Last updated 2026-08-21
TL;DR
A six-pack captain holds a U.S. Coast Guard OUPV endorsement and may carry no more than six passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel under 100 GRT. Start by documenting 360 days of sea service, then finish medical, drug, and TWIC steps and file with the National Maritime Center. Confirm current forms and fees with NMC. State permits sit on top of the federal license.
What is a six-pack captain?
A six-pack captain holds a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential with an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels endorsement. That federal officer endorsement is the paper that lets you take paying passengers on an uninspected vessel under 100 gross tons, with a hard cap of six passengers. It is not a state captain card. It is not a NASBLA boating-safety certificate.
People say six-pack because the statute that defines an uninspected passenger vessel under 100 gross tons stops at six passengers, including at least one passenger for hire.[2] Crew can stand beside those six. A seventh paying guest is not a rounding error. That seventh person can pull the trip out of uninspected status and into inspected-vessel rules you are not endorsed to run.
Federal law does not treat this as optional. 46 U.S.C. 8903 says: "An uninspected passenger vessel shall be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary to operate that type of vessel, with such additional qualifications as the Secretary may prescribe."[1] The Coast Guard does that work with the OUPV endorsement on an MMC. Manning rules then require a credentialed operator on the vessel.[12]
The work is commercial. Paid fishing, sunset loops, dive drops, harbor tours. If people pay and you stay in charge, you are in this bucket. A true demise (bareboat) charter, where you hand the vessel over and do not command it, is a different fact pattern. Mixing those two on the same afternoon is how operators get ugly mail.
Treat captain as a credential plus a vessel plus insurance, not a personality. The MMC is national. Your fishing license, sales tax account, and marina contract are local. Those local pieces fail people as often as the Coast Guard file does.
How do you start as a six-pack captain?
You start by proving 360 days of vessel service. Then you collect a TWIC, a Coast Guard medical exam, a drug test, first aid and CPR cards, and you file an original MMC application with the National Maritime Center. You do not start with a logo. You do not start by taking deposits for Saturday trips.
Print the current original OUPV checklist from NMC and work that list in order.[5][9] Sea service is the item that stalls most people. If you cannot honestly document 360 days, an approved course will not invent them. Pay for training later. Log days now.
Next, enroll for a TWIC, sit the CG-719K medical exam with a physician who will actually complete the Coast Guard form, and get a chemical test reported on the Coast Guard drug form.[6][7][10] Complete first aid and CPR that meet 46 CFR 11.201, not a random workplace video.[4] After that you either sit the OUPV exams at a Regional Exam Center or finish a Coast Guard approved course that waives those modules.
File when the packet is complete. Incomplete files sit. NMC wants the application (CG-719B), sea service evidence, identity and citizenship evidence, TWIC, medical, drug test, first aid and CPR, and the exam or course completion. Confirm the live form editions on the NMC forms page before you mail or upload anything.[9] Fees change. Confirm those on the NMC fees page, not on a blog from 2019.[8]
Only then build the business layer. That means a vessel that actually fits uninspected passenger use, marine liability insurance if you have anything to lose, and the state permits for the trips you sell. If you plan to work California or Alaska, read those state paper paths before you print brochures. Same for Alabama, Colorado, and Connecticut.
How many passengers can a six-pack captain carry?
Six paying passengers. That is the whole point of the nickname. It comes from the uninspected passenger vessel definition in 46 U.S.C. 2101 for vessels under 100 gross tons, which speaks of carrying not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger for hire.[2] 46 CFR 11.467 is the endorsement that matches that vessel class.[3]
Crew does not count against the six if those people are actually crew. Your mate, your deckhand, you. Passengers for hire do count. Friends who chip in for fuel can still be passengers. The Coast Guard looks at who paid and who is being carried, not at what you called them in a text thread.
| Rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers on a UPV under 100 GRT | 6 | 46 U.S.C. 2101 |
| Minimum OUPV sea service | 360 days | 46 CFR 11.467 |
| Recency | 90 days in 3 years | 46 CFR 11.201 |
| MMC term | 5 years | 46 U.S.C. 7106 |
| Typical OUPV minimum age | 18 | 46 CFR 11.201 |
Want more than six paying bodies? You are out of six-pack land. You are looking at an inspected small passenger vessel (often Subchapter T) and a Master endorsement that matches that vessel. Do not try to stretch OUPV into a ten-pack. It does not stretch.
