I've had two experiences with Boat Safe America this year and both have been excellent. In January, I did the two day boater safety course and was very impressed with both my before-and-after confidence with boating and also with how much I enjoyed the course. It reminded me a lot of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's basic rider course, in that it's combination of classroom and hands-on, and also transformational and super fun. More recently, I asked Boat Safe America if they would be willing to do something a bit different from their normal courses. A couple of times a year, I take my team of employees (I work for a well-known tech company in SF) out for fun activities. Previously we've done stuff like an all-day picnic on Angel Island, a trip down to Half Moon Bay, etc. I wanted to do a trip that would include some opportunities for learning and team-building, but would still be fun for anyone that didn't want to do any of that. Ryan (the captain) and I discussed what I was aiming for and he totally got it. He came up with a plan that was a total success. We ended up doing a bit more than a half day trip with seven of us, on his boat. It was effectively a combination of a beautiful tour of spots around the bay and optional boat exercises mixed in between. It was great! Everyone wanted to participate in the activities, which were often designed as a group (example: as we're arriving to our next place, work together to dock the boat and tie up). When they were solo exercises, they were short and fun and everyone took a turn! This was particularly surprising as they're wasn't a lot of previous boating experience on the team (one person had literally never been on a boat). I really appreciated that the exercises were targeted for people who just sometimes go on friends' boats and now can be more helpful / safer than they were previously. Ryan had clearly put a lot of thought into the whole thing. He was a great host, very inclusive, and I could tell he was trying to make sure everyone felt comfortable and was enjoying themselves. The team absolutely loved the trip. I recommend this business very highly. read more

I organize the Junior Sailing program at South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco. I needed to find a NASBLA certification course and a California Boater Card course for my daughter who was taking her US Sailing Level I Instructor course early 2018. I found Boat Safe America on Google. I was a bit disappointed that there were courses available in Suisun or Discovery Bay. I really didn't want to get up early and drive one hour to get to those locations. I noticed that the company did private lessons so I decided to give BSA a call to see if a private course could be done here in San Francisco. I talked to Ryan and he said he would make the course available if I had 6 people to take the course. I ended up registering myself and my two daughters. Then three of my Jr. Sailors and one dad decided to take the course also. I was a bit skeptical in taking the course as I felt confident in working the club RIB. When I finally took the course with everyone, I was surprised to learn there were still some things I didn't know, and I had a good refresher to get rid of some bad habits I didn't know I had. Bonus was I had a great weekend with my girls and my Junior Sailing family. We were very entertained by Ryan's style of teaching. I have so many great memories with my girls over that weekend. I have to say that I was impressed with Ryan and his course. I ended up having him make his course available out of South Beach Yacht Club so that our members can get certified for the new California Boater Card that came out January 1, 2018. He's run three sessions so far (with more to come) and everyone has been impressed with Ryan's professional yet fun personality. He's now certified 8 of my Jr. Sailors and 12 adults so far. He's able to communicate effectively to kids as young as 12 to adults who are retired. I highly recommend this course for those who are new to boating,to those who want to refresh their skills on the water. He makes learning fun in the classroom and on the water. And he always has your safety as his focus. read more

What a great class! I have been around boats of various types doing different activities for most of my life, but I finally decided I should take a safe powerboating class to solidify good habits and get an official foundation for additional classes in the future. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned, even after years of experience on the water! As with most classes, it's a get out what you put in kind of thing. I took the time to review the course materials ahead of class and go through all the review questions as required, and I tried to soak up as much knowledge as I could during the class. I left the weekend with some new habits and increased confidence in my skills as a boater, as well as a road map of how to continue my growth in the future. Ryan and Marti are extremely qualified and I'm sure even overqualified instructors for an introductory level course. I felt lucky to have the opportunity to learn from such accomplished instructors, and I would gladly sign up for additional courses with them in the future. I think the fact that you can bring your own boat to the course to learn skills specific to your situation is an added bonus as well. While I didn't bring a boat, I was able to switch boats throughout the weekend and gain all sorts of new experiences and skills. In addition to all of the awesome new things I learned, I had fun doing it! Ryan and Marti not only know their stuff, but they make it fun and easy to learn. We had a huge range of people in our class, from new boaters to licensed captains trying to brush up on skills, and Ryan and Marti were able to make sure everyone learned something new throughout the weekend and had fun doing it. read more

I took a 2-day class, with some trepidation, last month figuring a) it would be boring b) I'd fail the written test and c) be a doofus learning to handle a boat. I was wrong on ALL counts. The class was fascinating. I received a notebook and review test ahead of time. We had in-class learning in the morning and on-the-water learning in the afternoon. I was in a 30' Regal (twin-engine) the first day and a Tahoe ski boat (single-engine) the second day. I loved learning how to drive 2 different boats. We went through different maneuvers; such as pulling up to a dock, keeping the nose on a buoy, backing up, emergency life-saving, emergency 'stop' and suchlike. I passed the test with flying colors and feel SO MUCH more comfortable in our boat. I am going to take more advanced classes since my hubby and I plan to take time off and go on some extended trips. The teachers were patient, interesting, funny and encouraging - both in the class and on the water. I HIGHLY recommend Boat Safe America! read more

I took the Safe Powerboating class with Ryan. Ryan is a superb instructor. Not only he taught me how to get my boater license and power boat handling, he also gave me a lot of information on how NOT to lose it!! The theory class was great. He used videos, audio and hands-on examples. He had even brought a real propeller to the class and showed how a neoprene sleeve and/or a shear pin works. On the water he has demonstrated the right and safe seamanship (Docking, Rescue, VHF radio procedure, highspeed boat control, etc.) He has a fun personality and literally his classes are not "dry" ;-) Even after the completion of the class, he had a lot of advice for us, on how to buy a boat or where to find the right Boating club for renting... All in all, a very good experience. If he offers further classes, I definitely would attend and recommend it to everyone, who wants to gain a deeper insight into this sport with an expert in a fun environment!! read more

I enrolled in the the Boat Safe America with Ryan as our instructor. I have to say that in my previous job (before I retired) I had been through many, many hours of training and have even been a technical trainer myself. So I would have to say that Ryan is one of the best instructors that I have come across. If you have twenty years of boating experience, or you just bought your first boat, this class is well worth your time, and you will have a lot of fun! I highly recommend it. read more

I enrolled in Ryan's class after buying my first boat and not having too much experience operating a boat. I must say it was very informative and well worth the time and money. I loved that it was hands on and you can bring your own boat so you can get familiar with operating it. Ryan was a great instructor and very knowledgeable about everything boats. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is getting into boating. read more

My husband,son and I all took Ryan's class. We are totally new to boating and the information and skills we learned in the class were so valuable. Now we can go out in our boat with confidence and truly enjoy ourselves. Ryan is very thorough, patient and great at explaining techniques. He makes the class fun and full of useful information. I highly recommend his class. read more

Ryan Danilson was our instructor for the 2 day course. The course was educational And it teaches you a lot about safe boating. You also have hands on experience with rope tying boat docking fueling water safety and rescue And a lot more. It was well worth the price I paid. read more