The six-pack captain board in Alabama is the Coast Guard

Last updated 2026-08-18

Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Alabama?

Yes. If anyone pays you to ride as a passenger, federal law treats that trip as carriage of passengers for hire, and an uninspected boat carrying no more than six passengers has to be run by a person holding a Coast Guard OUPV endorsement.^[1][2] Alabama does not print that card. The state has marine patrol and boating rules. It does not run a six-pack captain board.

That is the split people miss. Friends who split fuel and bring their own food are usually not passengers for hire. A couple who books a sunset cruise and pays you is. A fishing client who pays a trip fee is. The Coast Guard cares about the money and about who is in charge of the boat, not about what you named the outing online.

Federal statute defines an uninspected passenger vessel around that six-passenger cap.^[5] Seven paying passengers puts you out of six-pack world and into inspected small passenger vessel territory. Different boat. Different paper.

You still need the federal credential on inland reservoirs and on the Gulf. Lake Guntersville is not a loophole. The Tennessee River is not a loophole. Mobile Bay is not a loophole. If it is a U.S. vessel carrying passengers for hire, the OUPV operator rule applies.^[2]

A state boater card is not a substitute. ALEA can still stop you for state boating violations.^[14] That stop does not issue you an MMC.

If you only rent the boat as a true bareboat (demise) charter and you do not supply the operator, that is a different fact pattern. A lot of "bareboat" ads are just illegal six-pack trips with extra steps. If you stand on the bow and run the trip, you are the operator.

How much does six-pack captain cost in Alabama?

The only fees I will treat as fixed are the Coast Guard user fees, and even those change if the agency amends the table. For an original officer endorsement, 46 CFR 10.219 lists $100 for evaluation, $110 for examination, and $45 for issuance.^[3] That is $255 if you sit the Coast Guard exam. If an approved course gives you an exam waiver, you may not owe the examination line. Confirm the live table and what NMC bills on your transaction before you pay.

Everything else is vendor pricing. TWIC is a TSA product. Pay whatever TSA posts that week, and read the TWIC page before you book.^[9] The CG-719K medical exam is whatever a clinic in Mobile, Birmingham, or Huntsville charges. I have seen that swing from a cheap office visit to a couple hundred dollars. A DOT five-panel drug test moves the same way. First aid and CPR cards vary by provider.

An approved OUPV course is optional if you will sit the REC exam. Course prices move. I would not pay luxury-retreat money for the same modules a cheaper school teaches. A concierge that only fills CG-719B is usually a waste if you can read a checklist.^[8]

Add Alabama-only paper if clients keep fish. ADCNR sells saltwater and freshwater products, and charter or party-boat items live on that side of the house. Confirm the current Outdoor Alabama fee list. I will not invent this year's charter stamp.^[13]

An honest working range, if you already have sea time and you skip a fancy course, is a few hundred dollars in government and clinic fees. Buy a course, travel to an REC, and add a fishing charter license, and you can land in the low thousands. Nobody publishes a clean Alabama-only cost study. The closest hard numbers are the federal fee table and the TSA page.

If you want the same federal skeleton in a bigger charter market, the six-pack captain board in Florida writeup is the process with a different state fishing overlay.

How long does six-pack captain take in Alabama?

The long pole is sea service. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for an OUPV endorsement. Near-coastal needs 90 of those days on ocean or near-coastal waters.^[1] A day of service has a regulatory meaning. You do not mint 360 days by stacking six sunset trips in one calendar month unless the counting rule actually gives you those days. Read 46 CFR 10.232 before you write numbers on a CG-719S.^[10]

If you already have the days, the remaining clock is paper. A solid approved course is often about one to two weeks of class, sometimes nights. Self-study plus an REC exam depends on when that center has a seat. TWIC is often measured in weeks from enrollment to card. The medical exam is an appointment.

NMC evaluation time is not a number I will invent. The National Maritime Center posts processing times and updates them. Read that page the week you apply.^[7] Anyone who sells a promised issue date is selling smoke.

From a standing start with no sea time, most people are looking at years, because the water time is real. From a standing start with a fat, honest sea service record, a clean file can move in a matter of months. I have no Alabama-only timing study. The process is national.

Is there an Alabama six-pack captain board?

