by
MET Staff | Monday, June 30, 2014 |
There are three distinct types of captain’s
(master’s) licenses the United States Coast Guard recognizes, each with their
own set of training and boating experience requirements.
Types of Boat Captain
Licenses
There are three different types of boat captain licenses from
which to choose, categorized according to passenger capacity of the vessel and
the location of operation:
- 6 Pack License –
the 6 Pack captain’s license is for uninspected vessels that are capable
of carrying up to six passengers. Boating experience necessary to qualify
for a 6 pack is as follows: 360 days of boating experience, including at
least 90 days offshore.
- Master Inland License –
the Master Inland license is for those with vessels that can hold seven
passengers or more, weigh 100 gross tons or less, and operate on inland
waters. To qualify, you must have at least 360 days of boating experience,
at least 90 of which must have been within the last three years.
- Master Near Coastal License –
master near coastal licenses are for operators of vessels of the same size
as the master inland but who travel much further offshore. With a master
near coastal license, operators can traverse as far as 200 miles offshore.
The sea time requirements are much stiffer with this designation; you have
to have 720 days of boating experience, half of which need to be offshore,
and 90 of which need to have been within the past three years.
Boat Captain License
Requirements: Training
To obtain a
captain license, you’ll need to complete an appropriate USCG-approved captain’s
course. The type of master’s course you are required to take depends upon the
type of boat captain license for which you are applying.
The USCG does
not host courses or proctor exams, but it does provide a listing of approved
course providers and approved courses on its National Maritime Center (NMC)
website.
Classes may
be offered online or at a training facility. In the approved course NMC online database,
you can select the type of endorsement you seek for a listing of appropriate
approved courses. For instance, the
database provides the name of the following two brick-and-mortar schools, which
teach a USCG-approved Master 100 Tons course:
- American Marine Training
Centers; and
- Mountwest Community
& Technical College.
Captain’s Course
Requirements
You can
contact each school prospect and learn about course requirements, determine what
the examination will entail and shop around for the most economical course prices.
For example, American Marine Training Centers provide
the following details about their Master’s 100 Tons course:
- 80-hour course that runs every day from Monday
through the following Wednesday in Washington from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;
- successful
completion of the course requires that all materials are completed and 100
percent attendance;
and
- the course amounts
to $1,100.00, which
includes a workbook, the Rules of
the Road book, a certificate and a licensing packet.
Staying Up to Date on
Boat Captain License Requirements
You can stay
up to date on topics of interest to mariners by visiting the MyVesselLogs.com blog. Feel free to download a copy
of our Free Logbook
Reference Guide or peruse our products in our marine industry supply store.