Home / Boat licences / QLD
Do you need a boat licence to sail in QLD?
Yes if the engine is over 4.5 kW — which most yacht auxiliaries are.
A recreational marine driver licence is required to operate a boat with engine power greater than 4.5 kW (about 6 horsepower). The threshold is engine power, not speed.
- Registration
- Recreational boats with an engine or auxiliary of 3 kW or more must be registered.
- Authority
- Maritime Safety Queensland →
- Checked
- September 2026
Sailing, motoring, and where the line falls
This is the rule that catches Queensland sailors out. A 4.5 kW threshold is roughly 6 horsepower — smaller than the auxiliary in almost any cruising yacht. A 30-foot yacht typically carries something between 15 and 30 horsepower.
So if you own or charter a yacht in Moreton Bay or the Whitsundays, you very probably need a Queensland marine licence to motor it, even though sailing it needs no licence at all. Bareboat charter operators will ask.
Registration has a lower threshold again: recreational boats with an engine or auxiliary of 3 kW or more must be registered. Licensing and registration are separate obligations.
If you do not hold a licence, you may operate under the direct supervision of someone who does and who can take immediate control.
A boat licence is not a sailing qualification. It tests that you can operate a powered vessel safely and know the rules of the water. It says nothing about reefing, navigation, anchoring or handling a yacht under sail — which is what a sailing course teaches, and what a charter company will actually ask you about.
Licensing rules change. This page was checked in September 2026; confirm the current requirement with Maritime Safety Queensland before you rely on it.
The rule in other states
New South Wales
Only at 10 knots or more. Under sail alone, no licence.
Victoria
Yes for any powered vessel, including a yacht with an auxiliary.
Western Australia
Yes — an RST for any motor over 4.5 kW (6hp).
South Australia
Yes for any engine at all, whatever its size.
Tasmania
Yes at 4hp or more — and it requires a practical course.
Northern Territory
No. The NT has no recreational boat licence.
Australian Capital Territory
Yes, but the ACT issues none — you use another state’s.
A licence gets you out of the marina. A course gets you sailing.
Three questions — your experience, the boat you want to sail, and your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it near you.