Charter brokers will still ask you to take eight. Say no. The operator who says yes is the one who funds a court case everyone else reads about.
What sea time do you need for an OUPV six-pack license?
You need 360 days of service for an original OUPV endorsement under 46 CFR 11.467.[3] You also need recency. 46 CFR 11.201 requires qualifying service in the three years before you apply, and the practical number mariners plan around is 90 days in that window.[4] The 360-day floor is the number that trips up most first-timers.
Near-coastal OUPV is not the same stamp as inland. If you want near-coastal waters, part of that service has to be on ocean or near-coastal waters. Read 11.467 for the waters you actually want, then document to that standard. Do not assume lake days convert into ocean days because the boat had a compass.
How you count a day is controlled by 46 CFR 10.107 and the sea service rules in 46 CFR 10.232, not by a Facebook rule of thumb.[14] On many vessels under 100 GRT the Coast Guard credits a day with a shorter underway period than an eight-hour watch. Inventing hours is still how applications bounce. If the boat sat at the dock while you cleaned, that is not a sea day.
Proof beats stories. Small-vessel service is often on CG-719S. Time on inspected or larger commercial vessels can come from discharges, letters, or other accepted records. 46 CFR 10.232 is the rule to follow, and the current CG-719S sits on the NMC forms page.[9][14] If you were paid cash and nobody will sign, you have a proof problem, not a Coast Guard attitude problem.
I would rather have 360 boring, signed days on small center consoles than a dramatic yarn about "years on the water." NMC does not grade vibes.
What papers does the Coast Guard want for an original OUPV?
The Coast Guard wants a complete original MMC file, not a motivational letter. 46 CFR 10.209 is the general application rule.[5] In practice that means CG-719B, identity and citizenship evidence, sea service, TWIC, medical, drug test, first aid and CPR, and either exam results or an approved-course completion.
Use current editions. Forms change. The National Maritime Center forms page is the place to confirm CG-719B, CG-719K, CG-719P, and CG-719S, not a copy your friend used in 2018.[9] If a box on CG-719K is blank because the clinic "does not do Coast Guard," that file is not ready.
Citizenship matters for officer endorsements. Plan on U.S. citizenship paperwork that matches what NMC lists on the checklist, and read 46 U.S.C. 7102 and 46 CFR 10.221 if you are not a citizen. Do not guess your way through nationality. The evaluation will not guess with you.
This is the one place a kit is useful, and only as a paper map. OUPVPath sells a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start if you want those federal forms and a bareboat path laid out in one place. It does not replace NMC. It does not file for you.
I would not pay a third party to "handle the Coast Guard" before I had sea days and a TWIC appointment. Most of that fee is someone reprinting public checklists. Work the NMC list. Then spend money on the vessel, insurance, and the state permit that actually lets you take anglers.
Do you need a TWIC, medical certificate, and drug test?
Yes. An original OUPV file without those three is not a real file. TWIC comes from TSA under the transportation-worker rules tied to 46 U.S.C. 70105.[10] Medical standards sit in 46 CFR 10.302, and they use the Coast Guard medical form, not a school sports physical.[6] Chemical testing for an MMC applicant is in 46 CFR 16.210.[7]
TWIC is its own appointment, photo, and TSA fee. Confirm the live enrollment fee with TSA. Do not reuse a screenshot from a forum. You need the card process far enough along that NMC can verify it. Starting TWIC the week you hoped to take the exam is how a season slips.
The medical certificate is separate from the MMC. A physician completes CG-719K. The Coast Guard then issues a medical certificate if you pass. Vision, hearing, and the chronic-condition questions are where files die. If you have a condition, disclose it and use the actual medical guidance. Hiding it is worse than a delay.
Drug tests for this purpose are DOT-style chemical tests reported on the Coast Guard form, not a storefront panel you picked because it was cheap. 46 CFR 16.210 is the applicant rule.[7] A stale test is a common bounce. Confirm the timing NMC will accept on the current checklist before you pay the clinic twice.
None of this is optional seasoning. Skip one and evaluation stops.
What exam or approved course do you take?
