Examinations for recreational boating license

The exams take place near the training jetty and body of water in Berlin Gatow and are administered by the Berlin examination board.

The following dates are possible in Gatow in 2026 (no guarantee):

April 18th, 10 a.m.

May 16th, 10 a.m.

May 30th, 10 a.m.

June 19th, 1 p.m.

July 18th, 10 a.m.

22.08. 10am

September 12th, 10 a.m.

October 24th, 10 a.m.

November 14th, 10 a.m. - last appointment before the end of the season

Please arrange your appointment with the driving school.

Information on exam registration:

https://www.sportbootfuehrerscheine.org/pruefungen/pruefungsausschuesse/berlin/

Examination procedure

In Germany, the examination for the recreational boating license is administered by an external examiner accredited by the German Sailing Association (DSV) or the German Motor Yacht Association (DMYV) and conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport. It is therefore an official examination, comparable to a road traffic license, for obtaining an official recreational boating license.

To take the exam, you must register with the Berlin Examination Board (DSV) by the deadline. The documents required on their website must be received by mail at least 7 days before the exam, and the exam fee must be paid. Otherwise, you cannot be taken.

The boat used for the exam is also the training boat. The examination board does not provide boats; these are provided by the school, and the student is naturally familiar with the boat.

In Gatow, you can take both the theory exam and the practical sailing and/or motorboat exams. The exam content is practiced extensively in our courses until you can perform the exams independently and have developed a certain level of routine.

Content of the sailing practical exam for the SBF Inland Sailing Certificate:

• Being able to set sails independently.
• Depart under sail (keeping the jib aft as much as possible)
• Various courses for sailing upwind with correct sail trim.
• Cross
• turn
• Neck
• Man overboard maneuver with direct approach.
• Mooring under sail, usually alongside an anchored motorboat.
• Seal to separate.
• Show knots.

Content of the motorboat practical exam for the SBF Inland Motor and Sea:

• Course setting (using landmarks for inland waterways, compass courses for sea).
• Stop on course.
• Drive backwards.
• A U-turn in a very confined space.
• Be able to demonstrate and explain cross bearings (only for seas).
• Know 3 simple sound signals.
• Putting on a life jacket.
• Performing a man overboard maneuver.
• Departing from the jetty
• Docking at the jetty.
• Show knots.

Content of the theory test:

The theory is based on predefined question sets with four answer options (multiple-choice format). There is one set for inland waterways and one for coastal waters (last updated August 2023). These can be downloaded from the Elwis portal and are usually also included with practice books. A certain number of questions from each set are taken from these sets.

For inland waterways, only the questions from the catalog are relevant. For sea waterways, an additional navigation exercise on the chart must be completed, consisting of 9 sub-tasks. At least 7 points must be achieved there.