How to drive a boat: what a first-timer learns, step by step

Before you take the wheel: a licence above 4.5 kW, or a licensed supervisor aboard

In Queensland you need a marine licence to drive a boat with an engine power greater than 4.5 kilowatts.

You can still learn at the helm before you're licensed. The Queensland Government says you can operate a boat without a licence if a supervisor with a valid marine licence is on board, and that supervisor must be able to take immediate control in case of trouble. A licensed mate sitting right beside you is the legal way to get your first go at the wheel.

Towing is the exception. If you're pulling a skier or a tube, the driver must hold a valid marine licence, whoever else is aboard. Ages and supervision are covered in more depth in Do I need a boat licence in Queensland?

To get a Queensland marine licence, most first-timers go through a BoatSafe course. Our Boat Licence course trains and assesses every skill on this page.

Learn the controls first: steering, throttle, gears, trim and the kill switch

Small boats steer one of two ways: a tiller arm on the outboard, or a wheel. The BoatSafe Workbook says that above about 25 horsepower, outboards should be steered by wheel rather than tiller, because the torque of a bigger motor makes tiller control dangerous.

Gears come next, and they're the first thing on MSQ's practical sheet: moving in and out of gear, forward and reverse, without grinding the gears. The BoatSafe standard gives its own example of why technique matters here. Forward gear is engaged quickly to prevent damage to the gearbox. So a firm, quick shift beats a hesitant one.

Trim tilts the outboard leg up or down, and controlling trim and tilt is one of the skills the course teaches.

Then the kill switch. Clipped to your wrist, jacket or belt, it cuts the motor if you're thrown away from the helm. The workbook calls it an essential safety item. Clip it on before you turn the key, every time.

Pre-start checks: fuel with a third spare, the bung in, and someone ashore who knows your plan

Most boating accidents come from a series of smaller things going wrong, the BoatSafe Workbook says, so the checks start before the engine does.

Before you touch any switch, sniff for petrol or gas fumes. Smell them? Fix the fault before you go anywhere. Look in the bilge, and if there's more water than usual, find out why. For a learner at the wheel, the steering matters most: the workbook says cables and connections must be in good condition and work perfectly.

Lifejackets come next, one per person, then the oil, battery, extinguisher, lights and anchor. And don't forget the bung. Our trip plan guide, linked below, has the full checklist.

Fuel: enough for the trip plus one third in reserve. Stow gear and spread the weight so the boat sits level. Check the weather and tides. Last, tell someone where you're going, who's aboard and when you'll be back, and keep them posted if plans change.

Leaving a jetty or pontoon: reverse out slowly, then go forward

A boat steers from the back. The BoatSafe Workbook compares it to a forklift's rear wheel steering: the stern moves sideways and the boat pivots around a point well forward of the middle. That's why you can't simply drive ahead and steer away from a jetty. To get the bow out, the stern has to swing in, and there's a jetty in the way.

With an outboard, the easier option is usually to reverse away from the berth, and not engage forward until you're well clear. A very small boat can be pushed off by hand once the lines are let go, as long as wind or tide isn't pinning it against the jetty.

Before you move, check for ropes trailing near the propeller. Get everyone sitting inside the boat, near the middle, with nobody up on the bow. Then move off slowly. The workbook keeps speed for open water and straight runs. Close to the shore, other boats or people, you go slow.

Coming back alongside: a fine angle, a stern line, then gently ahead

Slow down early on the way back. A boat doesn't respond instantly to the wheel or the throttle. There's a lag, and you have to allow for it. Wind and tidal flow can move a boat forcibly, so allow for them too. The workbook says it's much easier to stop next to a fixed object when the tidal flow runs against the way you're heading, so approach into the current where you can.

The workbook's method for a small boat: come in at a fine angle, stop alongside a bollard and put a stern line on it. Drive gently ahead and the boat is drawn in alongside, where it'll sit while the other lines go on. If the wind's blowing hard off the jetty, you may need to reverse up to the bollard to get that stern line on first.

A small boat may need only a bow line and a stern line. On a fixed jetty, leave them long enough for the tide to rise and fall. The practical assesses all of it: taking the boat into a berth, leaving one, and tying up.

