

  • Emergency first aid at work
  • Paediatric First Aid
  • Activity First Aid.

Own Boat Tuition

Our RYA instructors are able to travel to any venue in the Solent area and offer the full range of RYA courses on your vessel or at your premise. We call this own boat tuition.

 

Own Boat Tuition

Check out our Google Reviews

253 Total Reviews
I've completed several courses at Solent Boat Training over the years, including Competent Crew, Marina Handling Day, two-day Sailing Milebuilder and Powerboat Level 2. The courses are competitively priced, the boats seem clean and well-maintained, and there are dedicated classrooms for shore-based training. The staff have always been helpful and friendly, with experienced and knowledgeable instructors and the office responding quickly to any queries. As well as learning new skills, I've met some great people and had fun on the Solent with SBT, thank you!
Christopher Roberts
16/01/2025
I've completed my VHF and diesel courses with SBT, and I'm pleased with the training I received. Friendly and knowledgeable instructors. Looking forward to the next course.
Tomasz Labno
15/01/2025
Completed and passed Power Boat II today with Matthew. Had a thoroughly brilliant time. Matthew, our instructor, catered for each individual’s learning as well as facilitating us three participants to become a good team in no time at all - during the first morning. This combined with a healthy, friendly and ‘banterful’ relationship with fellow instructor, Brian, and his group doing the same course, made for fun competitiveness to become proficient with all aspects of the course. I highly recommend both tutors and indeed Solent Boat Training for their comprehensive range of RYA courses. Cheers Matthew, many thanks.
James Johnson
14/01/2025
Did my Advaced PN course. Very engaging and easy to understand. Brian was a star!
Ervin Puro
12/01/2025
Brilliant Advanced powerboat course with Bryan at SBT. I have been to many centers, and am continually impressed by Solent Boat Training- high quality instructing, well maintained boats and the perfect location for training. Would highly recommend.
Jude Pickford
23/12/2024
We did the RYA Power Boat Level 2 over the weekend, the one where Storm Darragh was blowing a hoolie! We learnt so much. Alex our instructor was inspiring. He gave us absolute confidence in some challenging seas and he was great at pushing us when we needed. We’ll go back to our boat prepared for anything (or nearly anything)! Thanks guys. Great set up.
The Cleft Wood Co Traditional Oak Fencing and Gates
09/12/2024
Thank you very much for you review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your time with Alex and that you still managed to get the most out of the 2 Days, despite Mother Nature's best attempts. Hope to meet you again soon. SBT Team 10/12/2024
I've just completed my 3rd course with SBT. And, as always, massively impressed with the level of instructing, be it in class or on a boat. The low ratio on boats is great, you get enough time and space to learn and observe. Instructors have the knowhow to "read the room" and get the best from all students, of all ages and ability. Always a pleasure to learn from and with them. About to introduce my 18 year old to the joys of learning with them too!! I'll be back.
alexander roeder
09/12/2024
Alexander, Thank you for your review and we are delighted that you have enjoyed all of your courses with us. We look forward to helping the next generation to achieve their boating goals also. SBT Team 10/12/2024
Fantastic course (Advanced Powerboat) instructed by Bryan, who was absolutely brilliant throughout. Weather was awful, so Bryan did a lot of re-jigging of the course material to fit with the slightly better weather window. Classroom content was well paced, supported by great real-world examples and experiences. The practical was challenging due to the weather, but Bryan lead this with pragmatism and professional common sense. Would thoroughly recommend this course, instructor and company for anyone interested in advancing their powerboat skills. Thank you Bryan
S Boulton1408
08/12/2024
Thank you very much for your review and choosing Solent Boat Training to deliver your Advanced Powerboat Training. We hope that the training you received from Bryan, will prove useful in your future boating ventures. Look forward to meeting you again in the future. Safe Boating, SBT Team 10/12/2024
Great week doing my Dayskipper Practical. Visited some wonderful Marinas and even negotiated a lock. Made new friends and never drank so much Tea in a week ???????? role on the mile builders.
Paul Bickley
06/12/2024
Hi Paul, We are delighted that you enjoyed your Day Skipper Practical course with us at SBT. We also look forward to seeing you again soon for some mileage builders, where you can put what you have learnt into practice. Happy Sailing. SBT Team 10/12/2024
Completed my competent crew course with Solent Boat Training and I will come back for further training. I would recommend them to anyone looking for high quality and reasonably priced yacht sailing courses!
Matthew Bishop
02/12/2024
Matthew, Thank you very much for the recommendation and we hope that now you have the 'Sailing Bug', you will join us for more training in the future. We look forward to seeing you again soon. SBT Team 10/12/2024