Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Delaware has no six-pack captain board. Paying passenger trips on an uninspected boat need a USCG OUPV or higher MMC. Fees sit in 46 CFR 10.219. You still need TWIC, a physical, a drug test, and 360 days of service. DNREC and Division of Revenue only handle boat, fishing, and business filings. Confirm current fees and NMC times before you apply.
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Delaware?
Yes, if you carry passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel. The license is federal. Delaware does not print a captain ticket.
Federal law is blunt about this. 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, under prescribed regulations." [1] That is the six-pack rule. Six paying passengers or fewer. The boat is not on a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection. You need an OUPV endorsement, or a Master endorsement that covers your route and tonnage, on a Merchant Mariner Credential.
A Delaware boater education card is not a substitute. A fishing license is not a substitute. A city business license is not a substitute. Those papers can still be required. None of them lets you take money to run the boat.
If nobody pays you, and you take no compensation of any kind, you stay in the recreational lane. Compensation is broader than a Venmo labeled "charter." Tips count. A club that "covers fuel" counts. A real-estate client outing billed to a company card counts. A mate paid in cash while you claim you are just the owner counts. I have watched people talk themselves into those fact patterns. I would not. If value changes hands because you took people out, treat it as for-hire and get the MMC.
Six-pack work is common on small center consoles, on pontoons in the Inland Bays, and on bay boats that never intend to carry seven people. The cap is six. Go to seven and you left the uninspected six-pack world. That is an inspected-vessel problem and a different license.
You do not need the federal ticket to run your own recreational boat with friends who bring sandwiches. You do need it the day the trip becomes a product.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Delaware?
The only prices fixed in federal rule are the Coast Guard credential fees. Everything else is a clinic, a school, or a state office, and those numbers move.
46 CFR 10.219 lists a $100 officer evaluation fee, a $110 examination fee, and a $45 issuance fee for an original MMC. That is $255 to the Coast Guard if you use the exam path and nothing in the table changed the week you pay. Confirm the live table. [2][3]
TWIC is TSA, not Delaware. Confirm the current enrollment price on the TSA TWIC page before you book a slot. [4] Do not reuse a number you saw on a forum in 2019.
Private-market costs sit on top, and nobody has a clean Delaware average I trust. A CG-719K physical is a doctor visit. A DOT 5-panel with the CG-719P is a lab visit. First aid and CPR are a class. An NMC-approved OUPV course, if you skip the REC exam room, is tuition. Budget a few hundred for medical and testing, then several hundred to well over a thousand if you buy a full course. Shop two schools. Skip anyone who guarantees a card in a fixed number of days.
State extras only hit if you actually operate. Delaware business license tax is a Division of Revenue filing. Boat numbering is DNREC if the hull is state registered. [6] Fishing credentials are DNREC if you sell fishing. [7] I will not invent those category fees. The agencies publish them. Use their pages.
| Line item | Who sets it | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Original officer evaluation | 46 CFR 10.219 | Pay the published $100 |
| Examination | 46 CFR 10.219 | Pay $110, or use an approved course instead of the REC exam |
| MMC issuance | 46 CFR 10.219 | Pay the published $45 |
| TWIC | TSA | Confirm the live enrollment price |
| Physical and drug test | Private clinics | Call two clinics, keep the CG forms |
| Delaware business license | Division of Revenue | Confirm your category |
| Boat registration | DNREC | Confirm by length and documentation status |
| Fishing or guide paper | DNREC | Confirm on the fishing license page |
The USCG line is the same if you compare Six-pack captain cost in Connecticut: the full fee breakdown or How much six-pack captain cost in Arizona really is. The state pile is what changes. Delaware is not a cheap-or-expensive captain state. It is a federal-fee state with ordinary business and resource licenses on the side.
How long does six-pack captain take in Delaware?
There is no Delaware processing clock. The National Maritime Center clock is the one that matters, and sea time is usually longer than any government queue.
46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service for an OUPV endorsement. For near-coastal, 90 of those days have to be on ocean or near-coastal waters. [8] A day means you got underway and did the work, not a day the boat sat on a trailer in Georgetown. People inflate logs. NMC does ask follow-up questions.
If you already have the days, the remaining path is TWIC, physical, drug test, first aid, the application, then a course certificate or a Regional Exam Center sitting. NMC posts processing times. Read that page the week you file. I will not quote a turnaround that will be wrong next month. [9] Original officer files are often measured in months once NMC has a complete package. Incomplete packages sit.