No. There is no Alabama Board of Six-Pack Captains. There is no ADCNR captain exam for carrying six passengers. There is no ALEA merchant license.

The issuing authority is the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center. On its merchant mariner credential page, NMC describes itself as the Coast Guard office that handles merchant mariner credentialing.^[6] That is the board. Your file lives there, not in Montgomery.

Sector Mobile is a real operational command. It does safety and response. It is not your license clerk. Do not walk into a Sector building expecting them to type an MMC.

ALEA Marine Patrol enforces state boating law.^[14] They can write tickets. They cannot issue an OUPV.

If you came from a trade that has a state board, this feels unfinished. It is not. Congress put uninspected passenger vessel operators under the Secretary, and the Coast Guard runs that program through NMC.

Other states work the same way. The six-pack captain board in Georgia is also NMC. So is Arkansas. The state name in your search is a geography tag, not a separate license.

What does a six-pack OUPV let you do in Alabama waters?

An OUPV endorsement lets you operate an uninspected vessel carrying not more than six passengers for hire.^[1][5] That is the product. It is not a 25, 50, or 100 ton master license. It is not an inspected-vessel ticket. It is not a fishing license.

Route matters. An inland OUPV keeps you off the Great Lakes and off ocean and near-coastal waters. 46 CFR 11.467 limits a near-coastal OUPV to domestic near-coastal waters not more than 100 miles offshore, plus the Great Lakes and inland waters.^[1] If you will run Dauphin Island, Orange Beach, or anything that smells like the Gulf, get near-coastal. If you will only run an inland reservoir and never leave it, inland can be enough. I would still get near-coastal if there is any chance you take a job on the bay. Upgrading later is more paper.

Passengers are not crew. A paid deckhand is not one of your six if that person is really crew. If you call your buddy "crew" so you can take a seventh paying angler, you are playing a game the boarding officer has seen.

The boat stays uninspected only while you stay at six or fewer passengers and fit the UPV definition.^[5] Take eight people from a condo dock and you have a problem.

OUPV also has a vessel-size limit in the endorsement text (commonly not more than 100 gross tons). Confirm the wording on your MMC and in 11.467. Do not assume you can run a small ship on this card.

What sea time do you need for a six-pack captain license in Alabama?

You need 360 days of service. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for an OUPV endorsement. For near-coastal, 90 of those days must be on ocean or near-coastal waters.^[1] There is no Alabama discount. A day on Mobile Bay is not worth more than a day on Lake Martin for the inland pile. The 90-day near-coastal slice is what decides whether you can leave the river.

46 CFR 10.232 tells you how to count and prove service.^[10] Use CG-719S if you ran small boats and you do not have shipping-company discharges. Owners and people who kept a decent log are fine. People who invent 360 days on a form are making a federal false statement. That is a career-ending way to save a season.

I want proof you can point to. Photos do not replace dates, vessel numbers, and a signature. If a previous owner will sign your form, get it. If they will not, you may be short.

Recency rules sit in the general officer requirements and on the current NMC OUPV checklist. Read 46 CFR 11.201 and that checklist rather than a forum post from 2014.^[4][8]

Commercial fishing time, towing time, and military deck time can count when it is real deck service. Be honest about what the boat was doing.

Where do you apply and take the exam if you live in Alabama?

You apply to the National Maritime Center, not to Montgomery and not to Sector Mobile.^[6][8] Use the NMC process in force the year you apply (paper forms, or the online system they are using). The original OUPV checklist is the document I would print first.^[8]

Exams happen at Regional Exam Centers and at some approved sites. NMC publishes the REC list. I will not assign you a center. Look at the list and pick the one you can actually reach from Mobile, Birmingham, or Huntsville.^[15] New Orleans is a common drive from the south end of the state. That is geography, not a legal assignment. Confirm hours and appointment rules with that REC before you buy a ticket.

If you take a Coast Guard approved OUPV course, the school often gives the exam and sends the result. That is why people buy courses. It is convenience, not magic.

I point people at a paper pile when they want forms in one place. OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit. The Coast Guard forms are free either way. Use a kit or do not.

TWIC enrollment is a separate TSA appointment.^[9] Do it early. A file that is perfect except for TWIC just sits.