You either pass the Coast Guard OUPV exam modules at a Regional Exam Center or you complete a Coast Guard approved course that the agency accepts in place of those modules. 46 CFR 11.201 still wants first aid and CPR for an original officer endorsement even if a course covers the deck exams.[4] 46 CFR 11.201 requires an applicant for an original officer endorsement to "present evidence of having successfully completed a course in first aid and CPR" unless a listed exception applies.[4]
The exam path is Rules of the Road plus the OUPV deck modules. It is passable if you study. It is miserable if you walk in cold. An approved course costs more and saves you the REC exam circus if you want a classroom and a completion certificate. It does not reduce the 360 days.[3]
STCW basic training is not the OUPV ticket for ordinary domestic six-pack work. Radar observer is not a hidden OUPV requirement. People sell both to applicants who have not read the checklist. If your route and vessel later need those, add them then.
I would buy an approved course if I learn badly from PDFs and I can afford it. I would not buy the $3,000 "career captain" bundle that throws in logo design, a domain, and a promise the Coast Guard never made. Study the NMC exam lists or pick one approved provider. Then stop shopping.
How much does a six-pack captain license cost?
The Coast Guard piece is a set of user fees for evaluation, examination, and issuance, published in 46 CFR 10.219 and posted on the National Maritime Center fees page. Confirm the live amounts there before you pay.[8] I will not quote a dollar figure that may be stale by the time you read this. NMC is the source. Your clinic, TSA, and school are not.
Budget several other bills that are not MMC fees. TWIC is TSA. The medical exam is whatever the physician charges to complete CG-719K. The drug test is a lab bill. First aid and CPR are course fees. An approved OUPV course, if you take one, is usually the largest training line. Sea service proof should cost you time, not a ghostwriter.
The MMC is not your last invoice. State charter fishing permits, local business licenses, and marine liability insurance can dwarf the federal fees in year one. That is normal. The federal credential is the cheap, slow gate. The operating costs are the real ones.
I would not finance a course on a card before I had 360 honest days. And I would not treat a cheap online "captain certificate" that is not Coast Guard approved as a substitute. If NMC does not list it, you bought a PDF.
Should you get OUPV or go straight to Master?
Get OUPV if your real plan is six paying passengers on an uninspected boat. That is what 46 CFR 11.467 is for.[3] Go toward Master when you have the extra sea time and you actually need inspected-vessel authority or a broader officer endorsement. Master is not a personality upgrade. It is different service, different exams, and often a higher age floor under 46 CFR 11.201.[4]
OUPV stays limited to the uninspected six-passenger world even if you are an excellent boat handler. A Master endorsement does not magically let an uninspected skiff carry twelve people. The vessel's inspection status and the passenger count still control. People confuse the title on the card with the statute on the boat.
Short on days? OUPV is the honest first officer endorsement. You can add a raise of grade later when the sea service is there. 46 CFR 10.209 still governs the application mechanics for that later filing.[5] Do not burn a year waiting for Master sea time while a six-pack season sits unused.
I would only skip OUPV if my logbook already supported Master and my business plan needed inspected passenger work. Otherwise start with the endorsement that matches the boat you will run this year.
Do states add permits on top of the USCG license?
Yes. The MMC never replaced state fish and game, coastal commissions, or city business tax. The Coast Guard licenses the operator of the vessel. States still license the activity. Sell fishing and you often need a guide or CPFV-style permit. Sell alcohol and that is another board. Dock in a city harbor and that contract carries its own insurance limits.
This is where national myths die. A Florida six-pack season does not tell you how California six-pack paper works. Alaska is its own stack. California renewal is a different chore than the original MMC. Confirm every extra permit with the state agency that issues it. Nobody has a clean national database of every local add-on. The closest you get is reading the state that matches your dock.
Vessel paperwork is separate too. State numbering versus federal documentation, a commercial endorsement on the document, and the actual passenger-for-hire insurance policy are not NMC's job. USCG will still board you. They will still count heads.
Map the state fishing permit first if angling is the product. More six-pack businesses stall on that stamp than on Rules of the Road.
How do you keep a six-pack captain license valid?
You renew the MMC before it expires. 46 U.S.C. 7106 sets licenses issued under that part as valid for a 5-year period, and 46 CFR 10.227 is the renewal regulation you actually file under.[11][13] An MMC is issued for a term not to exceed 5 years under 46 U.S.C. 7106. Do not wait until month 59.
