Compass New Zealand is independent and is not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by Coastguard Boating Education, Maritime New Zealand, Radio Spectrum Management, or MetService. It does not award Day Skipper, Boatmaster, MVOC, or NZQA certification.

Compass New Zealand

Compass New Zealand study companion

New Zealand Boatmaster Study Companion

Direct answer

Independent New Zealand Boatmaster preparation for emergencies, chartwork, rules, weather, stability, handling, and passage command. Compass provides independent knowledge preparation only. It does not administer an official examination, award certification, demonstrate practical competence, or replace current instructions from an authorized provider or authority. Compass oral scenarios do not reproduce or predict an official written or oral assessment.

Price
$59.99 once
Course size
10 modules
Access
Lifetime access
Format
Independent online study companion
Preview the free module

Product tour

Try the revision loop here

This is a working, course-specific sample. Read one rule, answer a real-style question, flip a recall card, and see how the next action is chosen.

Open the full free module

Command decisions and passage margins

One rule, explained clearly

Boatmaster preparation connects chartwork, weather, rules, vessel handling, and crew leadership. A passage plan should name safe limits, decision points, alternatives, and the evidence the skipper will monitor. When conditions erode the margin, changing or abandoning the plan is a command decision—not a failure to complete it.

Course route

Learn the knowledge, then take it afloat with an instructor

1Free

Skipper Responsibility and Equipment

Skipper duties, seaworthiness awareness, crew, operating limits, legal and recommended equipment, maintenance, accessibility, records, and departure gates.

Open module
2Full access

Emergencies, Search and Rescue, Fire, and Lifesaving

Command priorities, distress alerting, search awareness, fire prevention and response, flooding, abandon-craft decisions, survival equipment, first actions, and crew coordination.

Open module
3Full access

Compass, Charts, and Publications

Chart status, symbols, scale, datum, compass construction, variation, deviation, publications, notices, electronic charts, and recordkeeping.

Open module
4Full access

Position, Chartwork, and Pilotage

Coordinates, bearings, distance, DR, EP, fixes, clearing lines, transits, danger bearings, course to steer, pilotage cues, and logging.

Open module
5Full access

Tides, Weather, and Passage Conditions

Tidal heights and streams, forecast interpretation, fronts and pressure, wind and waves, local effects, bars, visibility, passage windows, and monitoring.

Open module
6Full access

Buoys, Beacons, Lights, and Shapes

New Zealand IALA Region A, cardinal and other marks, daybeacons, light characters, vessel lights and shapes, aspect, and integrating aids with position evidence.

Open module
7Full access

Collision Rules, Part 91, and Bylaws

International collision principles as implemented, New Zealand navigation-safety rules, speed and proximity restrictions, local bylaws, lights, sounds, restricted visibility, and skipper judgment.

Open module
8Full access

Stability, Handling, Berthing, and Rough Seas

Weight distribution, free surface, trim, stability awareness, turning and stopping, berthing forces, shallow water, bars, heavy weather preparation, and vessel-specific limitations.

Open module
9Full access

Anchoring, Ropes, and Rigging

Anchor types, seabed, scope, loads, chafe, swing, multiple anchors, rope construction, knots, splicing awareness, blocks, purchases, towing, and safe load paths.

Open module
10Full access

Passage Command and Oral Practice

Integrated appraisal, route, weather, tides, crew, equipment, communications, watches, pilotage, alternatives, emergency changes, oral explanation, and assessment boundaries.

Open module

What the companion includes

Clear knowledge and practical boundaries

  • Original lessons and explanations
  • At least 18 explained questions and 12 flashcards per module
  • Three 40-question mixed knowledge assessments
  • New Zealand terminology, jurisdiction, and primary-source context
  • Practical-awareness prompts clearly separated from assessed knowledge

Not included

  • A Coastguard Boating Education, Maritime NZ, or NZQA certificate
  • Instructor-observed practical assessment or official oral examination
  • DSC or SSB within the current MVOC learning route
  • Copied manuals, charts, examination questions, or official diagrams
  • A substitute for current Part 91, bylaws, notices, or instructor guidance

Editorial record

Primary-source review

Original content is reviewed against current New Zealand course outcomes, maritime rules, radio guidance, and weather sources. Regional bylaws and current notices must be checked separately.