Last updated 2026-08-21
TL;DR
A six-pack captain holds a Coast Guard OUPV endorsement on a Merchant Mariner Credential. That paper lets you take up to six passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel, generally not more than 100 GRT. Document 360 sea days, then add TWIC, a medical certificate, a chemical test, first aid and CPR, a course or exam, and the MMC fees in 46 CFR 10.219.
What is a six-pack captain?
A six-pack captain is someone who holds a U.S. Coast Guard Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels endorsement. People say six-pack. The credential says OUPV. It sits on a Merchant Mariner Credential, and it is the federal license that matches small-boat work for hire when you stay at six passengers or fewer.
The nickname is not marina folklore. 46 U.S.C. 2101 describes an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons as a vessel "carrying not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger-for-hire." [5]
That is the cap. A seventh paying seat is not a gray area. It is a different vessel category with different inspection and manning rules.
46 U.S.C. 8903 then requires a licensed operator on an uninspected passenger vessel. The Coast Guard meets that statute with the OUPV endorsement in 46 CFR 11.467. [1][6]
You operate uninspected boats, generally not more than 100 GRT, with six or fewer passengers. You do not get a free pass because the extra person is a cousin. If money changes hands, count passengers the way the statute counts them.
The MMC is the booklet. The OUPV is the endorsement printed in it. Saying you "got your six-pack" means NMC issued that card. Until the card exists, you are an applicant, not a captain for hire under federal manning rules. 46 CFR 15.605 points the operator duty back at a licensed person. [12]
OUPV applicants must be at least 18 years of age under 46 CFR 11.201. Most other officer endorsements sit at 21. [2]
This is not a state fishing-guide card. Some states sell those too. They do not replace the Coast Guard credential on waters where federal rules apply. If you want the next credential people mix this up with, read six-pack captain vs nearby career. Master 100 GRT is a different endorsement. Different sea time. Different exam outline.
I'd use six-pack in marketing only after the MMC is in your pocket. The paper path is OUPV. Call it that when you fill forms.
How do you start six-pack captain?
You start by counting sea days and building a file the National Maritime Center can score. You do not start by ordering embroidered hats.
46 CFR 10.225 is the original-officer application rule. It expects identity, TWIC-related evidence, medical fitness, a chemical test, proof of service, and fees. 46 CFR 11.201 adds first aid and CPR for an original officer endorsement. Sea time for this specific job sits in 46 CFR 11.467. [8][2][1]
Here is the order I'd actually use.
Count the days you already have. Recreational skippering can count for OUPV if you can prove it. 46 CFR 10.232 is the service-documentation rule. Write letters that name the vessel, official number or description, waters, dates, and what you did. Signatures matter. [4]
Get a TWIC through TSA. Confirm current enrollment cost and appointment rules on TSA's TWIC page. Forum prices go stale. [7]
Book first aid and CPR so the cards are still inside the one-year window on the day you apply. 46 CFR 11.201 is picky about that window. [2]
Take a Coast Guard-approved OUPV course, or sit the Coast Guard exam. I would take the course if the school is truly approved. A state boating-safety class is not an OUPV course. People pay for the wrong one every spring.
Complete the medical process on CG-719K and a chemical test NMC will accept. Then pay the user fees in Table 1 to 46 CFR 10.219 and file the original officer package the way NMC currently wants it sent. [9][3][11]
An original officer endorsement evaluation fee is $100 in Table 1 to 46 CFR 10.219. Issuance is $45 in the same table. Examination is $45 if you sit the Coast Guard exam instead of using an approved course. [3]
Confirm those amounts and the pay method with the National Maritime Center user-fee page before you write a check. [11]
Nobody has a public, current national average for original OUPV processing time that I'd trust in print. Confirm receipt practice with NMC. Do not take a guaranteed date from a school brochure.
If you want forms and a Bareboat paper path in one bundle, OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start. Skip it if your course already walks CG-719B with you. The Coast Guard does not require a commercial kit.
For a tighter first-file checklist, see six-pack captain guide 12.
How much sea time does an OUPV need?
Plan on 360 days of service for a standard OUPV. That number lives in 46 CFR 11.467, not in a school sales deck. Read the current section before you spend money, because inland, near-coastal, and limited routes do not ask for identical water time. [1]
A day of service is not "I went to the boat once in July." 46 CFR 10.232 tells you how to prove service with discharges, letters, and other records. Thin letters get files returned. [4]
Near-coastal OUPV needs a share of those 360 days on waters that match that route. Inland OUPV does not. The exact split is in 11.467. I would print that section and highlight it. That is the paragraph people misread, then they buy the wrong course module.
