America's Boating Club of North Alabama

04/29/2026

Free Boating Class - Paddle Smart - America's Boating Club is offering a free seminar on paddle boats at the Historic Guntersville Railway Depot on Old Depot Dr on May 9 from 10-12. Take advantage of a free class at one of Guntersville's newest tourist attractions and take a look into our rich railway history.

We cover everything from paddleboards to canoes and kayaks. Paddle boats make boating affordable and accessible for everyone. The class provides training to help you do it safely. This seminar prepares you to boat safely with human-powered craft on lakes, streams, and rivers. The objectives of the seminar are to provide the participant with enough information to decide what type of paddle craft to choose, to learn what safety equipment is recommended, and to understand the basic, entry-level strokes. We'll discuss local areas that are suitable for different types of paddle craft.

On May 16 America's boating club will coordinate a kayak trip on the Flint River starting at 9 am at Brown Bear Kayak center. The Flint River is one of the area's most beautiful and relaxing kayak venues. Learn at the seminar and practice on the kayak trip a week later.

Call or text Chuck Wills at 256 506 7773 to get on the list for the seminar or for the Flint river trip.

04/04/2026

Free Boating Seminar – Rivers, Locks and Lakes

The America’s Boating Club would like to welcome the public to a free, 2-hour seminar from 9-11 am on April 25 in Guntersville.

The Tennessee River with 652 navigable miles is one of the best waterways in the nation. TVA maintains the waterway which we share with commercial vessels.

Understanding the rules can make boating more enjoyable and safer. Topics include special navigation rules for rivers, going through a lock, communicating with lock masters and barges, river currents, flood conditions, and AIS for inland waters.

If we have an interested group that has never gone through a lock, we will organize a trip to the Guntersville Dam and demonstrate best practices to transit a lock immediately after the seminar.

Please contact Chuck Wills to register for the class or to get more details at [email protected] or (256)506-7773

09/18/2025

Free Boating Seminar: Rules of the Road will be held from 10:00-1200 AM on Saturday, October 4th at the Guntersville Rail Depot Museum.

Avoid collisions and other hazards! Know the rules of the road.

This seminar focuses in a practical way on helping you understand the basic rules encountered with other recreational boaters during almost every boating outing. In other words, when two boats get close to each other on the river, which boat has the right-of-way, and which boat is supposed to give way to the other vessel. As a boat skipper, you are responsible for knowing the rules that apply anywhere you boat.

Navigational rules of the road help you know what to do when you share the water with other boats, how to recognize and signal intentions, and how to avoid a collision. This seminar focuses in a practical way on helping you understand the basic rules encountered by recreational boaters during almost every boating outing and the rules most likely to apply in the local waters where you boat. It covers skipper responsibilities, general rules, and definitions, rules to avoid a collision, lights and shapes, and sound and light signals.

Location: Rail Depot Museum, Old Depot Road, Guntersville. From Blount or Gunter, go east along Greenwood Street until it ends.

Call or Text Chuck Wills at 256 506 7773 to register

10/28/2024

Free Seminar Sunday November 10 2-4 pm - Emergencies on Board: Preparation for Handling Common Problems

No one wants to think about it, but emergencies happen on boats. Be prepared for a variety of boating mishaps, medical emergencies, and other crises!

Prevention and preparation make all the difference. This seminar will prepare you to handle common emergencies that can happen when you are on your boat and away from the dock, whether you venture out for the day or are leaving on a longer cruise. You will learn how to deal with them as they occur and especially when the skipper is unable to respond.

Upon completion of this seminar, you will have gained an understanding of the most common types of vessel emergencies and how to deal with them, how to handle onboard fires, how to recognize and prepare for medical emergencies and how to communicate with crew, other boats, and first responders.

Emergencies on Board is being offered as a free seminar as a public service by the America's Boating Club. This is one of the 6 modules that are part of a larger boat handling class and you will be given the opportunity to take the remainder of the modules at the seminar.

The class will be held at 498 Yacht Club Rd on Sunday November 10 at 2 pm and will run for about 90 minutes. Please register by calling or texting Chuck Wills at 256 506 7773.

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