Total Results:
Customer Reviews
Powerboat Level 2
Shamrock Quay
Bryan delivered the course syllabus , plus extra information, in a relaxed style that made the days enjoyable and easy to understand. Everything was close to hand and the boat was in great condition and running perfectly.
04/08/2026
Marina Skills
Shamrock Quay
First class course yesterday with instructor Matt. What a knowledgable and experienced lead with a really engaging, pleasant, calm and supportive style. Started with brief safety and needs/expectations discussion with 4 students. General theme certainly for me of wanting to build confidence in berthing boat, moving in confined spaces and leaving/approaching pontoons. Delivered brilliantly by 1630! Discussed wind and current effects and calmly learnt and refreshed skills. I’m going to make it an annual course and would not hesitate to re book with SBT (this first time) and with Matt. Everything was spot on including high quality boat and logistics.
04/08/2026
VHF / SRC Radio & Powerboat Level 2
Switzerland
What an absolute pleasure it was to spend a few days with the team at Solent Boat Training! We completed the one-day VHF/SRC Radio Course with Sean, followed by the two-day Powerboat Level 2 course with Alex. From start to finish, their professionalism was outstanding, while still creating a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that made learning genuinely enjoyable. Both Sean and Alex struck the perfect balance between being educational, approachable and fun. They made sure everyone learned at a comfortable pace, understood the important details, and built confidence every step of the way. It never felt rushed or overwhelming—just engaging, informative and full of encouragement. After finding SBT through our own research and social media, we booked with high hopes, and they absolutely delivered. A huge thank you to the whole team. It was also great meeting the other students along the way. We're delighted to have passed both courses and are already looking forward to coming back for more training in the future. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Solent Boat Training to anyone looking for high-quality instruction delivered with professionalism, enthusiasm and a great sense of fun. Thank you again! **Steve & Jessie** Switzerland
03/08/2026
2 day mile builder
Epsom
We approached this adventure as a very inexperienced day skipper and two teenagers and regular dinghy sailors. From the moment we entered SBT everyone we met were friendly enthusiastic and helpful. We then met Tim our skipper who was all of the above and more. He found out what our expectations were and went the extra mile to meet them. My boys and I could not be happier with our experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend SBT to anyone. We will definitely be booking again. Thank you.
29/07/2026
Competent Crew
Shamrock Quay
Wow! 5 Day Competent Crew course with Doug. Grouped together with two Day Skipper candidates the learning was immense. I had a slight apprehension beforehand, having had no previous sailing experience, but needn't have been concerned. Doug took us through our paces and got us all working as a crew immediately. 5 Days sailing, 4 marina stop-overs, a night sail, anchoring skills, safety drills under sail and motor, navigation skills, variable conditions (both sea state and wind) and 110 nautical miles with lots of helming opportunity! I can't recommend this course enough, even if you just fancy an activity week on the Solent, the whole experience was incredible. Within 4 days of returning from the course we had the sails up on our old restored Westerly for the first time, and enjoyed a little evening sail in Poole Bay. An absolute gift, I can't thank Solent Boats and the team enough. Doug is a legend!
28/07/2026
Day Skipper Practical
Leamington Spa
An excellent sailing school. I have undertaken various training with them, including VHF radio and Day Skipper. The whole team are fantastic, really helpful and supportive, friendly and approachable. The instructors are amazing! My instructor this time was Iain Milne, an excellent sailor and instructor with a wealth of information, very supportive and always happy to answer any questions. SBT are excellent. I can't recommend them enough!
27/07/2026
SBT Yacht Sail Trim & Sailing Skills
Shamrock Quay
It was an amazing training with Tim on board 'Hope' We learned so much and enjoyed the experience. I will definitely be back for more sailing courses with Solent Boat Training.
22/07/2026
Start Yachting
Winchester
We are just back from a brilliant 2 days on the water! My son (12) and I completed the RYA start yachting course on board 'Hope' with Tim. Huge thanks to Tim, who was fantastic from start to finish - a calming presence on board and hugely knowledgeable. Tim put us at ease straight away and was friendly and welcoming - we felt in very safe hands and have come away with much enthusiasm for sailing and increased confidence on the water. As for 'Hope', she was clean and well maintained and a delight to be onboard. We look forward to putting our newly gained knowledge into practice on our upcoming sailing trip to Cornwall and will be back to complete our Competent Crew (hopefully with Tim!)
21/07/2026
RYA First Aid at Sea (Trainer - Sean)
Southampton
A worthwhile day and I would recommend for everyone that takes to the water on any vessel. Sean is a knowledgeable trainer who mixed up verbal information with practical 'hands-on' skills. The pace of content was good, everyone was included and he created a friendly environment whereby questions and discussion was free flowing. I feel much more confident to cope should it be necessary.
15/07/2026
Powerboat Level 2
Southampton
I took the RYA Powerboat Level 2 course by Solent Boat Training last week and it was a great learning experience! The structure of the course was comprehensive, hands on with lots of boat time and great fun! Very enjoyable and I would recommend this provider to anyone looking at doing this course. ????
13/07/2026
Day skipper
Shamrock Quay
Russell is a friendly, knowledgeable instructor who created a safe learning environment throughout the course. I learnt a lot over the week and really enjoyed the experience. Thank you.