There is also a limited OUPV. 46 CFR 11.467 lets the Coast Guard restrict an endorsement to a named geographic area, with a lower service ask (commonly discussed as 90 days in that area). Confirm the current limited-OUPV paragraph in 11.467 before you plan a whole career around it. Limited means limited. You do not later stretch it into a coastwise six-pack by hoping. [1]
Recreational time can count. That is one reason OUPV is the usual first officer endorsement for people who grew up running family boats. Document it while the owner is still willing to sign. Waiting five years and then asking for a letter is how sea-time files die.
I would not invent days. NMC can ask questions. If a season was 40 days, write 40.
Great Lakes, inland rivers, and ocean time are not interchangeable for every endorsement. Match the waters on your letters to the waters you want printed on the MMC. If you need a slower walk through service letters, six-pack captain guide 18 is the next read.
360 days is a long calendar if you only boat on weekends. That is the real gate, not the exam.
What documents go in an original OUPV file?
An original OUPV file is an original officer application. 46 CFR 10.225 is the checklist in regulation form: identity and nationality evidence, TWIC, medical certificate, chemical test, sea service, and fees. 46 CFR 10.209 covers general application procedure. [8][13]
Expect CG-719B (application), CG-719K (physical), sea-service letters or discharges, first aid and CPR cards, course completion or exam evidence, TWIC evidence, photos if NMC still asks for them in the current instructions, and payment.
46 CFR 11.201 is the first-aid rule. Original officer applicants have to show first aid and CPR completed within 1 year of the application date. A card from three summers ago will not do. [2]
Sea service has to look like 46 CFR 10.232, not like a character reference. Vessel name. Dates. Waters. Your function. Who is signing and why they know. [4]
Citizenship is the piece people overthink. 46 CFR 10.221 generally requires U.S. citizenship for officer endorsements, with an OUPV exception. If you are not a citizen, read 10.221 yourself and confirm with NMC. Do not take citizenship advice from a dock. [14]
I would photocopy the whole stack before it leaves your hands. NMC is a records shop. If a page vanishes, you want the copy.
Forms change. Confirm the current CG-719 series on Coast Guard form lists, not on a blog screenshot from 2019. For a page-by-page walk of the same stack, use six-pack captain guide 24.
Mailing a pretty folder does not help. Complete, consistent names across TWIC, application, and sea letters do help.
How much does six-pack captain licensing cost?
Coast Guard credential fees are the only dollars I will print as a table, because they are in regulation. Table 1 to 46 CFR 10.219 sets original officer evaluation at $100, examination at $45, and issuance at $45. [3]
If you pass an approved course, you usually skip the Coast Guard exam fee. You still owe evaluation and issuance unless a current NMC instruction says otherwise. Confirm how to pay on the NMC user-fee page. [11]
Everything else is variable. TWIC enrollment is a TSA charge, not a 10.219 line. Schools set their own OUPV tuition. Medical providers set CG-719K prices. Chemical-test labs set theirs. State guide licenses, if your state has them, are another counter.
I would not budget from a YouTube total. I would budget the CFR fees as known, then call TSA, one clinic, one lab, and two approved schools for today's numbers. Write those down. The spread on tuition is wide. Some of that spread is location. Some of it is schools selling extra modules you do not need for a first OUPV.
Radar is a common upsell. I would not buy radar for a first six-pack file unless you already know you need it for the waters and vessels you will run. It is not the core OUPV ask.
Renewal is cheaper in the same fee table than an original. That is later. Right now you are paying original-officer money.
No quota figures belong here. NMC does not publish a public "six-pack slots left this month" number I'd cite. If a salesperson uses scarcity, walk away.
For a cost worksheet you can keep next to the CFR table, see six-pack captain guide 30.
Do you need a TWIC, a physical, and a drug test?
Yes. Treat those three as gates, not as optional extras.
TWIC is TSA's Transportation Worker Identification Credential. Coast Guard officer applications expect TWIC evidence. Enroll through TSA and confirm current price, locations, and what to bring. [7][8]
The physical is a merchant mariner medical certificate process, not a sports-physical scribble. 46 CFR 10.302 is the medical-standard rule. NMC's medical page is where current CG-719K instructions live. Use a practitioner who has actually seen that form. [9][10]
Vision, color vision, and hearing get people. If you already know you have a color-vision issue, read 10.302 and the current medical guidance NMC posts before you pay a school. Waivers exist in some cases. They are not a vibe. They are a medical file.