Medical certificate applications ride with the MMC package. Use CG-719K and a practitioner who has actually seen the form.^[11]

Should you get inland or near-coastal OUPV for Alabama?

Get inland only if you are sure you will never take paying passengers onto waters the Coast Guard treats as near-coastal. The reservoirs on the Coosa, Tallapoosa, and Tennessee systems are inland. The Gulf, and the passes around Dauphin Island and Perdido, are not a reservoir.

Near-coastal OUPV is the endorsement I would get for almost every Alabama applicant who asks this question in good faith. The extra 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters is the price.^[1] If you do not have those 90 days, you can take inland now and upgrade later, or you can work on a bay boat until the form is honest.

The 100-mile limit on a near-coastal OUPV is real.^[1] You are not holding an oceans ticket. Far-offshore overnight trips are outside this card.

Chart plotting shows up on the near-coastal exam path. Inland skips some of that. If you cannot plot a fix, take a course or stay inland until you can.

The six-pack captain board in Arkansas is a more inland-heavy fact pattern if you want to see how a river state talks about the same federal card.

What medical, drug test, and TWIC steps apply in Alabama?

You need a medical certificate, a drug test NMC will accept, and a TWIC.^[8][9][11] Alabama clinics do not get a special Coast Guard waiver.

The medical rules live in 46 CFR part 10, subpart C. Most original officer applicants use form CG-719K.^[11] Vision, hearing, and listed conditions can slow a file. If you have a condition that needs extra review, start early and do not hide it. Hidden conditions blow up later.

Drug testing for mariners sits in 46 CFR part 16. Original applicants need a chemical test the Coast Guard will accept, done as a proper collection, not a gas-station box.^[12]

Once you operate commercially, many operations have to sit in a random testing program. Budget for a consortium. It is boring. It is not optional if the rule reaches your boat.

TWIC is a Transportation Worker Identification Credential. TSA runs it.^[9] Mariners use it as identity for the MMC. Inland-only applicants sometimes ask if they can skip TWIC. Do not skip it unless NMC's current checklist says you can. I have watched people lose months on that hope.

None of these steps are Alabama-specific. A Mobile clinic and a Huntsville clinic send the same kind of paper to NMC.

Should you take a Coast Guard approved course or self-study in Alabama?

If you already run boats and you know the Navigation Rules cold, self-study and an REC exam can be the cheaper honest path. If COLREGS make your eyes glaze, buy a course.

Approved courses are listed through NMC training and exam information.^[15] The school has to be Coast Guard approved for an exam waiver to mean anything. A video playlist is not an approved course.

I would not fly across the country for a hotel-ballroom class unless you like travel. Plenty of schools run the same outline closer to home. Confirm the school's approval before you pay.

Waste of money: add-on business coaching, drone footage of your future brand, and framed certificates that are not the MMC. The MMC is the only certificate the boarding officer wants.

The exam is not mystical. Rules of the Road, deck general, navigation general, and a plot if you are on the near-coastal path. People fail because they did not drill lights and shapes. Drill lights and shapes.

For a fee stack in another state market, Six-pack captain cost in Connecticut breaks the same federal pieces from a different zip code.

What extra Alabama state papers do charter captains still need?

The MMC does not replace ADCNR fishing licenses. If your clients keep fish, you are in Outdoor Alabama's world.^[13] Saltwater charter and party-boat products, freshwater licenses, and any commercial stamps they list are separate purchases. Confirm what you need on the current Outdoor Alabama license pages. Fees change. I will not quote a year-old PDF from memory.

Business licenses are local. A Gulf town and a Tennessee River marina will not hand you the same form. Ask the city or county that actually has the dock.

Vessel registration or federal documentation still has to be correct. Passenger-for-hire use can change how you insure the boat. Talk to the insurer before the first paid trip. A recreational policy that excludes charter is a bad surprise after a claim.

ALEA still owns state-side enforcement on the water.^[14] Life jackets, registration stickers, BUI, and running at night without lights will get you stopped with or without an MMC.

Boater certification rules for recreational operators live on Outdoor Alabama's license and boating pages.^[13] Your MMC is a federal officer credential. Do not assume it automatically satisfies every state education checkbox for every boat you touch on Sunday with your kids. Read the state rule.

California's overlay is heavier on some local wrinkle lists if you want a contrast: six-pack captain board in California.

