Customer Reviews
VHF radio course and exam
Southampton
SBT team done another amazing job with the VHF course. Learning how to use the radios from start to finish Great day and professional approach to teaching all in the class with mix age group. Thankyou to all at Southampton boat training. Looking. Forward to my next course Regards M Finnegan
01/11/2025
Day Skipper Motor
Southampton
I completed the RYA Day Skipper Motor practical course with 3 other trainees. The course was very well presented, with excellent briefings and debriefings. Our instructor Rob was not only a very experienced boater but also an excellent instructor, the two don’t always necessarily go together. Rob gave a good explanation of each exercise, monitored our efforts closely and gave excellent feedback and solutions when things didn’t quite go to plan. Due to Rob’s excellent instruction all 4 of us passed the course. I plan to gain some experience now then I’ll be back with SBT for Coastal Skipper.
01/11/2025
Powerboat Instructors Course
Southampton
Chris and Clare were brilliant instructors, both of them were really friendly and knew their stuff. They helped everyone feel comfortable and confident and the atmosphere in the group was super supportive and fun, and I think we all learned more as a result.
28/10/2025
Practical Day Skipper
Southampton
I have just completed the four day practical day skipper course with Rob. SBT make the whole process so easy. Facilities are great and Rob was an amazing instructor.
27/10/2025
Day Skipper Theory
Southampton
I recently completed the split weekend day skipper theory course with Sean. I would definitely recommend doing this in person rather than online as advertised by other companies. Impeccably run, great facilities and awesome teaching. Thanks Sean
27/10/2025
Day Skipper Practical
Southampton
I recently completed my Day Skipper Practical course with Solent Boat Training, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Terry, our skipper and instructor, was absolutely brilliant - knowledgeable, patient, and highly skilled. His teaching style made complex manoeuvres and navigation techniques easy to understand, and the whole experience was both educational and enjoyable. The balance between learning and hands-on practice was perfect, and I came away feeling confident and competent. A first-class course delivered by an excellent instructor. Five stars without hesitation!
21/10/2025
RYA Powerboat Advanced
Shamrock Quay
SBT were brilliant as usual. Tim delivered the course in a way that I felt was really tailored to the two of us on it. Key learning objectives were explained effectively which I found really useful. Most importantly, the course was taught in an enjoyable way. I will certainly be back!
20/10/2025
Practical Day Skipper
Southampton
Another great course with SBT. Our skipper Terry was superb, full of cheek and charm! - imparting lots of knowledge and tips. He helped build our confidence in yachting in a nurturing way. We had a great week and would recommend SBT to anyone.
20/10/2025
Helmsman
Shamrock quay
I completed the 2 day Helmsman’s course along with 3 other students. The weather conditions during the 2 days were less than ideal but with our instructor Nick’s excellent guidance and persistence we all 4 passed the course. SBT get top marks from me and I will be back again shortly for the Day Skipper Motor course.
17/10/2025
Marina Skills & Sail Trim
Shamrock Quay
I did these courses with Leo and really enjoyed and gained from both. I am a very incompetent 'Competent Crew' (did the CC about 12 years ago and no boat experience since) and the other clients were much more experienced than me. Leo did a great job at balancing out skill and confidence in both of the different day courses. I felt he gave me extra attention and help without sacrificing any attention to the other clients, so I think everyone was really happy! I certainly gained a lot from attending these courses. Something I was worried about before starting to try and upskill in sailing with a sailing training centre with almost no sailing skills was feeling out of place and have imposter syndrome, but both Sean and Leo have made it a really safe space for learning and removed all intimidation I was worried about :) I have now done 3 courses with SBT (DS Theory with Sean, Sail Trim with Leo, Marina Skills with Leo) and have loved all of them!
14/10/2025
Powerboat level 2
Shamrock Quay
I can highly recommend Solent Boat Training, the course was just what I needed to refresh my slightly rusty skills and regain my confidence in boat handling, in close quarters and at higher speeds, plus practicing practical skills like anchoring and man over board drills. Alex our instructor was fantastic, professional, patient and explained and demonstrated each section so we all understood and enjoyed improving our skills. Southampton Water is a brilliant place to learn and we were blessed with amazing weather!
