What is the cost of Squadron Boating Course (SBC) and America’s Boating Course (ABC)?

 

The cost of the ABC class is $45.00 for materials.  If a family member (spouse, or child) is interested in taking the class at the same time and you are willing to share materials, we will charge only $10.00 for the additional family member.

 

 

Between SBC and ABC which one - if any - has more hands on boat operation training?

 

A quick answer is that we do not provide any “hands-on” training, as these courses are all academic and offered only in a classroom setting.  However, it must be pointed out that both classes offer basic academic instruction on boat handling operations.  The SBC course includes 2 hours of intensive instruction on boat handling and adverse conditions and is one of the highlights of this series.

 

 

How much do SBC and ABC overlap or compliment each other? In other words would I benefit by taking both SBC and ABC? Can I take them at the same time, i.e. are there any restrictions on that?

 

There is considerable overlap between these two courses as both were designed to be introductory boating safety courses and therefore must cover all of the basic boating safety issues required.  The difference between the two course offerings is that the SBC course was designed to introduce new boaters to the issues and needs of boating on waters such as Puget Sound, whereas the ABC course was designed to introduce new boaters to the issues and needs of boaters on inland lakes such as Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish.

 

Both courses are great introductory courses, and boaters would be encouraged to determine which class best fits their needs and simply take that class.  There would be no need to take one of these classes and then follow that with the other.

 

 

Is it possible to miss one or two classes of the SBC series and still complete the course?

 

The simple answer to this question is a solid “yes!”  The better answer is that we strongly encourage you to attend every class, but we also know that schedules just don’t allow perfect attendance.  In the SBC course we bring in a number of different instructors who are well qualified in the segments that they teach so we find that missing a night or two of class really deprives the student of much valuable information that is not contained in the text.  The textbook contains all of the information required to pass the final exam, but you will miss out on some great learning opportunities by not attending a class or two.

 

If you cannot make it to a particular class, you are more than welcome to rejoin us for the next series for any particular class that you would like to make up – although this is not required, and you may have already passed the final test.