America's Boating Course® - 3rd Edition

America's Boating Course - 3rd Edition is the latest public boating course offered by USPS to the general boating community. This is an all new course 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.

ABC is an eight-hour course, given in several sessions. 

At the end of the last class, there will be multiple choice test on the covered material. There is no charge for the instruction. The only expense to you is the cost of materials and expenses.  Upon successful completion of the test, a certificate and card are presented.

The course is presented by the Susquenango Power Squadron, a local not for profit boating organization. 

The course is open to anyone 10 years of age or older.  Young students must be accompanied by an adult.

USPS believes that the more educated a boater becomes, the more likely that boater will be a safe boater.  America's Boating Course^® is the beginning of a boating education.   USPS encourages students to follow this brief and basic course with additional boating education such as the courses offered to members of the United States Power Squadrons.  Your instructor can also give you information about these advanced courses.

Susquenango Sail & Power Squadron  invites you to take the upcoming boating course.

Register online below for each person or print the registration form.

!!! To Receive Your Certificate, You Must Attend All Sessions!!!

Cost is $50 per person including materials and the exam. You may share the material for one family member but you will be required to pay an additional $15 each for the exam.  

  You must call the instructor Les Smith at 607-797-7391 or complete the online registration for each person to pre-register and to save a seat in the class.

Online Registration(click here)

We respect your privacy.  This information and email address will not be used for any purpose other than for your Safety Certificate and to contact you about this class only. 

A registration form is available for your convenience if you do not wish to register now.  Print the form(s) (one for each person) and bring it to the first class. Please call 607-797-7391 to reserve a seat in the class.

Registration Form  (use only if you cannot register online)

Brianna’s Law went into effect 1 January 2020 and will be fully implemented on 1 January 2025. The law requires that every operator of “mechanically propelled” boats success-fully complete an approved boater safety course by 2025. It depends on when you were born to determine if you need the certification starting in 2020.
Here’s the schedule of when certification is required: In 2020 if you were born after 1 January 1993: In 2022 if you were born after 1January 1988: In 2023 you were born be-fore 1January 1983: In 2024 if you were born before 1 Jan-uary, 1975: Finally, in 2025 EVERYONE will need it.
The USPS Safe Boating Course (ABC) meets the require-ments and is an approved course

In New York, you must attend a classroom course and hold a safety certificate for:
· Personal Watercraft (PWC)—minimum age to operate a PWC is 14; regardless of age, a safety certificate is required.
· Motorboats—New Law Effective May 1st 2014: all individuals born on or after 5/1/96 are now required to successfully complete an approved course in boater education in order to operate a motorboat.
· Motorboats—Children under the age of 10 may not operate a motorboat unless a person born before 5/1/96, or a person with a boating certificate born after 5/1/96, is on board. Children 10 years of age or older must successfully complete an approved boating course to operate a motorboat alone.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive a NYS approved Boating Safety Certificate to operate recreational boats, including personal watercraft.
(Mandatory for all PWC operators regardless of age)