14/10/2025
Competent crew
Solent boat training
The course was amazing, Simon out instructor was top class, calm , patient and extremely knowledgeable. 10/10 highly recommend
14/10/2025
RYA Powerboat Level 2 ICC
What an enjoyable course made even better by the knowledgeable skills and expertise of Bryan! I have been on many courses over my lifetime but none came close to this one. His patience and humour helped develop boating skills that I never knew I had. The course itself was a mixture of classroom about 4 hours and practical about 10 hours spread over 2 days. For October we were lucky with the weather and smooth Solent. Young or old (like me) I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone - even complete beginners like me.
13/10/2025
RYA First Aid
Shamrock Quay
A warm welcome was received upon arrival. A great course delivered by Sean. His humour and personality made what can be a very tedious subject interesting and engaging throughout. The training room was light and comfortable temperature with tea and coffee available. Thank you SBT Team
02/10/2025
Coastal Skipper
Solent Based
Having completed all of my sailing practical courses up to the level of coastal skipper with Solent Boat Training, over the last couple of years. I would highly recommend. Debs our instructor was highly skillful and all the boats I have been on are kept to a high standard.
30/09/2025
Day skipper theory
Southampton
Such a great lesson. Sean is a credit to this course.
29/09/2025
Powerboat Level 2
Southampton
The 3 of us loved our course, learnt a lot in a short period and got plenty of real life experiences. Our instructor Alex was excellent. I would definitely recommend.
29/09/2025
Powerboat 2
Southahmpton
Great experience and glad I chose them. The instructor Sean was very experienced, thorough and patient. I will happily go back to this company for future training.
25/09/2025
PowerBoat lvl 2
Taunton
Having just 3 people to 1 instructor was a perfect ratio on this course. Sean was our Instructor and he pitched the information perfectly for my learning style. It was neither overload nor too little information and being out on the water was a fun experience. I had 2 great days and my learning curve was massive. I will be back for more face 2 face training.
18/09/2025
PowerBoat Level 2
Southampton
My 24 year old son and I did this course together in August 2025, so we could be more confident in handling my 6m Merry Fisher in the Solent, especially leaving a berth and arriving at an unfamiliar one. The course covered all we needed and a lot more - including high-speed manoeuvres, anchoring, man overboard (actually a yellow buoy - Wilson?!) and navigation from one fixed point to the next. The entire 2 days were thoroughly enjoyable, very well structured and most importantly, extremely educational and informative. Sean delivered both classroom and in-boat tuition with patience, knowledge and a good measure of his own humour. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in taking control of any power boat up to 10m. Not only is the cost of the course insignificant to the damage an unskilled operator could do, but the increase in confidence makes the 'on the water' experience so much safer and enjoyable - for all concerned.
14/09/2025
RYA Powerboat 2
Southampton
An excellent course. Three students per instructor. Kevin Earl was an outstanding tutor with a wealth of knowledge on every type of boat from RIB to ocean-going craft. Refreshingly informal with many anecdotes taken from a lifetime of experience to illustrate important points. Theory and practical were well-covered and we had an enjoyable time at sea. Worth every penny. I may be back for more. A big thank you. Highly recommended.
14/09/2025
Power Boat Level 2
Southahpton
Bryan was a fantastic coach. He taught us very methodically through all the elements of the boat and we all felt very safe to take control by the end. I took the course with my 18 year old twins and we had a great laugh all weekend, what a great experience. Thanks Bryan, I hope you enjoyed the Mars bar on the way home.
06/09/2025
Competent Crew
The Solent
We have a brilliant 5 days learning Competent Crew on The Solent with Solent Boat Training. They were extremely knowledgeable and professional with vast experience. Dom helped me grow in confidence, to a level beyond my expectations and we cannot wait to continue the journey.
06/09/2025
Powerboat 2 Refresher
Shamrock Quay
We had a fantastic day last Thursday with our instructor Matthew and learnt a lot. It was quite a ‘frisky’ day wind-wise, and this meant that Matt was able to tailor tuition to what we had mainly asked for - parking and leaving the berth with various methods dependent on the wind & tide. Our plan is to charter bare boat ribs, so we need to be competent in this department to avoid any nasty parking accidents, and Matt was fantastic at explaining these two skills. After Matt's excellent help, I now feel totally confident that I can assess the elements properly, and am able to hold station safely and use the elements to help with my boat handling. Thanks very much again SBT for all your kind help and for providing such an excellent service
04/09/2025
Intermediate Powerboat
Shamrock Quay
We had a fabulous couple of days during our course with a great tutor Sean. He covered all aspects clearly and was dynamic in finding another way to explain something if I hadn’t quite landed the first time. We stayed overnight on the Rodman and the staff made sure we were well catered for. Thanks to all the SBT Team.
03/09/2025
