Learn to handle your boat with confidence on the Columbia
On-water boat handling instruction in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco) with Cap'n Guy Morgan, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed 100-ton Master and National Safe Boating Council certified instructor.
Opens an email to [email protected] with the subject filled in. No dates or prices are set yet; you'll hear first when they are.
Planned for the 2027 season
NSBC Boat Control On-Water Training
The National Safe Boating Council's on-water course for recreational boaters: docking and maneuvering in close quarters, then open-water boat handling. Its four modules are Introduction to Powerboating, Precision Docking and Boat Handling, Open Water Boat Handling, and Open Water Advanced Maneuvers. NSBC says each module runs about 3 hours, and students who demonstrate the skills earn a certificate of completion (it isn't a license).
Source: NSBC course page
Small groups
No more than four students per instructor, following the 1:4 ratio in NSBC's Instructor Policy Manual, so everyone gets real time at the helm.
Your boat, or a small one
Lessons are planned aboard your own boat, so you learn the boat you'll actually drive, or aboard a small powerboat. NSBC's preferred training boat for this course is a center console under 26 feet.
Before your first lesson
- NSBC requires students to complete a NASBLA-approved boating safety course first and to meet the state's legal requirements (NSBC).
- In Washington, that usually means the Washington Boater Education Card if you're 12 or older, born after Jan. 1, 1955, and running a motor of 15 hp or more. Washington State Parks lists state-approved online courses and the card requirements.
- Read the Columbia River locks, barges and shipping channel playbook on Columbia River Guide: McNary and Ice Harbor locks, sharing the river with tows, and the radio channels that matter.
Thinking about a captain's license?
If you want to carry paying passengers, you need a U.S. Coast Guard credential: an OUPV ("six-pack") license or a Master license. The Coast Guard's National Maritime Center issues them. Cap'n Guy holds a 100-ton Master license and is happy to talk through which license fits your plans and how to prepare. A page comparing license-prep course options is coming.
Get on the list
Dates, prices and booking will be announced to the interest list first, ahead of the 2027 season.
Or email [email protected] with the subject "Interest list: Tri-Cities Boating School 2027".