Renewal is its own checklist. Recency, medical, and chemical testing can all reappear. 46 CFR 10.227 is picky about when you may renew and what happens if you lapse.[13] Let it die and you can face more than a late fee. You can face re-examination or extra sea service. Confirm the current renewal path with NMC. No article should promise you a processing date.
Keep the medical certificate current on its own cycle. Keep TWIC current if you still need it for the credential. Keep first aid habits even when the card is not the thing NMC is asking for that week. The boarding officer cares that you are fit and that the MMC matches the trip.
I would set a reminder at four years, not five. Renewal files that start in a panic lose summer weeks.
What is a waste of money in year one?
Paying for branding before sea days is a waste. Paying a consultant to retype the NMC checklist is a waste. Buying STCW or radar because a salesman said every captain needs it for a lake six-pack is a waste. A fake online captain certificate is worse than a waste. It is a delay you paid for.
Spend instead on proof, fitness to file, and the vessel. Get the 360 days on paper.[3] Get TWIC, medical, and the drug test done on the right forms.[6][7][10] Take an approved course if you will not self-study. Price marine liability with people who actually write six-passenger charter. Then buy the state permit for the trips you sell.
Insurance is not a USCG issuance requirement in the MMC regulations, which surprises people. The dock, the state, and your own assets will still demand it. Running bare because "the Coast Guard does not ask" is a bad bet if you own a house.
Keep the first season small. Six passengers. Daylight. Waters that match your endorsement. The operators who blow year one usually did it by scaling a business that was never licensed for the head count.
Can recreational days count toward six-pack sea time?
Sometimes. NMC accepts small-vessel service, including time you documented yourself on CG-719S, when it meets 46 CFR 10.232 and the definition of a day in 46 CFR 10.107.[14] Recreational hulls are not automatically worthless. They are also not automatically 360 days because you owned a boat since 2012.
The days have to be real operating days, not ownership years. Underway. You at the helm or otherwise in a position the form allows you to claim. Inflating a decade of weekends into 360 is the fastest way to a letter you will not enjoy. If a verifier asked you to describe those trips, you should be able to do it without inventing ports.
Commercial days are cleaner when you can get a signature from the owner or master. If you skippered for a shop that will not sign, start asking now, not after you pay an exam fee. Letters should match 10.232, not a character reference.
I would mix honest recreational small-vessel days with any commercial time I can get signed. I would not buy "sea time" from a stranger on the internet. That market exists. It is a career-ending bargain.
Frequently asked questions
What is a six-pack captain?
It is the working name for a captain who holds a U.S. Coast Guard OUPV endorsement on a Merchant Mariner Credential. That paper authorizes operation of an uninspected passenger vessel under 100 GRT with no more than six passengers, including at least one passenger for hire. It is federal. A state boating card is not a substitute.
How do you start as a six-pack captain?
Document 360 days of vessel service, then gather TWIC, a CG-719K medical, a chemical test, and first aid and CPR. Pass the OUPV exams or finish an approved course. File an original MMC with the National Maritime Center using current forms. Confirm fees with NMC. Add state fishing or business permits only after that federal file is real.
Do days on my own recreational boat count?
They can, if they are real operating days documented to 46 CFR 10.232, often on CG-719S. Ownership time is not sea service. Dock days are not sea service. Near-coastal OUPV still wants ocean or near-coastal time for that route. Do not convert a decade of ownership into 360 days unless the trips actually happened.
Can I carry six passengers plus a mate?
Yes. The six-person cap in the uninspected passenger vessel definition is about passengers, including at least one passenger for hire, not about every soul on board. Crew can ride in addition when they are actually crew. Paying guests are passengers. Calling your cousin "crew" after he Venmo'd you does not make it so.
Is a state boating safety card enough to charge money?
No. 46 U.S.C. 8903 requires an uninspected passenger vessel to be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary. A state NASBLA card does not meet that. You still may need the state card for recreational rules, and you still may need a state guide permit, but neither one replaces the MMC with OUPV.
Do I need STCW or radar for OUPV?
Not for ordinary domestic six-pack work. OUPV is a national officer endorsement with its own exam or approved-course path. STCW basic training and radar observer get sold as add-ons. Buy them when your route, employer, or a higher endorsement actually requires them. Check the NMC original OUPV checklist, not a course catalog.
