RYA Powerboat Level 2: Course, Cost and 6 Schools Compared
If you want to work on deck, sooner or later someone will throw you the keys to the tender. RYA Powerboat Level 2 is the ticket that lets you catch them. Below you'll find what the course is, what it costs at six real schools, and which add-ons yacht crew need.
What is RYA Powerboat Level 2?
RYA Powerboat Level 2 (PB2) is a two-day practical course from the Royal Yachting Association that teaches you to drive a small powerboat or RIB safely. According to the RYA's course page, it covers launching and recovery, boat handling, securing to a buoy, anchoring, leaving and coming alongside, and man overboard. The minimum age is 12.
Most Powerboat Level 2 training is close-quarters, low-speed handling: getting a RIB on and off a pontoon in wind and tide without hitting anything. You'll also do some planing at speed and learn the collision regulations (the "rules of the road"). There's no written exam. It's a course completion certificate, so your instructor signs you off once you can do the syllabus.
Your certificate is endorsed for the type of boat and the waters you trained in. If you're heading for yachts, book a coastal course on a RIB, not an inland one on a river or reservoir.
A RIB on the Solent, the stretch of water most UK Powerboat Level 2 courses are run on. Photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0.
How much does an RYA Powerboat Level 2 course cost?
An RYA Powerboat Level 2 course costs roughly £200–£380 in the UK for the two days. In the yacht hubs it's more: €550 (about £460) in Antibes and Palma. In Fort Lauderdale, the one school we could verify doesn't publish a current price, so you'll need to ask. These prices come from each school's own website, checked in November 2026:
| School | Location | Price (GBP) | EUR | USD | Source (school site, checked Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southampton Sport | Southampton (National Oceanography Centre) | £249 (£199 for Southampton Sport members) | ~€300 | ~$330 | southampton.ac.uk |
| UKSA | West Cowes, Isle of Wight | £290 (£330 residential); £300 for dates from Feb 2027 | ~€345 | ~$390 | uksa.org |
| Powerboat Training UK | Poole (Cobbs Quay) | £370–£380 incl. VAT, less per head in groups of 2–3 | ~€440–€455 | ~$495–$510 | powerboat-training-uk.co.uk |
| Bluewater | Antibes (Port Gallice) | ~£460 | €550 | ~$615 | bluewateryachting.com |
| Palma Powerboat Training | Palma (Molinar marina) | ~£460 | €550 | ~$615 | palmapowerboattraining.com |
| MPT | Fort Lauderdale | ask | ask | ask | mptusa.com |
Bold is the school's own price. The other currencies are approximate, converted at the interbank rate of about £1 = €1.20 = $1.34 (31 October 2026) and rounded to the nearest 5. MPT lists the course but shows no current price or dates online.
Your course fee normally covers the boat, fuel, lifejackets, the instructor and the certificate (Palma Powerboat Training spells this out). Waterproofs, travel and a bed usually cost extra, and some schools ask you to bring a passport photo for the certificate.
To be honest about the trade-off: the UK is cheapest, especially the weekend university courses. But if you're already dockwalking in Antibes or Palma, €550 on your doorstep can work out cheaper than flying home and paying for a bed.
Do yacht crew need RYA Powerboat Level 2?
If you're a deckhand, in practice yes. On most yachts, deck crew drive the tender: guest runs ashore, crew runs, provisioning, towing water toys. Deckhand job ads often list PB2 next to STCW and an ENG1, and a green deckhand without it is up against plenty who have it. Stews don't usually need it, though it's a useful extra on smaller boats, and the senior-stew GUEST Advanced Hospitality award asks for Powerboat Level 2 or similar.
Not every ad asks for PB2, but it's one of the cheapest ways to stand out for junior deckhand jobs. If you're still working out the role itself, our guide to deckhand jobs explains what the work involves, and breaking into the superyacht industry covers the bigger picture.
A yacht's RIB tender alongside in Rhodes: this is the boat a deckhand with PB2 ends up driving. Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What is a PB2 commercial endorsement?
