How a six-pack captain license actually works on paper

Last updated 2026-08-21

What is a six-pack captain?

A six-pack captain is a person who holds a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential with an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels endorsement. That card is the federal ticket to take paying passengers on an uninspected boat, six people or fewer, on the route printed on the endorsement.

The nickname is just the passenger cap. Federal statute sets the uninspected passenger vessel cap at 6 passengers, including at least one passenger-for-hire, for vessels under 100 gross tons (46 U.S.C. 2101). ^[2] Holding this endorsement alone does not make you the master of an inspected small passenger vessel. Different law. Different inspection. Different credential.

46 U.S.C. 8903 is blunt: "An uninspected passenger vessel shall be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary to operate that type of vessel, under prescribed regulations." ^[1] That is the job. No MMC with the right endorsement, no fare, no tip you treat as pay, no charter fee. Friends on a private ride sit in another legal box. The second money changes hands for the ride, you are in passenger-for-hire territory.

The endorsement lives on the MMC and is limited to less than 100 GRT. The route line may read inland, Great Lakes and inland, or near coastal. A limited local route on one lake or river is also real. Do not market yourself as a six-pack captain until the plastic is in your hand. Insurers ask for the credential number. Boarding officers do too.

How do you start as a six-pack captain?

You start by logging vessel service, then you file a Merchant Mariner Credential application for an OUPV endorsement with the Coast Guard National Maritime Center. A weekend class by itself does not make the ride legal. You also need a medical evaluation, a chemical test, first aid and CPR, a TWIC in most files, and you sit the exams (or finish a Coast Guard approved course that the current rules let stand in for those modules). Confirm the live forms and fees with NMC before you pay anyone. ^[3][4][5]

An applicant for an officer endorsement as OUPV must be at least 18 years of age under 46 CFR 11.201. ^[4] That is younger than the usual 19 year floor for many other officer endorsements. If you are 17, wait. Do not invent a workaround.

The practical order I would use is simple. Build a signed sea log now. Book first aid and CPR from a provider the Coast Guard still accepts. Get the physical on Form CG-719K. Get the drug test on the Coast Guard chemical test path, not a random clinic cup. Enroll for a TWIC. Then fill CG-719B and send the packet the way NMC is accepting packets the week you file. ^[5][8]

The federal card is the same card in every state. Local tax and harbor paper is not. If you plan to work Alabama or California, start the MMC file first, then stack the state stuff. Do not wait on a city business license to begin sea time. Days only count when you can prove them.

What license do you need to carry six paying passengers?

You need a Coast Guard MMC with an OUPV endorsement if the boat is uninspected, under 100 GRT, and you carry six or fewer passengers for hire. 46 CFR 15.605 requires that uninspected passenger vessel to be under the direction and control of an individual credentialed by the Coast Guard. ^[11]

A state boating safety card is not that credential. A NASBLA course is useful. It does not replace the MMC. A fishing guide license from a state wildlife agency is also not the OUPV. You may need both if you take anglers.

Go past six passengers and you generally leave the uninspected six-pack world. Inspected small passenger vessels live under a Certificate of Inspection and a different master endorsement. People try to blur that line with "crew" labels and kids on laps. Do not. The passenger count is a hard number, not a vibe.

Bareboat charter is a separate structure. The Coast Guard looks at who has operational control, not at the word bareboat on your invoice. If you stay aboard and run the trip, treat it as a six-pack job and hold the endorsement. Playing paper games here is a waste of money and a fast way to lose insurance.

Compare the common paths before you pick a school.

Path	Typical passenger limit	Vessel status	Credential
Original OUPV (six-pack)	6	Uninspected, under 100 GRT	MMC with OUPV
Limited local OUPV	6, named waters	Uninspected, under 100 GRT	MMC with limited OUPV
Master on an inspected SPV	Set by the COI	Inspected small passenger vessel	Master endorsement matching the COI

How much sea time does the Coast Guard want for OUPV?

46 CFR 11.467 sets the common original OUPV sea service bar at 360 days, with recent service required in the three years before application. ^[3] That 360 and 90 split is the number most original six-pack files are built on. Read the current section the week you file. Limited local routes can use a shorter, water-specific service path. Confirm that option in the live CFR text. Do not plan a business on a forum summary of an old limited endorsement.

Near coastal is not a free upgrade. You need service on ocean or near-coastal waters for that route, commonly 90 days of the 360. Inland days stay inland. If your whole log is a reservoir, file for the waters you can prove.

Use Form CG-719S for small vessel service unless you have discharges that NMC already accepts. ^[13] I would log date, vessel name and official number or state number, gross tons, waters, hours, and the job you actually did. Get the owner to sign while they still remember you. Recreating three years of days from memory is how packets stall.