The chemical test is the drug test 46 CFR 10.225 expects with an original officer application. A homemade clinic special may not meet marine-employer testing rules. Ask the lab if the test is the kind mariners use for MMC original applications. [8][15]
Timing matters. First aid has a one-year clock in 11.201. Drug tests and physicals have their own freshness windows in current NMC instruction. Confirm those dates when you file, not when you start the course. [2]
I would book TWIC early. Appointments lag in some counties. The physical can wait until your sea letters are almost ready, so the medical certificate is still fresh when NMC opens the file.
None of this is a personality test. It is identity, fitness, and chemical testing. Budget time for it.
Should you file inland or near-coastal OUPV?
File the route that matches the water you can prove and the water you will work. Inland is not a participation trophy. Near-coastal is not automatically better.
46 CFR 11.467 distinguishes those routes and the service that supports them. Near-coastal OUPV is the usual ask if you will run ocean or near-coastal trips within the miles printed on the credential (commonly discussed as not more than 100 miles offshore). Inland is the honest file if all your days and all your work are inland waters. [1]
I would not file near-coastal on inland-only letters. NMC can restrict you. You will have paid for a course module you cannot use yet.
Limited OUPV is the third choice. Named place. Lower service. Tight cage. Fine for a lake you will never leave. A waste if you already know you will chase work down the coast next year.
Look at your letters. If 80 percent of your days are a single reservoir, inland or limited may be the adult move. If you already have ocean days, use them.
State borders do not equal Coast Guard routes. "I boat in Florida" is not a route endorsement. Inland vs near-coastal is about waters, not about your driver's license.
If you later want Master, the route you hold still matters for what service counts. That is a later problem. First OUPV should match today's proof. six-pack captain guide 36 goes deeper on route language on the MMC.
When unsure, read 11.467 aloud and pick the narrower true statement. Stretching the waters on an application is how files stall.
Does recreational time count toward a six-pack license?
Often yes. OUPV is one of the few officer endorsements where recreational experience is widely used, and 46 CFR 11.467 is the endorsement rule you pair with the documentation rule in 10.232. [1][4]
The Coast Guard still wants proof. A photo of you on a bow does not equal 360 days. Letters from owners, logbooks, and other records that identify the vessel and the dates do.
I would write the letter the year the days happen. Parents sell boats. Marinas change names. Memories get generous.
Include horsepower or vessel size only if it helps identify the boat. Do not dress a 16-foot skiff up like a small passenger ship. Accuracy beats swagger.
Time as a passenger does not count. Time as the person actually operating, or performing deck service the letter can defend, is the point. If you were 14 and holding a rod, that is not operator service.
Commercial days count too, and they are usually easier to prove with discharges. Mix them if you have them.
If a friend offers to "sign whatever," stop. False sea service is a credentialing problem, not a paperwork shortcut.
Keep a simple spreadsheet: date, vessel, waters, hours or day-count method, witness. Turn that into letters later. six-pack captain guide 42 is useful if you are reconstructing older recreational years and need a sober method.
What does a six-pack captain do after the MMC arrives?
You still have a boat, a passenger cap, and a pile of non-license rules. The MMC lets you be the licensed operator. It does not inspect the hull for you, sell you insurance, or replace a state guide license.
Stay at six passengers on an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 GRT, with at least one passenger-for-hire in the statutory definition. 46 U.S.C. 2101 is still the cap after you are licensed. [5]
Count heads every trip. Crew-versus-passenger arguments get people in trouble when the extra body is clearly along for the ride.
Federal manning still wants a licensed operator in charge. 46 CFR 15.605 is not optional because you "only went two miles." [12]
Then layer the boring work. Vessel numbering or documentation. State registration. Local harbor rules. If you carry fishing clients, state fish-guide credentials where they exist. Commercial insurance is a business choice. I will not invent premiums. Call actual marine insurers and tell them you are OUPV six-passenger uninspected. The quote will change with hull value and waters.
Keep a copy of the MMC on the boat. Keep TWIC current. Watch medical-certificate expiration. Officer endorsements and medical certificates are not the same clock.
I would not take seven people and call one a deckhand if they are really a paying uncle. That is how six-pack work turns into an inspection conversation you will not enjoy.
First-year operations are mostly restraint. Small boat. Six people. Weather you can actually handle. For a first-season ops list, see six-pack captain guide 48.
What mistakes stall OUPV applications?
Sea-service letters are the usual wreck. Missing vessel identification, missing dates, missing signature, or a letter that sounds like a toast. Write them like 46 CFR 10.232 wants records written. [4]
Expired first aid is second. 46 CFR 11.201 wants first aid and CPR within 1 year of the application. People finish the OUPV course in March and apply in July with a CPR card from the prior spring. That file sits. [2]
Name mismatch is third. TWIC, application, old discharges, and sea letters should use the same legal name. Hyphens, middle names, and married names create extra correspondence.
