Helping You Enjoy Boating

BOATING SERVICES

Welcome to High Tide Boating

Melbourne's Leading Boating Services and Training Experts

At High Tide Boating, we specialise in boating skills training and offer a comprehensive range of boating services tailored to meet all your needs. Serving Melbourne since 2007, we’ve helped countless individuals enjoy the joys of boating. Now, with our online programs, we’re extending our expertise to boating enthusiasts across Australia and beyond.

Why Choose High Tide Boating?

Our core focus is on boating lessons and boating safety courses that equip you with the skills and confidence to navigate the waters safely. We teach you how to drive a boat and conquer the challenges of docking and manoeuvring within a marina.

Whether you’re a first-time boat owner or looking to upgrade your skills, if the fear of crash parking is stopping you from using your boat – our boating skills training programs are designed to meet your needs.

Comprehensive Boating Services

Beyond training, we work closely with boat owners to maintain their vessels, ensuring all necessary work is completed efficiently and cost-effectively. Whether it’s routine maintenance or managing upgrades, our network of industry professionals is here to provide expert advice and care.

Our Expertise

With over 40 years of experience in the boating industry, our team brings unparalleled knowledge and passion to every client interaction. Our unique boat driver training techniques, honed over 30 years, are easy to understand and implement, making your boating experience safer and more enjoyable. We also offer boating classes for beginners, ensuring that even those new to boating can get started with confidence.

Get in Touch

Ready to enhance your boating experience? Whether you want to learn how to dock a boat smoothly or need comprehensive boating lessons tailored to your skill level, High Tide Boating is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can help you navigate your boating journey with ease.

Call us or email to see how we can help you.

Learn More

Who is Captain Ned?

Captain Ned’s lifelong passion for boating began as a young boy in Mallacoota. This passion has taken him across the Australian coastline and beyond, making him a seasoned expert in the boating world. With over two decades as a commercially licensed skipper and more than 10,000 hours on the water, Captain Ned is a true professional.

Before becoming a father, Ned frequently flew up and down the East Coast, delivering his unique and effective boating instruction. His extensive experience and qualifications include:

Boat License – 1997
Open Water Coxswain – 1997
Certificate of Competency – Master 5 – 2003
Marine Engine Driver Grade 3 (MED3) Certificate – 2003
Local Knowledge Certificates LK18 & LK19 – 2003
Local Knowledge Certificates LK16 – 2021

Australian Maritime College – Various advanced courses

Since founding High Tide Boating in 2007, Captain Ned has helped over 1,000 people embrace the boating lifestyle through expert instruction, pre-purchase inspections, skippering, and vessel maintenance.

Ned’s hands-on experience extends beyond formal qualifications. He has navigated challenging situations and resolved issues on the water to “keep the show on the road.” His deep knowledge of marine engines and vessel systems ensures you stay out of troubled waters, making him the trusted partner you need for all your boating adventures.

Explore Our Comprehensive Boating Services

Jump onboard and discover the full range of boating services we offer, designed to enhance your boating experience:

Practical boat instruction and training – Receive hands-on training and instruction to navigate the waters with confidence and skill.
Captain On Call – Access expert advice with a simple call when your boating experience isn’t going as planned
And much, much more!

Say ahoy to Melbourne’s favourite boating service company; get in touch with High Tide Boating today!

Call us or email to see how we can help you.

Client's Review

Dear Ned,

As you know, my sons Drew and David recently became the proud owners of a power boat. The boat was purchased so their families could enjoy the outdoors and bond as they grew up together.

Buying the boat was the easy part. But when it came to boating, we were absolute beginners. Your company came highly recommended to help us prepare and learn the basics of power boating.

It was the best money ever spent.

The comprehensive explanations you provided in plain, easy-to-understand terms made us all feel comfortable from the start. We initially thought this was just a driving exercise, but the way you educated us about the boat itself was an invaluable bonus.

Not only did we walk away feeling confident in handling the boat, but we also learned essential safety and preparation practices. Now, I know for certain that the boat never leaves the marina without all the necessary checks—from the motor to the safety equipment—being completed first.

As a father, this gives me great peace of mind. Your training was nothing short of professional, and it was greatly appreciated by all of us.

To finish, I’d like to share this: On our first day out, as we returned to the marina with the wind blowing, Drew reversed the boat into its pen on the first attempt—to the amazement of the broker and onlookers. He must have had a great teacher.

