getting a Captains license

[Ilikesalmon]

Hi All, I'm using my time this winter to study for a Captains license. I bought a book and I am getting my butt kicked. The book is great, but, tons of info that I'm not going to use. I will be trying for an OUPV license. Has anyone else out there tried this too?

 

[JB]

Re: getting a Captains license

Got a six-pack license years ago in FL. Then it required a certain number of hours mating with a licensed Captain, who had to sign the application.<br /><br />Don't know what a OUPV license is. The six pack allowed me to charter up to six passengers for hire. I only took one or two at a time.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: getting a Captains license

Got my Captain's license with a towing endorsement. Very tough test. Study those navrules!!

 

[Ilikesalmon]

Re: getting a Captains license

OUPV stands for "Operator of Uninspectetd Passenger Vessel" (AKA Six Pack). I have no plans to actually use the license but I enjoy the challenge of trying to get one. I live in Vermont, so, my boating season is short (maybe seven months max.) but I have owned boats for 35 years so accumulating the "days on the water" is easy for me. You need 360 days, 90 of which have to be in the past 3 years. I may even try for the 100 ton Master license, since the requirements are baciclly the same.

 

[QC]

Re: getting a Captains license

I am considering this as well. If you check the Coats Guard site it acts like all you have to do is record the days, but I recall reading somewhere that the sea days need to be verified, JB's note alluudes to this as well. Any knowledge in this are. The days are easy for me to come up with as well, but they are basically taking my word for it . . .

 

[Ilikesalmon]

Re: getting a Captains license

QC, They basically take your word for it. However, you do need to prove either, ownership (copies of registration)or that you worked on a boat and the Captain of that boat will sign for you. They also take into consideration, your geographic location. Since I live in Vermont, my boating time will not match that of someone who lives in Florida (for example).

 

[QC]

Re: getting a Captains license

ILS,<br /><br />Yes, this is consistent with what I believe too. I recall now the registration issue. I have owned a boat non-stop since '84, so in that regard I think I am OK.<br /><br />Check out this link too:<br /> Captains license study guide thing

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: getting a Captains license

When I got mine back in 1994, you generated your own resume with hours of wheeltime on all the different boats you have operated. They take your word for it, but like salmon says, you have to have the owner, if it's not you, sign to prove you actually got the hours. As far as I know, you can't specify the gross tonnage you want to certify for. It all depends on the boats that you have experience on. All my experience was on 30 to 45 gross ton craft and my license is for 150 gross tons. I don't know what kind of formula they use to come up with that figure. Recert is basically the same as the initial cert. A log of your hours and "the test" again. Buy flashcards to learn navrules, to me that was the hardest section and the only section that requires a 90% to pass. Chapmans is a great study tool and alot of the questions come directly from the verbage in that book.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: getting a Captains license

All my experience was on 30 to 45 gross ton craft and my license is for 150 gross tons. I don't know what kind of formula they use to come up with that figure.

I'm not sure this is what you're wondering about, but Gross Registered Tonnage and Net Registered Tonnage are meausurements of volume (a ton being 100 cubic feet). GRT is a measurement of all the enclosed spaces in a vessel and NRT is a measurement of what is basically the "money making" interior spaces. (for example the cargo holds on a cargo vessel or the passenger areas on a passenger vessel). <br /><br />So two vessels with identical hulls could have very different GRTs if one had a large enclosed cabin and the other had an open deck.<br /><br />The weight of a vessel is referred to as Displacement Tonnage (for the weight of the water she displaces).

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: getting a Captains license

That is the technical definition, but the verbage is still used to indicate the displacement weight of a vessel at full load. But, you're right. The correct term is displacement weight.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: getting a Captains license

The volume of the ship is what the tonnage on your certificate refers to.<br /><br />After rereading your post I think I understand what you were wondering about. <br /><br />Are you wondering why your certificate is good for up to 150 tons when the vessels you worked on were 30 to 45 tons?<br /><br />Being a Canadian I'm not familiar with the U.S. system. Maybe 150 tons is the level for the size of vessels you've worked on are grouped into.<br /><br />Is the U.S. starting to conform to the "International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995"? (commonly referred to as STCW'95) <br /><br />Here in Canada there have been lots of changes to our certification, the description of the waters that our certificates are valid for have changed. One certificate I have used to be for 350 tons, now its 500 GRT. We now have medicals to pass every couple of years and our certificates have to have our photos on them.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: getting a Captains license

The tonnage of your licens is limited to the size vessel you have operated or worked aboard. The Coast Gaurd uses this formula to estimate gross tons.<br /><br />To figure gross tonnage of your boat use the formula below. To qualify for more than an OUPV you must have worked on, or operated a vessel of 5 or more tons.<br /><br />Length X Width X Draft X .67 divided by 100<br /><br />100 cubic feet = 1 gross ton<br /><br />This formula is what they will go by for your boat unless you can provide engineering paperwork of the design and gross tonnage incorporated into the vessel. <br /><br />By this formula my 29 ft cruiser is approximately 5.5 gross tons which would qualify me to acquire a gross ton licens of not more than 25 tons. This allows me to operate an inspected vesel up to 25 tons with unlimited paying customers, or up to a 100 ton uninspected vessel with no more than 6 paying customers.<br /><br />Here is the classes that I took. Theey do the teaching and testing with guaranted results. http://www.seaschool.com/

 

[Ilikesalmon]

Re: getting a Captains license

Reel Poor, I bought the book (Getting your Captains License) and have been studying at home. All of my boating experiance has been on small fishing boats (my own) 16 ft. and on inland water (Lake Champlain in Vermont/New york). My reason for trying to get a license is simply for the challenge of it. I don't plan on actually using the license to get work. Boating is my favorite hobby and I just want to learn more about it. I had no idea what I was getting into! This is alot tougher than most people realize (me included)! Some good points though.. I had to get a physical exam, take a first-aid course with CPR and a safe boating course, all are things that I think every boater should do.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: getting a Captains license

I agree with your last statement. I feel it ought to be manditory that everyone take some kind of boating course. Everyone should know the rules of the road, at least. It usually lowers insurance rates also.

 

[dkennedy]

Re: getting a Captains license

Hi All, I'm using my time this winter to study for a Captains license. I bought a book and I am getting my butt kicked. The book is great, but, tons of info that I'm not going to use. I will be trying for an OUPV license. Has anyone else out there tried this too?

Honestly man i applaud the effort but if you wanna get anything out getting the captains license take a class NEVER just buy the book and study it.

First of all its miserable to do that you'll just get stressed and frustrated
Second if you take a class it would take about 4 weeks to be ready for the test and thats 4 weeks with 2 classes a week.
Third if you take a class you learn ALL the material it benefits you and you learn it gradually on a professionally set schedule

Thats not to say its impossible to do it on your own im just saying its a bad choice on your part if your serious about being a captain.

By the way i have an upgraded master captains license so i know what I'm talking about

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: getting a Captains license

Dkennedy..... congratulations on using the search function. We applaud those efforts here hoowever, considering this question is over 3 years old we are certain that it has been resolved.

Search and read all you would like but please pay attention to the last post date before you volunteer an answer.

I will lock this post and let it drift back down into the archives.