What happens after you get the MMC if you run Alabama charters?

You still have to stay inside six passengers, inside your route, and inside your medical certificate dates. Officer endorsements and medical certificates do not always die on the same day. Track both.

Renewal is a federal cycle. Do not wait until the week the card expires. NMC processing times apply to renewals too.^[7] Sea service for renewal is a shorter story than the original 360 days, but you still need a clean file. Read the renewal checklist, not a marina rumor.

Keep a random drug program if the regulations reach your operation.^[12] Keep a passenger count habit. Keep a weather habit. The MMC does not make a bad forecast better.

Insurance, a written cancellation policy, and a simple safety brief will save you more pain than a second embroidered shirt. I would spend money there before I spent it on a bigger outboard you do not need.

If you later want more than six passengers, stop. That is an inspected vessel project with a Certificate of Inspection. It is not a sticker you add to an OUPV.

OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. The kit, if you want it, is a one-time $149 USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit at /start. The process above is the process even if you never click that.

What mistakes do Alabama six-pack applicants make?

They treat ALEA or ADCNR as the license board. They are not.

They apply with thin sea service and hope NMC will know how it is on the bay. NMC will not.

They skip TWIC, skip the drug test, or send a physical on the wrong form. They buy the most expensive course on the first ad. They take seven people because one is a guest of the marina. They run a near-coastal trip on an inland endorsement.

They think a six-pack captain board in Delaware search means each state prints a different federal card. It does not. The card is national. The fishing stamps are local.

They want a promised date on the calendar. There is not one. NMC posts processing times and nothing more.

They also mix up OUPV with a guide card from another activity. A hunting license does not move a boat legally with paying passengers.

They post the MMC online and then let a deckhand with no credential run the boat. The credentialed operator has to actually be directing and controlling the vessel.^[2]

They forget that the first paid trip is when insurance, taxes, and the random drug program become real. The license is the start of the job, not the end of the paperwork.

Frequently asked questions

Does Alabama issue its own six-pack captain license?

No. Alabama has no six-pack captain board and no state OUPV. The U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center issues the Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV endorsement. ADCNR and ALEA still handle fishing licenses and state boating enforcement. Those agencies do not print the federal operator card.

Can I run paid trips on Lake Guntersville with only a state boater card?

No. A state boater certification card does not authorize carriage of passengers for hire. Lake Guntersville is still U.S. waters for this purpose. If clients pay to be on the boat, you need a Coast Guard OUPV endorsement, plus whatever ADCNR fishing licenses apply if they keep fish. Confirm current state stamps on Outdoor Alabama.

Does a Florida or Georgia OUPV work in Alabama?

Yes, because it is the same federal MMC. There is no Florida-only or Georgia-only six-pack card. Your route (inland vs near-coastal) still has to match the water you run. Alabama fishing and business licenses are separate and still apply when you operate here. Check ADCNR before the first paid fishing trip.

How many passengers can a six-pack captain carry in Alabama?

Six paying passengers. That cap is the uninspected passenger vessel definition, not an Alabama rule. A seventh paying passenger takes you out of OUPV territory and into inspected small passenger vessel rules. Crew who are actually working are not passengers. Calling a friend crew so you can sell a seventh seat is a bad plan.

Do I need a TWIC for inland Alabama lakes?

Plan on yes unless the current NMC OUPV checklist says otherwise for your exact endorsement. TWIC is a TSA credential mariners use with the MMC. Inland-only applicants lose months hoping for a skip that is not on the checklist. Enroll early and confirm the live NMC list of required documents before you apply.

What is the difference between an OUPV and a 25-ton master?

OUPV is the six-passenger uninspected ticket. A master of 25 (or 50 or 100) gross tons is a different officer endorsement with different service and exam modules. It is the path people take when they want inspected passenger vessels or larger uninspected operations. Do not buy a 25-ton course if you only need six passengers on a bay boat.

Can a lawful permanent resident get an OUPV in Alabama?

Citizenship and nationality rules for officer endorsements live in 46 CFR 10.221, and NMC applies them. Some OUPV paths exist for lawful permanent residents. This is not a state question, and it is easy to get wrong. Confirm your status against the current NMC checklist and 10.221 before you pay for a course or a physical.

Do I need a random drug consortium after I start charters?