Nobody has good public data on first-file sea service kickbacks. NMC does not publish a clean reject rate by form error. The closest honest rule is this. If the day is not on a signed 719S or another accepted record, assume it does not count.

What paper goes in a six-pack captain application packet?

The core packet is Form CG-719B (the application), CG-719K (medical evaluation), CG-719P or another accepted chemical test record, sea service evidence (often CG-719S), first aid and CPR proof, TWIC evidence, identity and citizenship or nationality evidence, and the user fees NMC lists that week. ^[5][8][13] 46 CFR 10.225 is the original officer endorsement application rule. ^[5] 46 CFR 10.209 is the general application procedure rule. ^[14]

Print the current National Maritime Center OUPV checklist. Tick it. One missing page is a long delay. I will not quote a processing clock. Those clocks move. There is no approval guarantee and no honest public SLA you should bet a season on.

User fees are published and they change. Confirm them on the NMC user fees page the week you write the check, not from a 2019 blog. ^[9] If a school quotes "Coast Guard fees included," make them show the live NMC schedule.

If you want forms and a paper map in one binder, OUPVPath sells a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start. This site is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a filing service. You can build the same packet from the .gov forms alone. I would still do that reading even if you buy a kit.

Keep a full photocopy or PDF of everything you send. When an evaluator asks a question, you want the same page they have.

Do you need a TWIC, drug test, and medical certificate?

Yes for a normal original six-pack file. Most OUPV applicants need a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, a medical certificate built from CG-719K, and a chemical test that meets 46 CFR part 16. ^{[6][7][10][12]}

46 CFR 10.203 ties officer endorsements to TWIC. ^[12] TSA runs enrollment. Confirm the current price, documents, and appointment rules with TSA, not with a marina rumor. ^[10] Start TWIC early. A card that arrives after you hoped to sit exams is a self-inflicted stall.

Medical standards sit in 46 CFR 10.302 and the sections after it. ^[6] Vision and hearing have numeric floors. Some conditions can be waived. Do not self-diagnose a waiver off a forum thread. See a clinician who has actually finished a 719K. Disclose the history on the form. Late surprises sink files.

The drug test is a Coast Guard chemical test, not a sports physical. 46 CFR 16.220 is the periodic chemical testing rule. ^[7] You need the right panel, the right lab, and chain of custody. A cheap clinic cup with no CG-719P (or accepted equivalent) is a waste of money.

First aid and CPR are their own paper. 46 CFR 11.201 requires original officer applicants to present valid first aid and CPR credentials, with timing limits in that section. ^[4] Take the class inside the window the rule actually uses. A card from four years ago will not save you.

What exams do six-pack captain applicants sit?

You sit deck modules that match the route on the endorsement you want. The usual OUPV set covers Rules of the Road plus navigation and deck subjects. Some people use a Coast Guard approved course that the current approval letter lets stand in for those modules. Confirm that substitution with NMC exam information and the school's approval, not with the sales page.

Study Rules until you can teach them. That is the module people fail. Inland rules and international rules are not the same exam world. Match the book to the water you claimed on the application.

A live course can be worth the bill if you test poorly alone. A luxury week at a resort price for the same CFR outline is a waste. A stale question dump from an unnamed site is also a waste. If the school cannot show a current approval, walk.

Bring the ID NMC and the exam site both list. Name mismatches between TWIC, 719B, and your passport are a classic day-of mess. Fix the name before you travel.

Should you file inland, Great Lakes, or near coastal?

File the route you can prove with sea time and the exam path you can finish. The route is printed on the MMC. Inland does not become near coastal because you bought a better plotter.

Near coastal OUPV needs ocean or near-coastal service. If your days are a Midwestern lake, apply inland or for a limited local endorsement on that water. You can raise the route later with more days and more modules. Raising later is slower than people admit. It is still cleaner than a denial on waters you never worked.

Limited local OUPV is a real tool on one big lake or river if that is the whole business. It is a poor fit if you intend to trailer between coasts or chase seasonal fish.

If the work is Alaska, read near-coastal and cold water reality before you file an inland-only card and hope. Same federal credential family. Different water, different insurance questions. The Alaska six-pack license walkthrough is the state-flavored version of this same MMC.

What does first-year six-pack operations look like on paper?

The license is not a business. First year you still need vessel paper that matches how you operate, state and local tax accounts, income tax, and insurance that actually names passenger-for-hire. Many recreational policies exclude paid trips. Collect written quotes before you paint a logo on the hull.

There is no national six-pack business license. Harbor commercial activity permits, seller's permits, and city tax certificates are local. California license paper is not Colorado license paper. Start the federal card first, then read the state guide for the water you will work, including how to start in Colorado.

If you carry anglers, expect a second agency. State fish and wildlife guide credentials sit on top of OUPV in a lot of places. Confirm with that state's fish and game office. Do not take a warden's word from a different county as the rule.

