Individual

Rolf Dreyer Lehrbuchautor & Yachtschule

About the Instructor

Rolf Dreyer Lehrbuchautor & Yachtschule is a German maritime training school established in Bielefeld in 1991. The institution delivers online distance learning alongside on-site classroom seminars at its Bielefeld facility. Students prepare for official German boat licenses, marine radio certificates, and distress pyrotechnics credentials through an interactive online platform, completing practical driving lessons with over 500 partner schools.

Study Programs

The program portfolio of Rolf Dreyer Lehrbuchautor & Yachtschule focuses on recreational boating, navigation, and maritime communication licenses. The school offers preparation courses for six distinct official boating credentials and maritime certificates. Theoretical instruction for all six programs is conducted online through distance learning, featuring more than 50 interactive learning units across 12 chapters. These courses prepare students for official state examinations leading to internationally valid credentials, including boating licenses that incorporate the United Nations International Certificate. At the core of the educational offerings are the primary boat driving credentials. The Sportbootführerschein See prepares students to operate motorized recreational sailing and power vessels exceeding 15 horsepower or 7.5 kilowatts on coastal and open sea waters worldwide. The Sportbootführerschein Binnen covers inland lakes, rivers, and canals, offering specific qualification paths for motor propulsion, sailing, or a combination of both. Students may also study for the Bodenseeschifferpatent categories A and D, which licenses recreational skippers on Lake Constance. For students pursuing both sea and inland boating, combined study tracks allow preparation for both tests together. The school also offers preparation for specialized maritime radio and safety credentials. The Seefunkzeugnis SRC curriculum teaches marine VHF radio operation required for skippers operating vessels equipped with radio gear at sea. For inland waterway communication across Europe, the institution provides training for the UKW-Sprechfunkzeugnis UBI. In addition, the catalog includes the Fachkundenachweis für Seenotsignale, often called the Pyroschein or FKN, which provides the safety certification required to handle distress pyrotechnics aboard yachts. While all theoretical coursework, navigation chart exercises, and exam practice questionnaires take place online, practical boat handling must be completed on-site. Practical motorboat lessons and on-water sailing instruction are carried out on-site through a network of over 500 partner boat schools across approximately 250 locations throughout Germany. Official practical examinations are likewise conducted on-site on training boats before certified examination commissions. In addition, students can use their acquired credentials toward advanced qualifications such as the practical Sportküstenschifferschein (SKS-Schein).

Application Procedure

The Sportbootführerschein See can be acquired from age 16 without prior nautical knowledge, German citizenship, or German residency. A simple eye test is sufficient to satisfy the medical requirements for the coastal license. Prospective students can test six online courses for 5 EUR for 24 hours before enrolling. Course registration takes place directly online on the platform. Exam application forms are generated within the online course, but candidates must sign and submit them by postal mail to the official examination office. Practical boat driving lessons are scheduled directly by telephone with one of over 500 partner schools. Both the theoretical and practical exam parts must be completed within 12 months of each other. Existing credentials qualify for course waivers, such as exemptions from the practical motor test and basic theory questions for holders of other recreational boat licenses. Online course access costs 39.90 EUR and includes a money-back guarantee tied to passing the exam. Total costs are paid in three parts for the online training, the official examination fee, and practical driving school lessons. Total expenses for the SBF Binnen start at 220 EUR, which includes an exam fee of 130.78 EUR and driving practice starting from 50 EUR. Total expenses for the SBF See range between 237 EUR and approximately 337 EUR, including an exam fee of up to 148.38 EUR. A combined package for both licenses starts at 258 EUR with a joint examination fee of 178.61 EUR. Extending an existing SBF Binnen to sailing without an exam costs 42 EUR for holders of the SKS-Schein.

Regular courses from Rolf Dreyer Lehrbuchautor & Yachtschule need no formal application: choose your course below, enroll via the link on the course page and pay the fees, and you are enrolled.