Wrong course is fourth. State NASBLA boating-safety cards are fine for recreational requirements. They are not an approved OUPV officer course.
Fees paid wrong is fifth. Table 1 to 46 CFR 10.219 is clear on evaluation, exam, and issuance. NMC still wants the current payment method. [3][11]
Applying before 360 days is just hope. Count first.
I have not seen a public dataset that states what share of original OUPV files bounce for letter defects. Talk to credentialing shops and you hear the same story anyway: the letters.
Do not call NMC for legal loopholes. Call to confirm a form version, a fee, or whether they have your file. Keep the conversation short.
If you need a punch-list of return-to-sender items, six-pack captain guide 54 is the companion page.
Is a six-pack captain the same as Master 100 GRT?
No. A six-pack captain holds OUPV. Master 100 GRT is a different officer endorsement, with different service, different authority, and a different exam outline. 46 CFR 11.467 is OUPV. Master rules sit elsewhere in part 11. [1]
OUPV is built around uninspected passenger vessels and the six-passenger cap in 46 U.S.C. 2101. Master 100 is the usual next conversation when the boat, the passenger count, or the employer asks for a master. [5]
I would not buy a Master course on day one if your actual work is six people on a center console. You will sit extra material, pay extra tuition, and still need the sea time Master wants.
Some people do go straight at Master if they already have the days. That is a sea-time decision, not a personality decision. Count days against the actual CFR section for Master before you pay.
STCW is another mix-up. A national OUPV for typical near-coastal or inland six-pack work is not the same as an STCW deck endorsement for seagoing ships. If your world is uninspected six-passenger trips, stay in the national OUPV lane unless a specific job letter says otherwise.
Use six-pack captain vs nearby career when you are ready to compare paths without a salesperson in the room.
Get OUPV right first. Master is optional until the work demands it.
What should you confirm with the Coast Guard before you apply?
Confirm the live form numbers, the live fee-pay method, and the live medical-certificate instructions. Regulations in 46 CFR 10.219, 10.225, 10.302, and 11.467 are the backbone. NMC tells you how those rules are being administered this month. [3][8][9][1]
Confirm your school is approved for the OUPV endorsement you want, inland or near-coastal. A flyer is not approval.
Confirm TWIC status with TSA, not with your course admin. [7]
Confirm that your first aid and CPR dates will still be valid on the application date under 46 CFR 11.201. [2]
Do not ask NMC to promise an issue date. They should not, and I will not either.
Print 46 CFR 11.467 and 10.232. Highlight your route and your proof method. That pair of sections is the whole sea-time argument. [1][4]
OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. If you want the kit as a paper companion, it is the $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start. You can finish this path with the CFR, NMC, TSA, and an honest sea-service file and never touch a kit.
The board that matters is the National Maritime Center. Confirm with them. Then file once, complete.
Frequently asked questions
What is six-pack captain?
A six-pack captain is a person who holds a Coast Guard OUPV endorsement on a Merchant Mariner Credential. It authorizes operating an uninspected passenger vessel, generally not more than 100 GRT, with not more than six passengers. The six-passenger cap is in 46 U.S.C. 2101. The endorsement rule is 46 CFR 11.467. It is a federal license, not a state nickname.
How do you start six-pack captain?
Count 360 days of documentable sea service, then add TWIC, CG-719K medical, a chemical test, first aid and CPR within one year, an approved OUPV course or Coast Guard exam, and MMC user fees under 46 CFR 10.219. File an original officer application under 46 CFR 10.225. Confirm current forms and pay methods with the National Maritime Center. No approval date is guaranteed.
How many passengers can a six-pack captain carry?
Six, on an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons, including at least one passenger-for-hire, per 46 U.S.C. 2101. The OUPV endorsement in 46 CFR 11.467 is built around that cap. A seventh passenger is not a rounding error. If you need more seats, you are in a different inspection and license conversation.
How old do you have to be for a six-pack license?
OUPV applicants must be at least 18 years of age under 46 CFR 11.201. Most other officer endorsements require age 21. Being 18 does not waive sea time, TWIC, medical, or fees. If you are 17 with lots of boat days, you wait. Confirm you meet 18 on the date NMC evaluates the file.
Does recreational boat time count for OUPV?
It can, if you can prove it under 46 CFR 10.232 and you meet the service in 46 CFR 11.467. Letters need vessel identity, dates, waters, your function, and a real signature. Passenger time does not count. Write letters while owners still remember you. Do not inflate days. False service is a credentialing problem.
