How can I get a USCG Captain's license?

Question

I went to their website. They had stuff on there about towage and all this other stuff that I didn't really understand. Can anyone tell me how to get started on getting a captain's license? I need to know prices, requirements, etc

Answer 1

Boy you sure aim high. Join the CG and sign on as a deck-hand, study and work hard and don't be afraid to express you leadership qualities, without stepping on any high ranking toes. With any luck at all, you'll attain your desired goal before you reach retirement age.

It's not easy, but many others have been successful in the past.

Answer 2

You need to get time and the knowledge needed to pass the USCG License exam.  The license you qualify for will be determined by the size of the boats you have run. You would most likely need to work as a deck hand to get time aboard larger vessels and the license is set by tonnage. Small pleasure boats would probably qualify you for a 6 pack license. That is the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels in a certain geographic area determined by your experience. There are schools you can attend to learn subject matter and give you the test. If you do it without the school you will save money but the schools really help cover the test materials. Good luck!

Answer 3

The first thing you need to do is to get a job working on a boat. You don't need a license for that but you must log down all your time while working on the boat. The tonnage refer to the size of the boat/ship the higher tonnage the difficult is is to get a license. There are study books you can get and courses you can take  There is an awful lot to learn before you can get a captains license. On the other hand if you have a small boat and want to charter it them you can get a six pack license with out to much difficulty. There isn't much money in that, the big money is working on bigger boat/ship. Working on good boats can be a really rewarding job and provide you a great income. Remember to try and fined a boat you can work on even if it just as deckhand to start.. That is where you'll start to learn. On the web under USCG License they have a quiz giving you an overview of some of the requirements. Good luck.