About Us
Boating safety, taught the way people actually learn.
The American Boating Foundation is an online boater education provider. We build state-approved courses that turn boating law into something an operator can remember at the helm — not just answer on a test.
Our Mission
High-quality training that actively advances the safety and education of boat operators.
Most boating incidents are not caused by bad luck. They come from a decision made minutes earlier — a life jacket left in the locker, a fuel fill without a blower, a channel crossed at speed. Education changes those decisions.
We exist to make that education easy to reach. Our course is online, self-paced, and written for real operators: the parent taking a pontoon out for the first time, the teenager who needs a certificate before summer, the retiree moving up from a kayak to an outboard.
Every course we publish is built against the boating law of the state it serves and submitted for that state's approval before a single student enrolls. See how our approvals work.
Who it's for
Every kind of vessel
Motorboats, sailboats, paddle craft, and personal watercraft — the fundamentals of right-of-way, equipment, and emergency response apply to all of them.
How it works
Learn on any device
Start on a phone, finish on a laptop. Your progress saves as you go, and your certificate is issued the moment you pass.
What We Believe
Four principles behind every course we publish.
01
Law first
Course content is written from the statutes and agency rules of the state, not from generic boating trivia.
02
Plain language
If a rule can't be explained in a sentence a boater would repeat to a friend, it isn't finished.
03
No busywork
We don't pad seat time. You move at your pace and you're done when you've demonstrated you know the material.
04
Real support
A person answers your email. Sal, our on-site assistant, handles the rest, day or night.
By The Numbers
Why this work matters.
Most
U.S. states now require boater education for at least some operators, based on year of birth or vessel type.
Life jackets
Remain the single most effective piece of safety equipment on any recreational vessel.
Once
A boater education certificate is earned once and, in most states, is valid for life.
Requirements differ by state and change over time. Always confirm the current rule with your state boating agency — each of our state pages links directly to it.
Recognition
Approved where it counts.
Our courses carry the approvals that matter to the officer standing on your gunwale: state agency approval, the national education standard, and U.S. Coast Guard recognition of that standard.
Get In Touch
Questions before you enroll?
Email support@americanboatingfoundation.com and a real person will answer. For anything about your certificate, include the email address you enrolled with.
Members of the media should use our press and media page.