Passenger-for-hire drug testing rules can reach you once you are a marine employer. If you add a paid deckhand, read 46 CFR part 16 again. A one-person skiff and a two-person crew are not the same compliance load.

Count heads like a boarding officer will. Six means six passengers. Infants count. Complimentary "friends" who paid last week still look like passengers if the pattern is pay-to-ride.

How much does the six-pack captain path cost?

Cost splits into Coast Guard user fees, TWIC, the medical visit, the chemical test, first aid and CPR, optional school, travel to an exam site, then later insurance and state paper. The credential line is usually the small line. Insurance is the large one.

USCG user fees are on a public schedule and they change. Confirm them on the National Maritime Center user fees page before you write a number into a business plan. ^[9] I will not invent a current evaluation or issuance fee here. Forum screenshots go stale.

TWIC is a TSA price, not a Coast Guard price. ^[10] Medical and drug testing are clinic prices in your zip code. Schools run from a few hundred dollars for a no-frills approved course to well over a thousand for a live week with housing. Pay for a current approval letter, not for a waterfront view.

Budget hull and liability insurance for hire before you budget a bigger outboard. A cheap MMC in a drawer does not launch a season if no underwriter will name the operation.

What trips people up on the first OUPV application?

Unsigned sea service. Days on the wrong waters for the route requested. A chemical test that is too old or from the wrong panel. A medical history that appears for the first time in a hospital record. Names that do not match across TWIC, 719B, and the passport. Applying near coastal on a lake log.

Thinking a state guide license is the six-pack captain credential. It is not.

Character and suitability can stop a clean sea log. 46 CFR 10.211 is the safety and suitability review. Convictions are sometimes waivable and sometimes not. If your record is not clean, read that section and the current NMC guidance before you pay a school. I would rather pause six months than burn fees on a file that cannot issue.

No one can promise you an issue date. Anyone who does is selling. Keep copies. Answer NMC questions with documents, not speeches.

Is state business paper the same as the federal six-pack license?

No. The MMC is federal. It does not replace a city business tax certificate, a state seller's permit, a harbor commercial activity permit, or a state fishing guide card.

Work the federal file first so the credential number exists when an insurer or harbor master asks. Then open the state pile. The start guides for Arizona and Arkansas are the same idea as the Alabama start path: one national card, then local paper.

Federal waters still sit next to state fish, alcohol, and protected-area rules. A six-pack beer cruise can trip a state ABC rule that has nothing to do with 46 CFR. Confirm those with the state agency that actually writes the permit. This publication is not a law firm and will not pretend a harbor story is a statute.

How do you keep a six-pack captain credential after you get it?

Renewal is its own paper path. You need continued professional competence under the current officer renewal rules (sea time or an accepted refresher, depending on the live text), a current medical certificate, and usually a valid TWIC. The MMC and the medical certificate are related and they are not the same document. Do not let the medical expire while you still advertise trips. NMC explains medical certificates on its medical certificate page. ^[15]

For a state-flavored walkthrough of the same federal renewal, see Six-pack captain renewal in California. The card is still issued by the Coast Guard.

Raising from OUPV to Master 25, 50, or 100 is a new evaluation, more sea time, and more exams. Fine goal if you will actually carry inspected passengers or need the tonnage. If six paying seats is the business you can book this year, finish OUPV and go to work.

For a single packet of OUPV and bareboat paper maps, the OUPVPath kit is at /start. Use it or ignore it. The statutes and forms above are the path either way.

Frequently asked questions

What is six-pack captain?

A six-pack captain holds a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement. That endorsement authorizes operation of an uninspected passenger vessel under 100 GRT with six or fewer passengers for hire on the route printed on the card. It is a federal officer endorsement, not a state boating safety card.

How do you start six-pack captain?

Log vessel service you can prove, then file an original MMC application for OUPV with the National Maritime Center. Pair that file with a CG-719K medical, an accepted chemical test, first aid and CPR, a TWIC, and the exams or an approved course. Confirm live forms and fees with NMC. Add state tax and guide paper after the federal card is in motion.

How many passengers can a six-pack captain carry?

Six passengers, including at least one passenger-for-hire, on an uninspected vessel under 100 gross tons. That cap comes from the federal definition of an uninspected passenger vessel in 46 U.S.C. 2101. Going past six generally moves you into inspected small passenger vessel rules and a different master credential.

How old do you have to be for an OUPV six-pack license?

Eighteen. 46 CFR 11.201 sets a lower age floor for an OUPV officer endorsement than the usual 19 year floor for many other officer endorsements. If you are under 18, you can log service, but you cannot be issued the endorsement yet. Confirm you meet every other original-issue rule before you pay a school.

How many sea days do you need for a six-pack captain license?

