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Spend a weekend on Percy Priest Lake learning foundational powerboating skills with Sail Nashville. This two-day AB 101 course combines Zoom classroom sessions with hands-on training aboard a Zodiac RIB to get you confident and certified.
Spend a weekend on Percy Priest Lake learning foundational powerboating skills with Sail Nashville. This two-day AB 101 course combines Zoom classroom sessions with hands-on training aboard a Zodiac RIB to get you confident and certified.
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Operated by Sail Nashville · Nashville, Tennessee
AB 101 Powerboating Course (2-day Course) on Percy Priest Lake teaches beginners to run a recreational powerboat with confidence. Located on J. Percy Priest Lake east of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, this two-day program from Sail Nashville pairs classroom Zoom sessions with hands-on work aboard a Zodiac 550DP RIB powered by a 90hp Mercury outboard.
The course opens with a Saturday Zoom classroom that walks through boat types, hull shapes, propulsion, navigation rules and pre-departure checks. On Sunday students gather for a short exam and then spend the afternoon on the water practicing throttle control, docking and mooring, man-overboard drills, and basic navigation in the lake’s coves and channels. Instructors emphasize safe gear stowage, situational awareness, and emergency procedures that make the difference in real-world boating.
What sets this offering apart is its on-water platform and credential: Sail Nashville is the only provider of American Sailing Association powerboating certification courses in Tennessee, and the Zodiac RIB mirrors the nimble, high-visibility craft many new boaters aim to operate. That means you leave with practical skills—not just theory—and with a sense of how a plan on paper actually unfolds against wind, wake and shoreline.
Percy Priest’s landscape is straightforward and instructive for novices: wide, sheltered arms off the main lake, wooded shorelines, and the J. Percy Priest Dam—completed in 1968—give a mix of calm practice zones and open-water transitions. Wildlife is common; anglers, kayakers and weekend boaters share the water, so learning local right-of-way and hazard recognition is part of the curriculum.
This course is tailored to weekend learners who want efficient progress: Zoom hours on Saturday (9:00 a.m.–noon, 1:00–5:00 p.m.), an exam Sunday morning and supervised on-water training Sunday until mid-afternoon. Students should plan for layered clothing, sun protection and footwear that grips wet decks. No previous experience is required; the flow is beginner-friendly but paced so that by the end you can dock, navigate buoyed channels and respond to basic emergencies with confidence.
Local operators like Sail Nashville bind safety training to Nashville’s boating scene: instructors are active lake users and stewards who teach local routes, low-impact anchoring and how to read sudden weather shifts in Middle Tennessee. Graduates enter a network that prioritizes shoreline access and responsible use. That community makes it easier to find rentals and crew opportunities after certification, while promoting proper wake management, etiquette that protects coves and shoreline habitat.
For visitors based in Nashville, this two-day Powerboating Nashville course is an immediate skill upgrade and a springboard to exploring Tennessee’s lakes. Whether you aim to captain a family bowrider or just want to understand how boats behave on open water, the AB 101 course on Percy Priest Lake is a practical, instructor-led way to get there.
No prior experience is required; AB 101 is designed for beginners and builds from basic concepts to practical on-water skills.
Saturday is classroom via Zoom (9:00 a.m.–noon, 1:00–5:00 p.m.). Sunday includes the exam (9:00–10:30 a.m.) and on-water instruction (10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
Yes—this is the ASA AB 101 Beginner Powerboating course; successful completion earns recognized certification from the American Sailing Association.
Specific meeting details are provided by Sail Nashville after booking; the on-water training takes place on Percy Priest Lake.
The course listing did not specify minimum or maximum ages; contact Sail Nashville directly for details on age policies and group requirements.
Instructors monitor conditions; sessions may be modified, rescheduled or moved to classroom content if unsafe weather or high winds make on-water training impractical.
Sail Nashville is a sailing school and charter operator based in Nashville, Tennessee, offering hands-on sailing and powerboating courses on Percy Priest Lake and at Hamilton Creek Marina. The company provides American Sailing Association (ASA) certification courses including ASA 101 Basic Keelboat (two-day and three-day options), ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising, ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising, ASA 110 Basic Small Boat Sailing in both group and individual formats, and associated add-on and review clinics. Sail Nashville also teaches AB 101 powerboating skills and hosts sunset sails aboard a Catalina 275 Sport. Courses combine classroom or online lessons with on-the-water practice to teach docking, tacking, navigation, rigging, capsizing recovery, safety, and boat handling. Keelboat training uses 20–45 foot keelboats and coastal cruisers, while small boat classes use a Catalina 12.5 and dinghy instruction at Hamilton Creek Marina. Hands-on practice emphasizes practical skills to prepare students to skipper in light to moderate winds and to earn widely recognized ASA credentials. Sail Nashville designs courses for beginners through those preparing for bareboat cruising. Options include short half-day reviews, multi-day certification courses, and relaxed sunset sails for leisure. The business highlights experienced instruction, established course outlines, and waterfront training locations in the Nashville area. Booking options accommodate individual students and group classes, with clear course lengths ranging from half-day reviews to three-day standard courses for certification. Small boat classes accept students age 13 and up, and courses are structured to combine online learning with on-water instruction for efficient skill development and certification preparation.
Book with Sail Nashville