Starting from almost no documented days? You are on a multi-year project. Weekend trips add up slowly. One summer does not make 360 days. Anyone selling you a six-week "captain career" from a blank log is selling a story.
Build the file while you build the days. Do not wait until day 360 to find a doctor who has never seen a CG-719K.
Is there a Delaware six-pack captain board?
No. There is no Delaware six-pack captain board.
No state commission interviews you in Dover. No DNREC desk prints an OUPV. No Division of Professional Regulation list exists for six-pack captains. The credentialing authority is the U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center. Exam work goes through the Coast Guard REC system.
Some states add a fishing guide license on top of the federal ticket. That still is not a captain board. Delaware can require business, boat, and fishing paper. It does not replace the MMC.
Call a state office and ask them to license you as a six-pack captain, and you will waste a morning. Call NMC and read 46 CFR parts 10, 11, and 15 instead.
The same federal spine shows up in six-pack captain board in Florida, six-pack captain board in California, and six-pack captain board in Connecticut. Local extras change. The MMC application does not.
Who issues the license if you live in Delaware?
The Coast Guard National Maritime Center issues the Merchant Mariner Credential. You live in Wilmington, Lewes, or Seaford. That does not create a state shortcut and it does not add a Delaware captain exam.
You use Coast Guard forms. You prove identity, sea service, medical fitness, and drug test status. NMC evaluates the file. If they want another sea service letter, they ask you. Delaware does not sit in that loop. [11]
TWIC enrollment is a TSA enrollment center. [4] Medical review is NMC medical staff reading a CG-719K. [10] First aid and CPR have to meet 46 CFR 11.201, not a random pool certificate you took in 2014. [12]
Residents and non-residents use the same federal pile. Moving across the Maryland line does not restart the license. The MMC is national. Your route endorsement still has to match the water you sell.
What sea time and paperwork does USCG actually require?
360 days. That number is in 46 CFR 11.467. [8] Near-coastal needs 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters. Inland-only days get you inland. Inland is a poor fit if you plan to work the mouth of Delaware Bay or the ocean side of Cape Henlopen.
Original MMC rules sit in 46 CFR 10.225. That section is the kit list: identity, Social Security evidence, TWIC, fees, and the rest of the original-issue pile. [11] 46 CFR 11.201 sets general officer rules, including minimum age and first aid. OUPV is available at 18. Confirm the current text of 11.201 before you argue with a recruiter who says 21. [12]
The forms you will actually hold:
CG-719B (application). CG-719K (medical). CG-719P (drug test). Small vessel sea service form or letters from owners. TWIC. Course completion certificate or REC exam results. Fee receipts.
Start a dull log now. Date, vessel name, official number or state registration, where you ran, that you got underway, who can confirm it. Memory is a bad record system. So is a calendar with fish emojis.
OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat kit at /start if you want the paper laid out in one pile. You still file with the Coast Guard yourself. We are an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a filing company.
Do not pay someone to "submit for you" if they cannot actually talk to NMC as your representative under the rules. Most of that market is a reprint of public forms and a pep talk.
Does Delaware add fishing, boat, or business licenses on top?
Yes, if you run a business or sell fishing. Those filings are not captain licenses and they do not let you skip the MMC.
Business license. The Division of Revenue runs Delaware business license tax. Most people who advertise charters need a state business license and then follow gross receipts rules for the category they picked. Read the business license tax page. Pick the occupation that matches what you actually sell. Confirm the current tax. Do not copy a number from a blog.
Boat numbers. DNREC handles Delaware numbering and registration for undocumented vessels. [6] A documented vessel is a Coast Guard documentation problem, not a state title sticker problem. Know which pile your hull is in before you argue at a ramp. Length drives a lot of state registration cost. Confirm the current DNREC table for your boat.
Fishing. If the product is a fishing trip, DNREC fishing licenses apply. Guide or for-hire fishing credentials, when DNREC requires them, attach to the fishing activity, not to the act of steering. Rules differ for tidal water, non-tidal water, and who must hold the license. Confirm the current fishing license page the season you sell trips. [7]
I would not wrap the trailer before the MMC is in hand. State paper is usually cheaper than a federal credential fight. It still eats calendar days, especially if you need an EIN, a business license, and a hull registration refresh in the same month.
Local slip rules and insurance conditions can be stricter than the state. A marina can demand a copy of the MMC and a liability page. That is contract, not a board.
Where do Delaware applicants take the OUPV exam?
At a U.S. Coast Guard Regional Exam Center if you go the exam route. Or you never sit that room, because an NMC-approved OUPV course can replace the exam.
