No Boat Licence Required

Level of Experience Required

Any experience you have with boating will assist you, but it is not essential to have prior experience to charter a boat with Riviera Nautic.

Riviera Nautic has been introducing people to boating for over 30 years – people who have the spirit to explore and attain new skills, but have not necessarily stepped foot on a boat before.

The briefing you receive at the start of your holiday will make you feel confident in handling the boat – and we’re always just a radio-call away during your holiday.

Hiring a motor cruiser is a great option if you have limited experience.

For the yachts, however, if you do not have prior experience you will need to spend some time after your briefing with one of our sailing masters. Learning to sail as part of your holiday is a great way to gain real skills. We will spend time with you at the start of your holiday to teach you the basics. Then you’re free to keep practicing at your own pace. And you learn quickly because you’re in charge (and we’re always just a radio call away for more advice).

There’s nowhere in the world that matches the Lakes as an ideal place to learn to sail. Sailing lessons are good value, and usually 2-3 hours with our sailing master is sufficient to get you started.

You Don’t Need a Boating Licence

Although all of our boats would require operators to be licenced if owned privately, you will not need a licence to charter most of our boats. This is because commercial boating operates under very different legislation to private boating.

Riviera Nautic has worked with the Australian Safety Maritime Authority (AMSA) to develop systems and procedures enabling us to get you out on the water without a licence. This includes a comprehensive briefing to ensure you are well trained to handle the boat, and we provide plenty of backup support when required, including on-water response.

Every guest, regardless of experience level, receives our detailed boat briefing. This briefing covers all aspects of navigation, safety, boat systems and boat handling. By completing this briefing we can sign you off as complying with the legislation – enabling you to charter the boat without a licence!

The only exception is our high speed day boat which you are required to have a current boat license and prior boating experience to hire.