USPS®'s Public Course
America's Boating Course - 3rd Edition is the latest public boating course offered by USPS to the general boating community. You may be familiar with our prior courses such as The Squadron Boating Course, Boat Smart, the original America's Boating Course, or Chart Smart.
America's
Boating Course - 3rd Edition is all new with a completely updated
manual, outstanding graphics, and two bonus CDs. The course manual is
divided into five chapters. The first four cover the required topics
that all recreational boaters must know. In addition to the rules of the
road, the four chapters cover the various types of boats, required
safety equipment, navigation aids, lights and sounds, anchoring,
communications afloat, adverse conditions, water sports safety,
trailering, personal water craft safety, and knots and lines. The fifth
chapter provides an introduction to digital charts and GPS waypoint
navigation, a key skill for boating on larger lakes and rivers and
coastal waters. This optional fifth chapter provides the background for
more advanced piloting courses.