Delaware does not host a state captain exam. There is no Dover testing window. Do not look for one.
Use a school? Confirm it is approved for OUPV on the current NMC approved-course list. "Captain class" on a Facebook ad is not approval. Ask for the course approval code. If they hedge, walk.
I would take a course if my rules-of-the-road book work is rusty and I would rather pay tuition than fail a REC sitting. I would sit the REC if I already think in COLREGS and I hate paying for a week of PowerPoint. Both paths still end at NMC. The school does not print the credential.
Bring legal ID. Know your route (inland or near coastal) before you schedule. Changing your mind after the exam is extra paper.
Do you need inland or near-coastal OUPV for Delaware waters?
Most people who sell trips on Delaware Bay, out Indian River Inlet, or along the ocean side want near coastal. Inland-only is for people who will stay on inland waters and can live with that limit on the card.
46 CFR 7.35 draws a concrete line for Delaware Bay and River: "A line drawn from Cape May Light to Harbor of Refuge Light; thence to the northernmost extremity of Cape Henlopen." [13] That line is a boundary-line tool in the Code. It is not a blanket stamp that every trip inside the capes is an inland-only product. Your endorsement has to match the waters you actually operate. If you advertise ocean fishing, inland OUPV is the wrong paper.
Near-coastal OUPV is limited. It is not a worldwide ticket. It is the ordinary six-pack ocean and coast tool, with the usual 100-mile flavor on the endorsement. Read the actual wording on the MMC when you get it. Then sell trips inside that box.
Run a pontoon on a confined pond and nothing else? Inland may be enough. Be honest about the product. Stretching inland paper onto an ocean day is how people get ugly boardings.
What happens if you run paid trips without the credential?
You can get boarded. You can get a violation. Chapter 89 of Title 46 is written against the vessel operation, not against your marketing copy. The owner, the charterer, and the person actually running the boat can all sit in that blast zone. [1][14]
46 U.S.C. 8906 is the civil penalty section for that chapter. Read the current text and any inflation adjustments before you quote a dollar figure to a partner. I will not invent the live maximum. [14]
Insurance gets ugly too. A policy that assumed a licensed operator will not love a claim after an unlicensed six-pack trip. That fight happens after someone is hurt, which is the wrong time to learn the policy language.
Delaware can still write you up on registration, safety gear, and fishing rules in the same afternoon. Two agencies, one Saturday.
Park paid trips until the MMC shows OUPV or a covering Master endorsement. That is the boring, correct move. Refund deposits if you have to.
OUPV or Master: what do Delaware operators actually need?
OUPV is the six-pack. Uninspected boat. Six passengers. That is the right first credential for almost every new Delaware charter that is really a small boat and a small group.
Want seven or more passengers? You left this article. You need an inspected vessel with a Certificate of Inspection and a Master endorsement that matches that COI. Different money. Different shipyard. Different manning. Do not bolt a seventh seat onto a six-pack business plan and hope.
A Master 25, 50, or 100 GRT also covers six-pack work on uninspected boats inside the tonnage and route. Some people go straight to Master when the sea time is already there. Most first-year operators do not have those days. Buying a 100-ton course with 80 days in the log is a waste.
Assistance towing is a separate endorsement if you plan to tow for hire. OUPV does not silently include it. Bareboat versus skippered charter is another line. If you stay on the boat and run it, you are not in a pure bareboat fact pattern. Get advice from someone who reads the actual charter file, not a dock rumor.
The same federal choice shows up in six-pack captain board in Georgia and six-pack captain board in Alabama. The water changes. The six-versus-seven split does not.
How do you keep a six-pack credential valid in Delaware?
The MMC runs on a five-year cycle. Renewal is an NMC package under 46 CFR 10.227, not a Delaware renewal. [15] There is no state sticker to peel and replace.
You will need a physical NMC will accept. Keep TWIC valid when they tell you it has to be valid. If you work in a drug-tested position, the 46 CFR part 16 program still applies after you are licensed. Owner-operators who pretend they are outside testing because they have no boss get surprised. Read the rule that matches how you are employed.
Waste of money: STCW basic training you do not need for a domestic OUPV. A broker who reprints public PDFs. Laser-engraved badges. A second "state license seminar" that is a sales deck. Rush fees to a middleman who cannot move NMC's queue.
Spend on a clean sea service record, a doctor who will complete the CG-719K without creative shortcuts, and a course with a current approval code if you need the course.
Move later, and the federal file moves with you. six-pack captain board in Illinois is useful for Illinois extras, not for a new captain exam. Confirm every live fee with NMC, TSA, DNREC, and Division of Revenue. Nobody can honestly lock those numbers for you in a blog post.
