Advanced Powerboat - Commercial endorsement

Tideway · 29 April 2007, 14:40

Hello all,

I am getting my Advanced Powerboat refesher in a couple of weeks time. I need the commecial endorsement and have all the relevant other qualifications, do I need a seperate assessment for the endorsement?

I also have coastal skipper etc... but Advanced Powerboat is what work want me to have as my commercial qualification. It has changed since I last did it in 1999, I think.

If I do have to have a seperate assessment, what form does it take? On my C/Skipper we had a seperate examiner.

It will be quite nice to have some refresher training, as I'm bound to have picked up a few bad habits. I just want to know if I need to hit the books beforehand.

Thanks for any help.

t

Jimbo · 29 April 2007, 15:56

Tideway,

If you hold an Advanced Powerboat Course Completion certificate, issued prior to January 2005, then the Commercial Endorsement is a paperwork exercise requiring you to send the RYA £20, a copy of your VHF Certificate, a copy of your First Aid, a copy of your Sea Survival, and the original of your Medical (either an ML5, or an ENG1).

If you don't hold an Advanced Course Completion Certificate, or your certificate was issued in or after Jan 2005, then you do have to sit a Separate exam. The exam costs £130, and you have to supply a suitable boat. If you are successful with the exam, you will then be issued with the Advanced Certificate of Competence. You then have to provide the docs as above and £20 for the commercial endorsement.

Hopefully that makes sense - I haven't described what each bit of paper is, but if you need clarification on any bits please do let me know.

Gordon · 29 April 2007, 22:07

From the RYA Site...

Since January 2005 there has been a new system for obtaining a commercial Advanced Powerboat certificate.

No Advanced course completion certificates issued after 1 January 2005 will be commercially endorsed. Any candidates for commercially endorsed Advanced certificates will require an exam. However, course completion certificates issued prior to 1 January 2005 may be endorsed.

Exams follow the same system that has been operated for commercial Yachtmasters and Coastal Skippers since the Codes of Practice were first introduced.

The pre-requisite experience and qualifications for Advanced exam candidates will be as follows:

Minimum 2 years relevant experience including night pilotage (as a guide: 30 days, 2 days as skipper, 800 miles, 12 night hours). For holders of the RYA Advanced powerboat course completion certificate this sea time is reduced to: 20 days, 2 days as skipper, 400 miles, 12 night hours. You must also have VHF/SRC operator’s licence and a valid first aid certificate.

To endorse any of the above certificates, you will need to send to the RYA:

- A Commercial Endorsement application form (download from the link above)
- The original certificate that you want to be endorsed.
- Your Basic Sea Survival course completion certificate.
- A Medical Fitness Certificate. (download the MCA’s ML5 medical form from the link above)
- An endorsement fee of £20.00 payable to the RYA.
- A passport size photograph (please print name on back of photograph).

Hope this is useful...

Gordon...

Tideway · 30 April 2007, 18:08

Many thanks Gordon & Jimbo. That fits what I was told by the training provider today. Ironically, I can easily endorse the C.Skipper qualification, but as I have a restricted Advanced Powerboat ticket (due to cheapo course at work!), I will have to do the exam.

Never mind, it should be interesting. I have already dusted the books off and am revising. Scary how much you forget when you don't use it!

Gordon · 01 May 2007, 00:47

You could always book a day with an instructor to take you through some of the theory and other bits and bobs...

I'm sure Jimbo or Jono would easily arrange something for you...

Gordon,...

Doug Stormforce · 01 May 2007, 09:33

Your employer has somehwhat missed the point here. If you hold a coastalskipper power certificate of competence then this is a higher level qualification than the advanced powerboat coc.

The RIB community in general has also somwhat missed the point. To satisfy legislation and insurance companies the coastalskipper cert of competence power covers everything the advanced cert of competence covers and more.

The advanced powerboat COC is the base level ticket for operating power craft outside the 3 mile limit and at night, it does not mean that those with a higher ticket need to go back and do the advanced exam.

If your employer were to take a look at the code he would see this. Equally Im surpsired the training provider did not inform you or perhaps not surprised!

On the other side refresher training is always useful, however I would question your need to go through a formal exam process.

Paul Glatzel · 03 May 2007, 20:10

Tideaway

Hi, i'm intrigued. What do you mean by "as I have a restricted Advanced Powerboat ticket (due to cheapo course at work!), "

I'd agree that given the information you have provided that it would appear that you simply need to apply the commercial endorsement to the CS Exam that you took - i assume when you refer to Coastal Skipper that you took the Course then the Exam and passed the latter. I am not aware of there being a time limit between when you pass the exam and when you can apply for the commercial endorsement - you might wish to check though. If you contact Certification at the RYA they should have a record of your exam and can advise

I would add though that Coastal Skipper and Advanced Powerboat Commercial Endorsements allow you to do EXACTLY the same thing on vessels up to 24m (assuming you possess two or more years experience - MGN280 refers) - ie work up to 20 miles from a safe haven.

Hope this helps

Regards

Paul

tim griffin · 04 May 2007, 07:43

Agree with Paul re what you can do.

Only difference is the theory Advanced Powerboat requires navigation theory up to Day skipper level or equivalent knowledge
and Coastal Skipper requires navigation theory up to Coastal Skipper/ Yachtmaster level or equivalent knowledge.

Either way you still have to pass an exam but does seem abit grey when you consider the level required to pass the theory exam on the Coastal Skipper /Yachtmaster exam.

Would also add that even if you have your advanced commercial endorsement it would be foolish to think you could just jump on a twin engine shaft drive 50 ft gin palace and you would be competent in handling/driving it without prior experience on that size of craft.
Just some thoughts