Which boat license should be obtained for RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats)?
Depending on the environment in which you wish to use your semi-rigid inflatable boat, you will need to choose which boat license to obtain.
Indeed, just like car licenses, there are distinctions between boat licenses in France. How to choose the right one for using your semi-rigid boat? Orca Retail enlightens you!
Do you need a boat license to drive a semi-rigid boat?
Not necessarily! Indeed, it is possible to navigate in France on any type of vessel without a license, as long as it is less than 6 HP (or 4.5 KW), which allows speeds of about 12 Km/h. However, as you can imagine, this is only possible for the smallest inflatable boats, and you will quickly need a license if you wish to navigate with a standard semi-rigid boat. This also means, for example, that a license is necessary for jet ski owners.
Note that the fine for operating a motorboat over 6 HP without a license is 1,500 €.
What are the different types of licenses for semi-rigid boats?
The coastal license
What is a coastal license?
As its name suggests, the coastal license entitles you to navigate near the mainland, but to what extent exactly?
The distance you can navigate with a coastal license is 6 nautical miles, or 11.11 kilometers. This allows, for example, to reach small islands near the coast, such as reaching Belle Île en Mer from Quiberon. However, it is too little if you want to reach the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) from the French coast. It is therefore important to study the geography of the area in which you wish to navigate with your semi-rigid boat to choose the right type of license! Note that this distance applies whether on a closed body of water, a lake, or at sea, but not on canals and rivers, which we will discuss later.
The coastal license has the following advantages:
- Accessible from 16 years old
- Navigation day and night
- Navigation on boats of all sizes and powers
How much does a coastal license cost?
The price of a coastal license is approximately 350 euros, plus 108 euros in tax stamps.
What are the prerequisites for the coastal license?
To qualify for a coastal license, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an accredited training center, and complete the form cerfa n° 14681 for registration. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your ID.
What does the coastal license exam consist of?
The exam is conducted in two stages. First, you will need to take the theoretical exam. This consists of a questionnaire with 30 questions. A maximum of 5 errors is allowed to obtain the coastal license. The results of this exam are valid for 18 months.
Next comes the technical exam, in a practical setting, lasting a minimum of 3 hours and 30 minutes. The examiner will assess the following points in real conditions:
- Rescue of a man overboard
- Boat maneuvering, inside or outside the port, moving forward or backward (starting, following a trajectory, stopping, anchoring, etc.)
- Knowledge of navigation buoys and signals
- Use of communication devices on board
The offshore license
What is an offshore license?
It's quite simple! An offshore license allows you to navigate on the high seas, and thus, unlike the coastal license, to go beyond 6 nautical miles from the coast.
The offshore license is actually an extension of the coastal license: indeed, the latter is required to take the offshore license exam. Just like the coastal license, with the offshore license you can navigate day or night, on all sizes of boats, of all powers. The offshore license is also available from the age of 16.
What are the prerequisites for the offshore license?
To apply for an offshore license, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an accredited training center, and then complete the form cerfa no. 14681 for the registration request. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your ID.
How much does an offshore license cost?
The price of an offshore license alone (without lessons) is about 300 euros, plus 38 euros in tax stamps. Also, consider acquiring essential materials for the license exam: compass, nautical chart, cras ruler, pencil, and eraser.
What does the offshore license exam consist of?
The huge advantage of the offshore license, and the reason why it is cheaper than the coastal license, is that it does not include a technical test!
Indeed, it is assumed that you already know how to maneuver your boat after obtaining the coastal license. That’s why the offshore license only includes a theoretical test, during which the following points will be evaluated:
- Reading a nautical chart
- Preparation for navigation, according to winds, currents, etc.
- Recognition of lighthouses
- Recognition of navigation equipment
- Knowledge of tides and weather
- Safety
The inland waters pleasure boating license
What is an inland waters pleasure boating license?
Or rather, what is considered as "inland waters"? In France, inland waters consist of canals, rivers, and lakes.
This license therefore allows you to navigate in a semi-rigid boat in fresh water with models of more than 6 horsepower not exceeding more than 20 meters in length, which is well above the standard for inflatable boats. For vessels over 20 meters, you will need to obtain an extension, the large pleasure craft inland waters license, available from 18 years old. Given the nature of semi-rigid boats and their limited size, we will not discuss this particular license in this article.
The inland waters pleasure craft license is independent of the coastal and offshore licenses. If you want to navigate on the sea as well as inland, you will need to obtain several licenses.
What are the prerequisites for the inland waters pleasure craft license?
To be eligible for an inland waters pleasure craft license, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an accredited training center, and then complete the form cerfa n° 14681 for registration. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your identity document.
How much does an inland waters pleasure craft license cost?
For this license, you will need to undergo training costing around 450 euros, plus 108 € in fiscal stamps. However, if you already have the coastal or offshore license, not only is the training no longer mandatory, but the cost of the fiscal stamp drops to 38 €!
It is therefore very advantageous to obtain your inland waters pleasure craft license once you have your sea licenses in hand!
What does the inland waters pleasure craft license exam consist of?
As the inland waters pleasure craft license can be obtained without other boat licenses, it includes a theoretical exam AND a technical exam.
Regarding the theoretical exam, it is again a multiple-choice questionnaire, for which you have 30 seconds per answer.
Regarding the technical exam, its particularity is that it takes place throughout your training. Your skills are progressively evaluated by your instructor. The points to be studied are the same as for other licenses: environment, navigation rules, signals (sound, lights, buoys...), equipment, engine, safety rules.
Navigating in international waters in a semi-rigid boat: French boat licenses abroad
You are now holders of the right licenses to navigate wherever you wish in France. However, be aware that if you want to navigate abroad, additional steps are required. You cannot indeed go to Italy, Spain, England, or elsewhere from France to use your Zodiac without special authorization.
To go into international waters, you will need to obtain the CRR, Restricted Radiotelephone Certificate This certificate will systematically be required abroad to use your boat or rent one.
The CRR exam is similar to the driving license code. It is a multiple-choice questionnaire based on the maritime preparation manual program. The National Frequency Agency organizes and administers the exams.
Find more information on the subject on the ANF website.
Learn more about the boat license
- Just like the car license, your boat license can be revoked or suspended (driving under the influence, speeding, non-compliance with regulations, etc.). If your license is revoked, you will have to wait 3 years to retake it! So, no joking around with this.
- To prepare for the various boat license exams, you can study the Vagnon and / or Rousseau codes. These offer a Code section and a Test section for practice.
You know everything about which boat license to choose for your RIB! Good luck to you!
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Requests: inflatable boat license, Zodiac boat license, RIB boat license.
