What boating licence should I take for RIBs ?
Depending on the environment in which you want to use your semi-rigid inflatable boat, you'll need to choose which boating licence to take.
In fact, just as with car licences, there are distinctions between boat licences in France. How to choose the right one for the use of your RIB? Orca Retail enlightens you!
Do you need a boating licence to drive a RIB ?
Not necessarily! In fact, it is possible to sail in France on any type of craft without a licence, as long as it is less than 6 HP (i.e. 4.5 KW), enabling speeds of around 12 Km/h to be reached. However, as you will realise, this is only possible for the smallest inflatable boats, and you will soon need a licence if you want to sail a standard RIB. This also means, for example, that jet-ski owners need a permit.
Note that the fine for driving a motorboat of more than 6 hp without a licence is €1,500.
What are the different types of semi-rigid boat licences?
The coastal licence
What is a coastal licence?
As the name suggests, a coastal licence gives you the right to sail close to land, but to what extent exactly?
The distance you can sail with a coastal licence is 6 nautical miles, or 11.11 kilometres. This makes it possible, for example, to get to small islands close to the coast, such as reaching belle île at sea from Quiberon. But it's not enough if you want to travel to the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) from the French coast. So it's important to study the geography of the area in which you want to sail your RIB carefully, so as to choose the right type of licence! Note that this distance applies whether you're on an enclosed stretch of water, a lake or at sea, but not on canals and rivers, but we'll come back to that later.
The coastal licence has the following advantages :
- Accessible from the age of 16
- Navigation by day or night
- Navigation on boats of all sizes and power
How much does a coastal licence cost?
The price of a coastal licence is around €350, plus €108 in tax stamps.
What are the pre-requisites for the coastal licence?
To qualify for a coastal licence, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an approved training center, then complete the cerfa n° 14681 application form. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your ID.
What does the coastal licence exam consist of?
The examination is carried out in two stages. First of all, you need to pass the theory test. It consists of a 30-question questionnaire. A maximum of 5 errors is allowed to obtain the coastal licence. The results of this test are valid for 18 months.
Then comes the technical exam, in situ, lasting a minimum of 3.5 hours. The examiner will examine the following in real-life conditions :
- Rescuing a man overboard
- Manoeuvring the boat, inside or outside the harbour, forwards or astern (starting, following a course, stopping, dropping anchor ...)
- Knowledge of navigational buoyage and signals
- Use of means of communication on board
The deep-sea licence
What is a deep-sea licence?
It's quite simple! A deep-sea licence allows you to sail on the high seas and therefore, unlike a coastal licence, to go beyond 6 nautical miles from the coast.
The offshore licence is actually an extension of the coastal licence: indeed, the latter is required to pass the offshore licence exam. Like the coastal licence, the deep-sea licence allows you to sail day and night, on boats of all sizes and all powers. Offshore licences are also available from the age of 16.
What are the prerequisites for a deep-sea licence?
To qualify for a deep-sea licence, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an approved training center, and then complete the cerfa n° 14681 application form. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your ID.
How much does an offshore licence cost?
The price of a deep-sea licence alone (without lessons) is around €300, plus €38 in tax stamps. Don't forget to buy the equipment you need to pass your licence: compass, chart, ruler, pencil and eraser.
What does the deep-sea licence exam consist of?
The huge advantage of the deep-sea licence, and the reason why it's cheaper than the coastal licence, is that it doesn't involve a technical test!
In fact, it seems a given that you already know how to manoeuvre your boat following the coastal licence. This is why the deep-sea licence only includes a theory test, during which the following points will be assessed :
- Chart reading
- Preparing for navigation, according to winds, currents, etc.
- Recognition of headlights
- Navigation equipment awareness
- Tidal and weather knowledge
- Security
The inland waterways boating licence
What is an inland waters boating licence ?
Or rather, what is considered to be "inland waters"? In France, inland waters are made up of canals, rivers, and lakes.
This licence therefore allows sailing in semi-rigid boats in freshwater with models of more than 6 horsepower not exceeding more than 20 metres in length, which is well above the norm when it comes to inflatable boats. For boats over 20 metres in length, you will need to take out an extension to your licence, the grande plaisance eaux intérieures licence, which is available from the age of 18. Given the nature of RIB boats and their limited size, we will not be covering this particular licence in this article.
The inland waters boating licence is independent of the coastal and deep-sea licences. If you want to sail on the sea as well as inland, you will need to obtain several permits.
What are the pre-requisites for an inland water boating licence?
To qualify for an inland waterway boating licence, you must be declared fit by a doctor, join an approved training center, and then complete the cerfa n° 14681 application form. You will also need a passport photo and a photocopy of your ID.
How much does an inland water boating licence cost?
For this licence, you will need to take a course costing around €450, plus €108 in tax stamps. However, if you already have a coastal or deep-sea licence, not only is the training no longer compulsory, but the cost of the tax stamp increases to €38!
It is therefore very interesting to take your inland waterways boating licence once your sea licences are in your pocket!
What does the inland water boating licence test consist of?
As the inland waterway boating licence can be taken without the granting of other boat licences, it provides for a theory test AND a technical test.
Concerning the theory test, this is again a multiple-choice questionnaire, for which you have 30 seconds per answer.
With regard to the technical examination, its special feature is that it takes place throughout your training. Your skills are assessed progressively by your instructor. The points to be studied are the same as for other licences: environment, navigation rules, signals (sound, lights, beacons, etc.), equipment, engine, safety rules.
Sailing in international waters in a RIB: French boat licences abroad
You now have the right licences to sail wherever you want in France. However, be aware that if you want to sail abroad, additional steps are required. You cannot travel to Italy, Spain, the UK or elsewhere from France to use your Zodiac without special authorisation.
To travel in international waters, you will need to obtain the CRR, Certificat Restreint de Radiotéléphonie. You will always be asked for this certificate when you go abroad to use your boat or hire one.
The CRR exam is similar to the driving licence code. This is a multiple-choice questionnaire based on the syllabus in the maritime preparation manual. The Agence Nationale des Fréquences organizes and conducts the examinations.
Find more information on the subject on the ANF website.
Learn more about the boating licence
- Just like your car licence, your boating licence can be withdrawn or suspended (drink-driving, speeding, failure to comply with regulations etc.). If your licence is withdrawn, you will have to wait 3 years to take it again! So there's no joking about it.
- To prepare for the various boating licence exams, you can study the Vagnon and/or Rousseau codes. These include a Code section and a Test section to help you practise.
You know all about which boating licence to choose for your RIB! Good luck to you !
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