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| » GOING ON A CHARTER BOAT?
DON'T TRUST YOUR LIVES TO JUST ANY CAPTAIN.
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Fishticker News... Just click on a headline
So, You Want To Be A Captain ?
When your done reviewing this page you will need to
click HERE To Continue on for
your step by step instruction on getting that license.
The Pro's and Con's Of Becoming A Captain !
Let me show you a question posed to us that is answered on
the "ask Captain Aquatic" page but promise me after you read the answer you will continue
to read at least this page.
Should I Be A Six Pack Captain Because I Can Be?
ANSWER:
I only deal in truths. I am not here to dazzle you
and sell you stuff. Understand that it is HARD to make a
living as a charter boat Captain unless you have another job or
you are financially secure.
So, if your getting your license to hang on your wall and brag
about it, or to do for fun be aware that you will be putting
thousands of dollars into it.
Yes, I know that in some ways I am cutting some of my own business out but as
I told you in the introduction, I will always tell you the way it is. I am not
a salesperson. However, even if after reading this you choose not to be a Captain,
I implore you to at MINIMUM get your Civilian Mariners Certificate mentioned below.
Running a charter business is EXPENSIVE. Ask anyone.
Then when you have to turn your boat into an inspected boat,
it gets into unGodly amounts. If you are not planning to put
your life into it DON'T. I know I am cutting some of my own
business here but it is just the plain truth.
Your other option is to be a CIVILIAN MARINER. What is that ?
Well, it is one of the most sought after certificate in boating
given only by SEA DRIVE.
You get trained by the pro's and your no longer "joe blow boater".
You are a mariner who knows boating, not one that pretends to know and makes a fool of themselves.
No, it may not make you a professional Captain, but then professional
Captain's have paid thousands to be Captains. They have spent many financially broke days on the
docks, as the storms and hurricanes pass by. Captain's have a liability that is almost unmatched in any other career.
Many people are not sure if they need to become
a captain or not. If you take paying passengers
you MUST be a licensed captain.
What is a paying passenger? Well its ANYONE that pays you in ANY
form for taking them out on a boat. The CFR regulates
what is a paying a passenger and what isn't - 46 USC 2101(21a)
defines "passenger for hire" as: "A passenger for whom
consideration is contributed as a condition of carriage on the
vessel, whether directly or indirectly flowing to the owner,
charterer, operator, agent, or any other person having an interest
in the vessel."
The act further defines "consideration" as:
"An economic benefit, inducement, right, or profit
including pecuniary payment accruing to an individual,
person, or entity, but not including a
voluntary sharing
of the actual expenses of the voyage, by monetary contribution
or donation of fuel, food, beverage, or other supplies."
This means if your buddy chips in for fuel, or provides lunch
you MUST be a licensed Captain.
Years ago this was not enforced much but all that changed on
Sept 11th , 2001. The Coast Guard is cracking down on illegal
charters.
The CFR
also regulates all the safety equipment you have
to have on your vessel whether recreational or commercial. What
is the CFR?
Well, if your a boater you SHOULD ALREADY know that. However,
most boaters do not.
The CFR is the Code Of Federal Regulations.
The entire code holds all Federal regulations. There are several
chapters that boaters NEED to be aware of. Those chapters are; chapter
33 and 46/47. Chapter 33 deals with recreational vessels
and small un-inspected passenger vessels.
Below are links to the CFR chapters you need to be aware of.
How can you become a captain ? Well, first you have to have
enough DOCUMENTED sea time to even apply.
There are a variety of types of "Captain's licenses".
There is a six-pack license which means
you may only take 6 or fewer passengers, there are inland and
near coastal license and Master License. All of these require different amounts of
DOCUMENTED sea time.
Review this page to see if you have enough sea time for the
license you are interested in.
Captain's License Sea Time
Special Note: - Remember licensed Captain or not, if you drive
a boat you are REQUIRED to know the Rules of the Road.
You can click
You can purchase Rules Of The Road Book from your local marine store. You may find that
remembering all the rules, lights and shapes seems to be an insurmountable
task. You may also find that it is full of legalese and tons of things that
can be interpreted in many different ways. That makes it difficult to know
how the Coast Guard sees it.
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