Get your boat licence with a BoatSafe approved team on the Sunshine Coast. Students travel from Southport to train on sheltered water at our Caloundra base, with all equipment provided.
Boat Licence courses for Southport and the surrounding area, run on sheltered Sunshine Coast water by a local, BoatSafe approved team. Whether you are near the Gold Coast Broadwater or out towards Main Beach, we make getting licensed simple: one day, all equipment provided, and the same course at every location.
A Queensland Recreational Marine Licence lets you legally operate almost any powered boat, and you need one for an engine of more than 4.5 kilowatts (around 6 horsepower). Our one-day BoatSafe course is built for people who have never driven a boat, as well as those who just never made it official.
Plenty of our students travel from Southport to get licensed. We train on sheltered water at our Caloundra base on the Pumicestone Passage, the closest of our three Sunshine Coast locations to Southport. Southport fronts the sheltered Gold Coast Broadwater, protected from the open ocean by The Spit. You complete the theory online before you travel, so the drive is a single trip on your course day.
The Queensland recreational marine licence covers powered recreational boats of any size. It is required once your engine is more than 4.5 kilowatts, which is nearly every tinny, runabout and cruiser. Once issued it never expires and never needs re-sitting.
We send you the theory before your course day so you arrive ready for the water. It covers the rules of the water, navigation marks, safety gear and right of way at your own pace, so the practical day stays hands-on and relaxed rather than spent in a classroom.
On the day you take the helm on sheltered water with a patient local instructor beside you. You practise starting, steering, berthing and the safety drills, then complete the practical assessment. Small class sizes mean plenty of time at the wheel.
You do not need your own boat or gear. We supply the vessel, lifejackets and all training equipment, plus the launch site and sheltered water. Just bring photo ID, sun protection and clothes you do not mind getting a little wet.
Every course is run by experienced local instructors on sheltered Sunshine Coast water. We are a BoatSafe approved provider, so the certificate you earn is the one Queensland accepts for your recreational marine or PWC licence.
BoatSafe Approved
Approved by Maritime Safety Queensland to deliver the BoatSafe recreational marine and PWC licence courses.
VerifyNationally Accredited Training
Courses are delivered under the registration of Australian Boating College, RTO #3399, so the training is nationally accredited.
VerifyBacked by ABC Boating
Part of the Australian Boating College network, which delivers boat and PWC licence training across Australia.
Verify5-Star Rated on Google
Rated 5 stars on Google by students across the Sunshine Coast. Read the reviews on our Google profile.
VerifyFrom Southport, near the Gold Coast Broadwater, it is north on the M1 and Bruce Highway to our Sunshine Coast bases. Southport fronts the sheltered Gold Coast Broadwater, protected from the open ocean by The Spit. We run the boat licence at the Caloundra base with all equipment provided, and the theory is done online before you travel, so Southport students make the trip once.
Tell us the date that suits you near Southport and our team will come back to you, usually within one business day. Prefer to talk it through? Give us a call.
We run the boat licence on sheltered water at our Caloundra base on the Pumicestone Passage, the closest of our three Sunshine Coast locations to Southport. All equipment is provided, so you can simply pick the date that suits you best.
Yes, if your boat has an engine of more than 4.5 kilowatts (around 6 horsepower), which covers almost every powered recreational boat. You can operate without a licence if someone who holds a valid marine licence is supervising you on board. Our one-day BoatSafe course covers what you need, and once issued the licence is yours for life.
One day on the water. You finish the theory online beforehand, then spend a hands-on day completing the practical and the assessment. Pass it and you leave with the BoatSafe certificate you need to apply for a Queensland recreational marine licence. If you need another session on the water first, we would rather you took it.
The course fee covers your online theory, the theory recap and assessment on the day, your practical training session in the boat, and your first practical assessment. Current pricing shows in the booking calendar as soon as you pick a date and location, so you see the live fee before you commit. If you also want the jet ski licence, look at the combo rather than booking two separate courses.
You must be at least 16 to hold a Queensland recreational marine licence. You can operate a powered boat without holding one at any age, as long as a person with a valid marine licence is supervising you on board, so many people book their course around their sixteenth birthday.
No. The course is built for complete beginners. Our local instructors are patient and used to first-timers, and small class sizes mean you get plenty of time at the helm. The licence you are working towards lasts a lifetime once it is issued.
Our Caloundra training base is the closest of our three Sunshine Coast locations to Southport, so it is a planned drive rather than a local trip. It is north on the M1 and Bruce Highway to our Sunshine Coast bases. You only make the trip on your one course day, since the theory is completed online beforehand and the practical assessment is finished on the day on the water.
Yes. The course is built for people who have never been licensed before. Our local instructors are patient, class sizes are small, and you train on sheltered water, so you go into the assessment knowing what it asks of you. Southport fronts the sheltered Gold Coast Broadwater, protected from the open ocean by The Spit.
When you need a recreational marine licence in Queensland, the power and speed thresholds that trigger it, the minimum age, and how to get licensed in one day on the Sunshine Coast.
A simple checklist for your boat or jet ski licence course day on the Sunshine Coast: ID, what to wear, sun protection, and what we provide so you can just turn up and learn.
Pick a date at our Caloundra base and get licensed in one trip.