Often yes, once you are operating in a regime 46 CFR part 16 covers. The original application test is only the start. Random testing is a program, not a one-time clinic visit. Budget for a consortium if you run commercially. Confirm the rule that matches your vessel and operation rather than copying another captain's setup.

How do I document sea time on a family bay boat?

Use CG-719S and follow 46 CFR 10.232. You need dates, vessel identification, waters, and a signature that can stand up if NMC asks. Owner-operator time can count when it is real. Photos and marina gossip do not replace the form. If someone else owned the boat, get that person to sign or expect a short count.

Is the Coast Guard physical the same as a CDL physical?

No. Mariners use CG-719K (or the form NMC currently specifies) under 46 CFR part 10, subpart C. A truck-driver card is the wrong paper. Use a practitioner who has actually completed CG-719K. Vision, color vision, hearing, and listed conditions are reviewed for a medical certificate, which can expire on a different date than your MMC.

Do sunset cruises need the same license as fishing charters?

For the operator credential, yes, if people pay to be passengers. OUPV does not care whether they hold a rod. Fishing adds ADCNR licenses when clients take fish. A sunset trip with no fishing still needs the Coast Guard card, insurance that allows charter, and a legal passenger count. The activity on deck does not erase the fare.

Where is the closest Regional Exam Center to Mobile or Birmingham?

NMC publishes the REC list. I will not assign you a center, because hours and sites change. From south Alabama, New Orleans is a common drive. That is travel advice, not a legal posting. If you take an approved course, the school may give the exam. Confirm the live NMC REC page and the school's approval before you book.

Do I need an OUPV for a true bareboat rental?

A true demise or bareboat charter, where you hand over the vessel and do not supply the operator, is a different fact pattern than a six-pack trip. If you still run the boat, pick the spots, and brief the guests, you are the operator. Fake bareboat ads are a common boarding-officer story. If you are in charge, get the OUPV.

How often do you renew a six-pack MMC?

The MMC is typically issued for five years, but you must read the dates on your credential. The medical certificate can expire sooner. Renewal still goes through NMC, and processing times are whatever NMC posts that week. Do not wait until the last week. Use the current renewal checklist, not a marina rumor about sea days.

Sources

1. eCFR, 46 CFR 11.467 Requirements for national endorsements as operator of uninspected passenger vessels: OUPV endorsement rules, including 360 days of service, the 90-day near-coastal slice, and inland vs near-coastal route limits including the 100-mile near-coastal limit.
2. eCFR, 46 CFR 15.605 Credentialed operators for uninspected passenger vessels: An uninspected passenger vessel must be under the direction and control of a Coast Guard credentialed OUPV operator.
3. eCFR, 46 CFR 10.219 Fees: Published USCG user fees for an original officer endorsement are $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance.
4. eCFR, 46 CFR 11.201 General requirements for national and STCW officer endorsements: General officer-endorsement rules including minimum age of 18 and other original-application requirements OUPV applicants must meet.
5. U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 2101: Statutory definitions that set the uninspected passenger vessel category around carriage of not more than six passengers.
6. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Merchant Mariner Credential page: NMC is the Coast Guard office that credentials merchant mariners and issues the MMC.
7. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Processing Times: Current NMC evaluation and issuance times are posted by NMC and must be checked the week you apply. No fixed Alabama timeline.
8. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Application Checklists: NMC publishes the original OUPV checklist of forms and supporting documents applicants must submit.
9. Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program page: TWIC is a TSA credential with TSA-set enrollment and fee rules, separate from USCG user fees.
10. eCFR, 46 CFR 10.232 Sea service: Rules for counting and documenting sea service used on CG-719S and related forms.
11. eCFR, 46 CFR 10.302 Medical and physical requirements: Medical certificate standards that original officer applicants meet, typically documented on CG-719K.
12. eCFR, 46 CFR 16.210 Pre-employment testing requirements: Mariner chemical testing rules that sit behind the drug test NMC expects with an original credential and later random programs.
13. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Marine Patrol: ALEA Marine Patrol enforces Alabama boating law and does not issue Coast Guard merchant mariner credentials.
14. U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Regional Exam Centers: NMC lists REC locations and exam information. Alabama applicants must confirm the live list rather than assume a home-state exam desk.