Can a non-citizen get an OUPV endorsement?
Officer endorsements are tightly tied to U.S. citizenship under 46 U.S.C. 7102 and 46 CFR 10.221. Do not assume a green card or a work visa is enough. Read those provisions and confirm with the National Maritime Center before you pay for a course. Nationality problems show up at evaluation, not at the cash register.
How long is the MMC good for?
46 U.S.C. 7106 treats licenses issued under that part as valid for a 5-year period. Renewal is 46 CFR 10.227. Medical certificates can expire on a shorter cycle. TWIC has its own TSA term. Put a reminder at four years. Confirm current renewal evidence with NMC rather than trusting a processing story from a dock.
What is the difference between six-pack and bareboat?
Six-pack means you stay in command and carry up to six passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel under your OUPV. A true bareboat (demise) charter hands possession and control to the charterer, and you do not remain the operator. If you stay aboard and run the trip, you are not in a genuine bareboat. The facts control, not the brochure.
Does the Coast Guard require charter insurance?
The MMC rules do not issue you a policy. USCG still cares about safety equipment, head count, and whether you are credentialed. Docks, states, and anyone you might injure will still expect marine liability. I would not run paying trips without it if I had assets. Confirm coverage language for passenger-for-hire, not recreational use.
Can I upgrade later from OUPV to Master?
Yes, when you have the extra qualifying sea service and you pass the additional exams or approved training. File a raise of grade or additional endorsement through NMC under the Part 10 application rules. OUPV time can count toward later officer service if it meets the Master rule you want. Do not wait on Master if six-pack is the boat you will run this year.
What if I have a DUI or other conviction?
The Coast Guard reviews safety and security, including criminal records, as part of the MMC. A DUI can slow or block an officer endorsement. Disclose what the application asks. Get the actual NMC evaluation rather than a dock rumor. Nobody has public, clean odds on every offense. The closest path is the NMC evaluation process and the regulations it cites.
Inland versus near-coastal OUPV, what is the difference?
The waters on the endorsement control where you may operate. Inland is not a free pass onto the ocean. Near-coastal OUPV wants qualifying service on ocean or near-coastal waters under 46 CFR 11.467. If your logbook is lakes and rivers, ask for the route that matches those days. Stretching a lake OUPV offshore is how boardings go badly.
Where do I send the application?
Follow the current National Maritime Center instructions on how to apply. REC locations handle exams. NMC evaluates the credential file. Forms and the live mailing or upload path sit on NMC pages, not on a printed packet from a course you took years ago. Confirm the address and form editions the week you file.
Sources
- 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.
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 2101 Definitions: Uninspected passenger vessels under 100 gross tons are defined with a limit of not more than 6 passengers, including at least one passenger for hire.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.467 OUPV endorsement: Original OUPV endorsement sea service is 360 days, with route-specific ocean or near-coastal service rules.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.201 General officer endorsement requirements: Officer endorsement recency, OUPV minimum age of 18, and original officer first aid and CPR certificates are set in 11.201.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.209 General application procedures: MMC applications must follow Coast Guard general application procedures, including required evidence with the file.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.302 Medical and physical requirements: Mariner medical and physical standards for a medical certificate are in 46 CFR 10.302.
- eCFR 46 CFR 16.210 Applicant for merchant mariner credential: MMC applicants must provide evidence of passing a chemical test for dangerous drugs.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center fees page: Current MMC evaluation, examination, and issuance user fees are posted by NMC and must be confirmed before payment.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center forms page: Current CG-719B, CG-719K, CG-719P, and CG-719S editions are published on the NMC forms page.
- TSA TWIC program page: TWIC enrollment and identity vetting are administered by TSA for maritime credential holders.
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. 7106 Duration of licenses: A license issued under that part is valid for a 5-year period.
- eCFR 46 CFR 15.605 Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: Uninspected passenger vessels must be under a credentialed OUPV operator (or another listed officer endorsement).
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.227 Requirements for renewal: MMC renewal evidence, timing, and consequences of lapse are governed by 46 CFR 10.227.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.232 Sea service: Sea service must be documented in the form the Coast Guard accepts, including small-vessel service evidence.