The common original path in 46 CFR 11.467 is 360 days of vessel service, including recent service in the three years before you apply. Near coastal usually needs ocean or near-coastal days inside that total. Limited local endorsements can use a shorter, water-specific record. Put the days on CG-719S or another record NMC accepts.

Is a six-pack captain license the same as Master 100?

No. OUPV is a distinct endorsement for uninspected passenger vessels under 100 GRT with six or fewer passengers. Master 100 is a master endorsement with different sea service, exam, and authority. You can hold both over a career. You should not advertise Master authority on an OUPV-only card.

Do you need STCW for a domestic six-pack?

Usually no for a purely domestic OUPV route on an uninspected six-passenger boat. STCW is a separate international training regime. If your work later includes international voyages or certain inspected vessels, the picture changes. Read the endorsement you are actually requesting and do not buy STCW modules you cannot use.

Can kids sit extra if you already have six adults?

No. Treat every passenger as a head in the count of six. The statute does not give you bonus seats for infants or complimentary guests. If the pattern of the trip is pay-to-ride, those people are passengers. I would rather turn a booking away than explain a seventh person to a boarding officer.

Does every state issue its own six-pack captain license?

No. The six-pack credential is a federal MMC endorsement issued through the Coast Guard. States may still require business licenses, tax accounts, harbor permits, or fishing guide cards. Those are extra. They do not replace OUPV, and OUPV does not replace them.

How long does the Coast Guard take to issue OUPV?

There is no honest fixed number you should put in a business plan. Evaluation queues change. Incomplete files sit. Suitability reviews add time. Confirm current submission instructions with the National Maritime Center the week you file, and do not accept an approval or timing guarantee from a school or a website.

Do you need a TWIC for an OUPV six-pack application?

In a normal original officer file, yes. 46 CFR 10.203 ties officer endorsements to a Transportation Worker Identification Credential. TSA runs enrollment and sets the current price and appointment rules. Start TWIC early so the card exists when NMC evaluates the MMC packet.

What is the difference between inspected and uninspected for a six-pack?

An uninspected passenger vessel under 100 GRT carrying six or fewer passengers for hire is the classic six-pack boat. It does not hold a small passenger Certificate of Inspection. Carry more passengers and you generally need an inspected vessel, a COI, and a matching master endorsement. The passenger number is the fork in the road.

Can you run a six-pack on a documented vessel?

Yes, if the vessel is otherwise eligible as an uninspected passenger vessel and you stay inside the six-passenger cap and the 100 GRT cap. Documentation is Coast Guard vessel paper. It is not a substitute for your personal MMC. Match the vessel's documents, marking, and insurance to passenger-for-hire use.

What form do you use to claim small vessel sea service?

Form CG-719S is the Coast Guard small vessel sea service form most six-pack applicants use. Owner signatures, vessel identifiers, waters, and dates need to be complete. Discharges from larger vessels can also count if they meet NMC rules. If a day is not on an accepted record, plan as if it will not count.

Sources

1. 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 under prescribed regulations.
2. U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 2101, General definitions: An uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons is defined as carrying not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger-for-hire.
3. eCFR 46 CFR 11.467, OUPV endorsement requirements: Original OUPV endorsement service standards, including the common 360-day path and route limits under 100 GRT.
4. eCFR 46 CFR 11.201, General officer endorsement requirements: OUPV applicants must be at least 18, and original officer applicants must present first aid and CPR credentials under the timing in this section.
5. eCFR 46 CFR 10.225, Applications for original officer endorsements: Original officer endorsement applications must meet the Coast Guard MMC application requirements in this section.
6. eCFR 46 CFR 10.302, Medical and physical requirements: Medical and physical standards for merchant mariner medical certificates apply to officer endorsement applicants.
7. eCFR 46 CFR 16.220, Periodic chemical testing: Coast Guard chemical testing rules govern the drug test evidence used in credential applications.
8. U.S. Coast Guard NMC, Form CG-719B Application for Merchant Mariner Credential: CG-719B is the application form used to request an original Merchant Mariner Credential and officer endorsement.
9. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, User Fees: Current Coast Guard merchant mariner credential user fees are published on the NMC user fees page and should be confirmed at filing.
10. Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program page: TSA administers Transportation Worker Identification Credential enrollment, pricing, and appointment rules.
11. eCFR 46 CFR 15.605, Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: Each uninspected passenger vessel must be under the direction and control of a Coast Guard credentialed operator.
12. eCFR 46 CFR 10.203, TWIC requirement: Officer endorsements generally require a valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
13. U.S. Coast Guard NMC, Form CG-719S Small Vessel Sea Service Form: CG-719S is the small vessel sea service form used to document days toward an OUPV endorsement.
14. eCFR 46 CFR 10.209, General application procedures: General MMC application procedures, including how applicants submit required evidence, are set in this section.
15. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Medical Certificate: NMC issues merchant mariner medical certificates separately from the MMC and publishes current medical certificate instructions.