Your PB2 certificate covers you for leisure use. Driving a boat for work, such as on commercially coded vessels, generally calls for a commercial endorsement (CE) on your certificate. You apply to the RYA for it. The RYA's commercial endorsement page lists what you need:
- Your original PB2 certificate
- The online Professional Practices and Responsibilities (PPR) course certificate (compulsory for new applicants)
- A sea survival certificate: RYA Basic Sea Survival or STCW Personal Survival Techniques
- A marine radio certificate: the RYA SRC (VHF) or another GMDSS certificate
- A medical: ML5, or an ENG1 if you'll skipper in category 1 or 0 waters
- A passport photo and the fee
You'll also need a valid first aid certificate. The RYA's first aid guidance accepts RYA First Aid, STCW Elementary First Aid or Sea Fish first aid. Training providers put the minimum age for a CE at 17.
There's good news if you already hold STCW Basic Safety Training: it includes Personal Survival Techniques and Elementary First Aid, so you're most of the way there. The CE lasts five years. To revalidate, you need 150 days of sea service in that period and a valid medical.
Can you do RYA Powerboat Level 2 with no experience?
Yes. RYA Powerboat Level 2 is built for complete beginners, and you don't need Level 1 first. The RYA minimum age is 12, but individual schools set their own rules. Bluewater in Antibes asks for 16+, and Powerboat Training UK sends under-16s without a parent to a separate children's course.
The main extra condition is language. Bluewater, for example, asks for enough spoken and written English to follow the course.
The hard part isn't the speed. It's the slow stuff: coming alongside a pontoon with wind pushing you off, or picking up a buoy with tide running. Expect to feel clumsy on day one. Everyone does, and that's what the second day is for.
Where can I do an RYA Powerboat Level 2 course near me?
In the UK, most RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses run around the Solent (Southampton, the Hamble, Cowes and Lymington) and Poole Harbour, and plenty of sailing clubs run a cheaper level 2 powerboat course for members. To find one, use the RYA's Where's my nearest search. For yacht crew, the sensible move is to book it where you'll be looking for work: Antibes, Palma or Fort Lauderdale.
RIBs at Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight, across the Solent from Southampton and the Hamble, where many PB2 schools are based. Photo: ITookSomePhotos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Many green crew stack it in the same fortnight as their other tickets. Antibes and Fort Lauderdale schools run STCW and PB2 back to back (see STCW courses in Antibes and STCW in Fort Lauderdale). Book the SRC radio course that same week if you can, because you'll need it for the commercial endorsement anyway.
Once you've got STCW, an ENG1 and PB2, make yourself easy to find. Crew can sign up free on Radius, check in at their port, and show up for captains looking for verified crew nearby. For what the job pays once you're hired, see our deckhand salary guide.
Is the RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate valid for life?
Yes. The RYA Powerboat Level 2 certificate doesn't expire. Two things built on it do:
- Commercial endorsement: valid for five years, then you revalidate (see above).
- ICC (International Certificate of Competence): the RYA describes PB2 as the basis of the ICC. Holding it lets you apply for an ICC for powerboats up to 10 m, the document many European countries ask leisure skippers to carry. Providers say the ICC lasts five years, you must be 16 to hold it, and you renew it by sending your PB2 certificate again. You only need the extra CEVNI test if you plan to drive on European inland waterways.
If you haven't driven a boat in a few years, the certificate is still valid but your skills won't be. Ask the bosun for practice runs before you take guests.
RYA Powerboat Level 2 FAQs
How long is the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course?
Two days, usually 9am to 5pm, mostly on the water.
Do I need Powerboat Level 1 first?
No. Level 2 starts from zero, and Level 1 is mainly a taster for younger or casual boaters.
Can I drive a superyacht tender with just PB2?
PB2 is the usual starting point, but your captain decides who drives what. Bigger tenders and guest runs at night may call for the RYA Tender Operator or Powerboat Advanced course, and the longer deck path leads to Yachtmaster.
Should I do STCW or PB2 first?
STCW first. It's mandatory to work on a yacht at all, and it covers the sea survival and first aid you'll need for a commercial endorsement.
Is RYA Powerboat Level 2 the same as an ICC?
No. RYA Powerboat Level 2 is the training certificate; the ICC is a separate document you apply to the RYA for using your PB2.