11/07/2026
Day Skipper with Tim Pentall
Solent
Tim was a great tutor - knowledgeable, approachable, calm and patient. He got the balance right between instruction and enthusiasm/humour - I learnt a lot and had a good time.
10/07/2026
Competent crew
The solent
Had an absolutely amazing time with Tim Pentall, I'd heavily reccomend him as an instructor and really reccomend the competent crew course. Its an amazing first course to help get you into the world of yachting and has inspired me to do more big boat sailing!
10/07/2026
Day Skipper Practical
Solent
Just completed my RYA Day Skipper Practical course with Solent Boat Training, and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. The entire five days exceeded my expectations from start to finish. The Instructor (Tim Pentall): Tim was absolutely phenomenal. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge but delivers it with a calm, patient, and highly reassuring approach. He knows exactly how to build your confidence, letting you take the reins and learn from hands-on experience while ensuring everyone on board feels completely safe. His great sense of humor made intense days of pilotage and close-quarters boat handling genuinely fun. The Boat: The yacht provided was excellent—well-maintained, clean, comfortable, and perfectly set up for training. Everything worked exactly as it should, making the practical learning seamless and comfortable to live aboard. The Experience: Sailing the Solent is a masterclass in navigation, tides, and traffic, making it the perfect training ground. We got to experience a fantastic variety of conditions, night sailing, and harbor entries that brought the theory to life. If you're looking to take your Day Skipper, book with SBT and look for Tim. A truly brilliant week on the water!
10/07/2026
Competent Crew
Solent
Have had the most fantastic time and learnt an extraordinary amount on the Competent Crew course thanks to our calm, friendly and extremely knowledgeable instructor Tim Pentall. He made an intense amount of education still feel like a glorious holiday. Would highly recommend, and can’t wait to do my Day Skipper next!
10/07/2026
PB2
Carver
Great course for PB2. Sean was very knowledgable and patient with us. Small class size meant we all had lots of hands on experience. Cant fault them!
09/07/2026
Powerboat Intermediate
Solent Boat Training
We had an amazing and interesting 2 days during the Powerboat Intermediate course. We learnt about essential things such as the effect of wind and current, we also got to plan our route which we then followed the following day. The instructors were passionate and very helpful. It was an amazing experience that I would highly suggest to anyone.
07/07/2026
Power Boat Level 2
I thought is was a great course! Neil had so much knowledge and I feel confident going out on the water after competing PB2. I would highly recommend for everyone.
07/07/2026
Powerboat level 2
Shamrock Quay
Can’t recommend highly enough. You are in safe hands, with great equipment. The course layers in the skills so you come out feeling confident having practiced what you need to do. They build a mindset to think about wind, tide and other boats so you are always planning ahead and being thoughtful about the crew in your charge and other boats. If you think you know everything, that PB2 is box ticking, you’ll be humbled and will learn a lot!
06/07/2026
PB2
Solent Boat Training -RYA Training Centre – Southampton
Can't fault this course and Kieran our instructor. Great boats and equipment. Really professional but also fun. I'd forgotten to get a photo done beforehand but it turned out to not be a problem as they can do it for £5. 100% recommend.
06/07/2026
RYA Day Skipper Motor/Motorboat RYA Helmsman
Solent Boat Training -RYA Training Centre – Southampton
Solent Boat Training is Highly professional, safe, and informative! Three of us recently completed RYA Day Skipper Motorboat RYA course and one Helmsman with Solent Boat Training and we couldn't be happier with the experience on Southampton Water. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and focused on safety, which gave us a massive confidence boost on the water. The equipment and facilities were top-notch (Rodman 1040 Motorboat) and the hands-on experience in the Solent was invaluable. Whether you are a complete beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, we would highly recommend them. We converted to the ICC (International Certificate of Competence) for use abroad. We all agree Best money spent, thanks to all at Solent training centre, they go the extra mile & have genuine interest in what they do so I would give Five stars! Well done ????
05/07/2026
Powerboat Level2
Shamrock Quay
Great course, expertly delivered by Bryan. Started the course feeling unsure about everything..ended it feeling calm and confident about taking a boat out with friends and family. Bryan was patient and good at explaining how to handle the boat out on the open water and in a marina. And we had a lot of fun! Boat and other equipment was 1st Class. Highly recommend.
03/07/2026
Power Boat Training 2
Shamrock Quay
Excellent 2 day course run by Alex. My son and I thoroughly enjoyed this - there was a good balance of classroom theory and practical teaching out on the water. There is so more to driving a powerboat than just driving it I wouldn’t recommend anyone going out without it. Alex was very thorough but he also made it fun and now we feel confident to take our own boat out.
30/06/2026
Day Skipper Practical
Solent
I had an amazing time on the Solent learning new skills. Our instructor, Mark, enabled all of us to reach our goals. He used the weather and the environment to full advantage creating opportunities to learn and consolidate the course content. Best of all it was great fun.
30/06/2026
SBT Outboard Engine Course
Shamrock Quay
This was a seriously good course! Sean explained how 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines worked in great detail and with added humour. No question was too stupid and was answered in depth, even when we raised specific problems with our own personal engines. I took a huge amount of knowledge away with me from this course and feel confident that I can now tackle some minor repairs and full servicing. The afternoons practical session involved looking at the engines we had learnt about, taking various components out of the engines and rebuilding them which was great, and there was a good variety of different engines to get to grip with. Thanks SBT and Sean for a great day!
29/06/2026
