Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels?

Question

i need info on an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels or "6 Pack license "

i have looked stuff up

but i found nothnig on the one thing i need to know..

where to start?

some of the things i need to know are

how old do you have to be?

how long does it take to get one?

and i found one thnig that said "A minimum of 360 days of sea service is required "

but does that mean ANY kind of job on a boat?

or what?

any thnig you can tell me would help

Answer 1

Read 46 CFR 10 to get licensing requirements.  The test questions are publically accessible on the web.  There are many trade schools that offer OUPV courses.

Answer 2

18 is minimum

pass a drug test

be fingerprinted

have someone(s) who has a boat(s) that you have worked on sign the sea service forms that say you were aboard at least 8 hours on any given day for a total of 365 days. Those people have to show boat registration, proof of ownership etc.

Yep, the test questions are available on line; hunt around for them....and Sea School is probably the best known of the license test prep schools...expensive, but there are lots of hoops to jump and i's to dot and tee's to cross....

if your local Coasties aren't overwhelmed with work they are pretty good at answering questions; even better is the local Coast Guard Auxillary or US Power Squadron

Answer 3

Find a class - it is the best way to get your captain's license unless you are already a great navigator, have created a deviation table for your compass, and have studied all the rules of the road both international and coastal, know all the lights and sounds, and know the safety regulations in and out. Seriously, there are many good boat schools that will teach you the pertinent information. Even with 30 years of experience on the water, I still learned quite a lot. You have to be at least 18 to get your captain's license. The service requirements are for becoming an OUPV captain, which is what you asked about. You can perform other functions on a boat without that much experience, but not Captain.

As far as  how long it takes, it depends on which course you choose. I chose one that took 5 months, but it was one night per week - a great pace for actually allowing the information to sink in. Other classes are done over the course of 3 long weekends. The real time is spent filling out your sea duty paperwork, and then getting it signed by your skippers.

And for the record, a sea 'day' is 4 hours, not 8, but you can only claim one 'day' per 24 hour period.