How much are USCG MMC fees for an original OUPV?
Table 1 to 46 CFR 10.219 lists original officer evaluation at $100, examination at $45, and issuance at $45. An approved course usually replaces the exam fee. TWIC, tuition, physicals, and labs are separate and change. Confirm current Coast Guard payment steps on the National Maritime Center user-fee page before you pay.
Is a TWIC required for a six-pack captain application?
Yes. Original officer applications under 46 CFR 10.225 expect TWIC-related evidence. TSA runs enrollment. Confirm current cost, sites, and identity documents on TSA's TWIC page. Start TWIC early because appointments lag in some counties. Name on the TWIC should match the MMC application.
Do you need STCW for six-pack captain work?
Usually not for typical inland or near-coastal uninspected six-passenger work on a national OUPV. STCW is aimed at seagoing watchkeeping on vessels that fall under those conventions. If a specific employer or route demands STCW, that job letter controls. Read 46 CFR part 11 before you buy STCW modules you will not use.
What is a limited OUPV?
A limited OUPV is an OUPV restricted to a named geographic area under 46 CFR 11.467, with a lower service requirement than the standard 360-day OUPV. Confirm the current limited paragraph in 11.467, including the day count. It is useful if you will never leave one lake. It is a poor fit if you want coastwise charter work next season.
Can a non-citizen get an OUPV?
46 CFR 10.221 generally requires U.S. citizenship for officer endorsements, with an exception aimed at OUPV. If you are not a citizen, read 10.221 and confirm with the National Maritime Center before you pay a school. Work restrictions on vessels and waters can still apply even if the endorsement is available. Do not take citizenship answers from a marina group.
How long is first aid and CPR valid for the OUPV application?
46 CFR 11.201 requires original officer applicants to present first aid and CPR completed within 1 year of the application date. Course completion for OUPV does not freeze that clock. If CPR will age out before you file, retake it. Keep the certificates with the CG-719B packet so NMC does not have to ask.
What medical form does a six-pack captain use?
The merchant mariner physical is the CG-719K process under 46 CFR 10.302, administered through NMC medical evaluation. It is not a camp physical. Vision, color vision, and hearing matter. Use a practitioner who knows the form. Confirm current instructions on the National Maritime Center medical page, because worksheets and certificate rules get updated.
Inland or near-coastal OUPV, which should you file?
File the route that matches proven sea time and the waters you will work. 46 CFR 11.467 sets different service details for those routes. Inland-only letters should not be stretched into near-coastal. Near-coastal is the usual ask for ocean trips within the miles on the credential. When unsure, pick the narrower true description and read 11.467.
Do you need Master 100 instead of a six-pack license?
Only if the vessel, passenger count, or employer needs a master endorsement. OUPV covers uninspected six-passenger work under 46 CFR 11.467 and 46 U.S.C. 2101. Master 100 is a different part-11 endorsement with different sea time. I would not pay for Master on day one if your boat is a six-pack center console. Count days first.
Sources
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.467 Requirements for an endorsement as operator of uninspected passenger vessels (OUPV): OUPV endorsement rules, including service for standard and limited OUPV and inland versus near-coastal distinctions
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.201 General requirements for national and STCW officer endorsements: OUPV minimum age of 18 and original officer first aid and CPR within 1 year of application
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.219 Fees: Table 1 original officer MMC user fees of $100 evaluation, $45 examination, and $45 issuance
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.232 Sea service: How merchant mariner sea service must be documented for an MMC application
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 2101 Definitions: Uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons carries not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger-for-hire
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 8903 Uninspected passenger vessels: An uninspected passenger vessel must be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary
- TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program page: TSA administers TWIC enrollment, which Coast Guard officer applications rely on
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.225 Requirements for original officer endorsements and STCW endorsements: Original officer applications require identity, TWIC, medical fitness, chemical testing, service evidence, and fees
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.302 Medical and physical requirements: Medical standards for merchant mariner medical certificates, including vision and hearing criteria
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center medical and physical evaluation page: Current NMC instructions for merchant mariner physicals and CG-719K medical evaluation
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center user fees page: Current NMC instructions for paying MMC evaluation, examination, and issuance fees
- eCFR 46 CFR 15.605 Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: Uninspected passenger vessels must be operated by a credentialed operator
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.209 General application procedures: General procedures for submitting a merchant mariner credential application
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.221 Citizenship and equivalent requirements: Officer endorsements generally require U.S. citizenship, with an OUPV-related exception
- eCFR 46 CFR 16.220 Periodic chemical testing: Chemical testing rules that marine credentialing drug tests have to fit