Kind regards,
Dale Sayner
Director, Tasman Logistics Services Pty Ltd

Google Reviews

    
 
 
        
   Michael Orner 
 2024-10-15
 
 
  Hi,
New to boating. Ned's been amazing at teaching me and getting my skills up as quickly as possible. Very highly recommended
  
 
       
   Stephen Jiang 
 2024-08-11
 
 
  Captain Ned very knowledge, professional. Teach good techniques and make you more confidence in boating
  
 
       
   Hazel Rapson 
 2024-06-19
 
 
  If you decide you want to buy a boat, make sure as absolute FIRST PRIORITY that you contact NED from High Tide Boating. There is not much Ned does not know about boats/boating and his aim is to ensure you get as much pleasure as possible from your boating experience. Tell Ned what you want to use the boat for (fishing/daytrips/touring the bay), where you want to go in the boat (lake or sea),  how many people you might want to take on it, any luxuries or must haves, and he will help you find the boat for you in the budget you have available AND check it is in good condition. THEN, he will teach you the important stuff such as how to berth the boat, how to cope in choppy seas, how to read the winds, the tides and ensure you turn the skills into muscle memory and you are safe. THEN he will have enabled you to let go, enjoy your boat and love, love, love being out there living your best life! It is a sad thing to see boats left unused because people are uncertain about going out in them. Ned has enabled me (a 63 year old woman with no prior boating experience) to confidently go out into Port Phillip Bay on my own, anchor, swim, snorkel, explore the coastline and get back home, berth the boat feeling exhilarated. Book Ned!
  
 
       
   Catherine Hollowood 
 2024-05-15
 
 
  Dear Ned, thank you so much… for your gifted,  calming patience, your encouragement & huge confidence boost while under your unforgettable instruction. You made our time on the water an amazingly, fun experience. Can’t wait to book the next level in the near future. Keep up the great work. A special mention & thankyou  to Greta for keeping us always informed of every day possibilities.
Cheers, Cath & Danielle
  
 
       
   James Millar 
 2024-03-18
 
 
  If you want to learn about anything boating - Ned at Hightide is your guy. From pre purchase guidance to safe boat handling, he covered all bases with us. I highly recommend speaking with Ned for 5 to 10 mins before you buy a boat (doesn't matter if its a 15 footer or a 50 footer, he covers all). They are a big investment and his knowledge might save you a lot of heart break. Highly recommend.
  
 
       
   James Keech 
 2024-01-22
 
 
  Did the online course it is great, learnt a lot
  
 
       
   Janet Granger-Wilcox 
 2023-12-13
 
 
  We cannot thank the High Tide Boating team enough for their help in our boat-buying process.  Ned and Greta have supported us every step of the way, going above and beyond our expectations.   They are thorough, knowledgeable, humorous, extremely well organised, and always willing to share their expertise.
Without them, we'd probably be the proud owners of a boat in need of extensive repairs (*cough lemon cough*).  Instead, we have a lovely boat, we know a lot more than we used to, and we're looking forward to some great adventures.  If you need expert assistance in anything to do with boats, High Tide Boating is the bomb.
  
 
       
   Kate Town 
 2023-10-26
 
 
  Ned and Greta are fantastic! Couldn’t ask for better service and more genuine people. You can trust them to help you with buying a boat. Ned gives a comprehensive report on a boat you want to buy that is well worth the money spent. Couldn’t recommend hem more! Thank you 😁
  
 
       
   Business Profile Potgieter 
 2023-10-24
 
 
  Excellent training, very knowledgeable and xommunicates very well.
  
 
       
   Bernd Meyer 
 2023-10-17
 
 
  I highly recommend the HighTide team.

Earlier this year I bought a second-hand boat in Europe that I shipped to Melbourne.

Self-importing a second-hand boat from overseas is stressful at the best of times. It became even more stressful when several shipping delays meant that I had to be away from Australia when the boat finally arrived in September and that I would thus be unable to receive the boat personally.

Long story short, Ned saved the day.

He received the boat on my behalf, checked everything carefully, liaised with the surveyor, wisely decided on a replacement of a thru-hull fitting that had become vital before the boat could be launched, organised this and some other minor repairs, rigged the boat and got it cleaned up and polished before launch. None of the minor hiccups (such as that all keys had been lost in transport) deterred him. All of this happened with 100% reliability, for honest and reasonable rates, and arguably with more expertise than I would have had myself. Ned even detected some minor issues that had been overlooked by the pre-purchase surveyor in Europe. When I returned home I found my new boat happily sitting in its berth ready to go.

I could not have been happier with the process.

From the first conversation, I had the feeling that the job would be in safe and capable hands and this turned out to be very true. The reliable backend organisation by Greta and her responsive communication contributed to this as much as Ned's expertise, dedication and attention to detail.

I highly recommend the HighTide team and look forward to working with them again.
  
 
  
  
 
 
   Google rating score: 5.0 of 5, based on 88 reviews