Motor Boat Licences
A motor boat licence is required to operate a vessel 4hp or more (except for a hire and drive vessel).
How to obtain a Motor Boat Licence
- Motor Boat Licences can only be obtained by completing a BoatSafe Practical Course. A list of approved Accredited Providers is shown below.
- Fees apply
- The motor boat licence is valid for a three year period (pro rata). Licences all have a common expiry date. It is not a requirement to carry your licence when on the water in Tasmania but MAST by-laws stipulate that, if requested, the licence must be produced within 14 days.
- Plastic licence cards are no longer automatically issued. A plastic card can be obtained by emailing admin@mast.tas.gov.au
- MAST has been advised by a number of hire companies both overseas and in Australia that producing a plastic licence card is not necessary when hiring a vessel.
- A motor boat licence is for recreational boating only. You will need a Certificate of Competency to operate a vessel commercially.
- You can check the validity of your licence under Online Services
- Please note that licences are valid for three years. All licences have a common expiry date of 30 June 2021. If you hold a current licence, a renewal will be forwarded to you prior to June 2021.
- It is recommended you obtain and study the MAST Safe Boating Handbook prior to undertaking the licence test. The handbook is available to download from this website. Alternatively, you can obtain a copy from your local Service Tasmania shop or from the MAST Office. Cost is $5.00
- An online practice test is available on the MAST website. The test comprises 25 randomly selected questions from a pool of 190 questions. This test is an opportunity for those about to undertake their Licence training to check their knowledge of the boating rules, safety equipment requirements and fundamental collision avoidance rules.
All answers are available in the MAST Safe Boating Handbook
Accredited Providers
| Company | Contact | Accreditation Number | Address | Phone / | Area Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania | Michael Vincent | MSTTV032 | http://www.ryct.org.au/ | (03) 6223 4599 otbtraining@ryct.org.au | Hobart |
| Tamar Yacht Club | MSTTV020 | 7 Park Street Launceston TAS 7250 | (03) 6331 8013 9am-3pm Tue-Fri | Launceston | |
| Boat Licences Tasmania | Colin Stokes | MSTTV019 | 0499 310 857 | North West Tasmania | |
| Wynyard Yacht Club Inc | Chris Symonds | MSTTV041 | 2A Old Bass Highway Wynyard TAS 7325 | 0459 108 066 symondsx6@bigpond.com | North West Coast |
| Freycinet Volunteer Marine Rescue | Col Barney | MSTTV028 | www.freycinetvmr.com | 0400 329 973 | East Coast |
| King Island Boat Club | Matthew Archer | MSTTV024 | 0499 806 243 | King Island | |
| Lindisfarne Bay Boat Yard | Malcolm McDougall | MSTTV025 | malcolm_mcdougall@hotmail.com admin@lindisfarneboatyard.com.au | 0408 123 805 | Southern Tasmania |
| Flinders Island Dive | Mike Nichols | MSTTV023 | flindersdive@outlook.com Web: flindersislanddive.com.au | 0428 598 529 | Flinders Island |
| Surf Life Saving Tasmania (SLST also conduct Personal Water Craft tuition) | Leanne Johannesen | MSTTVV01 | www.slst.asn.au/ | (03) 6222 6555 ljohannesen@slst.asn.au 0447 287 847 | Statewide |
| Bay of Fires Dive | Peter Paulsen | MSTTV033 | 0419 372 342 | St Helens | |
| Derwent Sailing Squadron | Abbalena Whalan | MSTTV011 | http://dssinc.org.au/ admin2@dssinc.org.au | (03) 6223 1977 | Hobart |
| Boatbiz | Fred van Tuil | MSTTV014 | www.boatbiz-tas.com.au | 0419 144 722 boatbiz-tas@bigpond.com.au | Hobart / Southern Tasmania |
| Tamar Sea Rescue Services (Tamar) | Mark Turmine | MSTTV017 | boattraining@hotmail.com | (03) 63834701 | Beauty Point |
| David Arnott | MSTTV015 | 368 Arthur Highway Sorell TAS | 0419 525 193 | South East Tasmania | |
| Boat Train | Andrew Matton-Johnston | MSTTV018 | boattraining@hotmail.com | 0427 242 129 | Northern Suburbs of Hobart |
Provisional Licence
A Provisional Licence is available for children aged between 12 and 17 years of age.
The Provisional Licence is gained the same way as a full licence.
The following restrictions apply to provisional licence holders:
- must be accompanied by a responsible adult
- must not take charge of a motor boat at night
- must not at any time exceed a speed of 20 knots
- must not tow a skier
PWC Licence
- To apply for a PWC endorsement, you are required to hold a current motor boat licence.
- The PWC endorsement is obtained by completing a PWC Practical Course with Surf Life Saving Tasmania
- See PWC section for further information
- PWC Endorsement fees apply
Hire and Drive Vessels
Hire and drive vessels that do not exceed 8 knots can be operated without a boat licence provided adequate training to operate the boat safely is received.
All hire and drive vessels should carry a hire and drive certificate.
Recognising other Licences
MAST will recognise the following to operate and issue a motor boat licence:
- A current licence issued in another state. (This must be transferred to a Tasmanian Motor Boat Licence if a resident of Tasmania)
- A valid and applicable Certificate of Competency
- Other qualifications may be assessed on a case by case basis.