Picking up a mooring: a slow approach with the buoy just off the starboard bow

MSQ's practical sheet asks you to approach a mooring buoy to the bow in a controlled manner. The workbook's method is to keep the buoy marginally on the starboard (right) side of the bow as you come in. Most propellers are right-handed, and with one of those the bow tends to swing to starboard when you go into reverse to stop.

Come up slowly and don't run over the buoy, because that risks fouling the propeller on the mooring lines. Catch the pick-up buoy with a boat hook and secure the line or chain to a bow cleat.

To leave, warm up the engine and check for other boats nearby. Release the line from the bow cleat, then drift back to clear the buoy before moving away, keeping clear of lines in the water.

One more thing. Most moorings belong to someone or are run by a local authority, and penalties apply for using one without permission. The practical also tests a close cousin of this skill: approaching a floating object from its downwind side.

Speed and wash: 6 knots within 30 metres of moored boats, jetties and swimmers

Boats other than jet skis must not go faster than 6 knots within 30 metres of a boat that's anchored, moored, tied to the shore or aground. The same 6 knots applies within 30 metres of a jetty, wharf, pontoon or boat ramp, within 30 metres of people in the water, and in harbours and marinas. The BoatSafe Workbook says these limits apply across Queensland whether signs are there or not.

So you need to know what 30 metres looks like. The practical checks that you can judge a distance of 30 metres and operate at 6 knots. The workbook's trick: 30 metres is ten times the length of a 3 metre boat, and five times a 6 metre boat.

Wash is the other half. Even at slow speed your boat makes a wash, so look behind and watch what it does to other boats, swimmers and the shore. The workbook warns that sitting on the posted speed can still leave you making too much wash. Right of way and channel markers are in our Queensland boating rules guide.

Turning, planing and stopping: practise at idle before you add speed

Turns feel odd at first because the stern swings out much wider than the bow. Give the back of the boat room, especially near jetties and other boats. The workbook's advice is to practise steering at idling speed to learn how the boat handles in different conditions.

MSQ's practical sheet lists the slow manoeuvres first: holding a straight course, at least 2 controlled turns to port and to starboard, and a figure 8. The manoeuvres at speed come after.

Planing means the boat is moving over the top of the water rather than through it. You're assessed on controlling the power to smoothly accelerate onto the plane and to bring the boat back off it, holding speed and course on the plane, and a figure 8 at speed.

Stopping gets its own test: an emergency stop from travelling on the plane. Your trainer demonstrates each of these before you try it, and the BoatSafe standard says easier tasks should come before harder ones, so you build up to the fast work.

If someone falls overboard: turn toward them, stop, and throw something that floats

The BoatSafe Workbook is blunt about the first rule. When someone falls overboard, the worst thing to do is jump in after them. Fast action and constant observation come first.

From the helm, the job is short. Shout the alarm, keep one person pointing at the swimmer the whole time, and swing the bow toward the side they went over so the propeller ends up away from them. Bring the boat to a stop, get something buoyant into the water near them, and note where you are by shore marks or GPS. The full step-by-step procedure is in our boating emergencies guide, linked below.

Don't go into the water unless it's absolutely necessary. If someone must, they wear a lifejacket and are attached to the boat with a line.

In an emergency, call triple zero (000). The man overboard drill is part of the practical, with a float standing in for the person.

Learning it all on the Sunshine Coast: the Boat Licence course

Our Boat Licence course is priced from $329, with all equipment provided and the online theory included. You work through the theory online first, in your own time, then spend a course day with a trainer that covers the theory assessment and your practical training and assessment on the water. You train on well-kept ABC Boating boats, and we keep groups small so you get real time at the helm.

Courses run from three venues: Golden Beach in Caloundra on the Pumicestone Passage, Maroochydore on the Maroochy River, and Noosaville on the Noosa River. All three train on sheltered water, which is where these skills are easiest to learn.

Australian Boating College tells students in writing that they may not be competent in just one day, so extra time on the water before you head out alone is time well spent. Want a jet ski licence too? The Boat & Jet Ski Combo covers both courses. Pick a date on Course Dates, and check what to bring on the day.