Want the paper path in one folder after you have read the CFR? The kit on /start is there. Read the primary rules either way. OUPVPath is an independent publisher. We do not issue licenses and we do not file your MMC.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Delaware?
Yes, if you carry passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel. Delaware does not issue that license. You need a U.S. Coast Guard OUPV or a covering Master endorsement on an MMC. A boater education card, fishing license, or business license does not replace it. Recreational trips with no compensation stay outside this rule.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Delaware?
USCG original officer fees in 46 CFR 10.219 are $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance, or $255 if you use that path. Confirm the live table. Add TSA TWIC, a physical, a drug test, first aid, and optional course tuition. Delaware business, boat, and fishing fees sit on top. Confirm those on agency pages.
How long does six-pack captain take in Delaware?
Sea time is the long pole: 360 days under 46 CFR 11.467, plus 90 near-coastal or ocean days for that route. After the days exist, TWIC, medical, testing, and the NMC file still take calendar time. Check NMC processing times the week you apply. There is no Delaware board clock and no honest fixed week count.
Does Delaware issue its own six-pack captain license?
No. There is no Delaware six-pack captain board and no state OUPV. The National Maritime Center issues the Merchant Mariner Credential. DNREC and Division of Revenue may still want boat, fishing, and business filings if you operate here. Those are separate stacks. They do not authorize you to carry passengers for hire.
Can I run Rehoboth Bay charters with only a boater education card?
No, not if anyone is paying or otherwise compensating you. The boater education card is a recreational education credential. For-hire operation of an uninspected passenger vessel needs a Coast Guard OUPV or higher. You may also need DNREC fishing paper if you sell fishing, plus a Delaware business license. Stack them. Do not swap them.
Do I need TWIC if I live in Delaware and only run local six-packs?
Plan on it. NMC original MMC rules expect TWIC as part of the identity and security pile. Residence in Delaware does not waive TSA enrollment. Confirm current TWIC price and enrollment sites on the TSA TWIC page. Keep the card valid on the schedule NMC requires when you apply or renew.
Is inland OUPV enough for Delaware Bay fishing trips?
Usually no, if you sell bay-mouth or ocean work. Near coastal is the endorsement most Delaware six-pack operators actually need. 46 CFR 7.35 draws a Cape May Light to Cape Henlopen line, but your card still has to match the waters you run. Inland-only paper on an ocean day is how boardings go badly.
Do I need a Delaware business license to run six-pack trips?
If you are operating a business, yes, you should assume Division of Revenue wants a business license and then follow gross receipts rules for your category. That license does not replace the USCG credential. Confirm the occupation code and the current tax on the business license tax page before you advertise.
What fishing licenses apply to a Delaware six-pack fishing charter?
DNREC sets tidal and non-tidal fishing licenses and any guide or for-hire fishing credentials. Who must hold what can differ by water and by product. Confirm the current fishing license page for the season you sell. A fishing credential still does not let you skip the Coast Guard OUPV if you are the operator for hire.
Where do I take the OUPV exam from Delaware?
At a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center, unless you complete an NMC-approved OUPV course that replaces the exam. Delaware has no state captain exam. Verify the school's current approval code. Bring ID and know whether you are testing inland or near coastal. The school does not issue the MMC. NMC does.
How often do I renew a six-pack captain credential in Delaware?
The MMC is on a five-year federal cycle under 46 CFR 10.227. There is no separate Delaware captain renewal. You will need the medical evidence NMC asks for and a valid TWIC when they require it. Start the renewal file early. Do not wait for the plastic to expire in your wallet mid-season.
Can a lawful permanent resident get an OUPV while living in Delaware?
OUPV has a narrower citizenship path than many other officer endorsements. 46 CFR 10.221 is the citizenship and nationality section you actually read, not a dock summary. Residence in Delaware does not change the federal rule. Confirm your status documents against that section and the current NMC checklist before you pay a school.
Is a Master 100 better than OUPV for a first Delaware charter boat?
Only if you already have the sea time and you truly need the extra room. OUPV covers six passengers on an uninspected boat, which is the real first product for most small Delaware operations. A 100-ton course with a thin log is wasted tuition. Seven or more passengers is an inspected-vessel problem, not a fancier six-pack.
Sources
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. § 8903: An uninspected passenger vessel must be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary under prescribed regulations.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.219 Fees: Original officer MMC evaluation is $100, examination is $110, and issuance is $45 in the 10.219 fee table.
- USCG National Maritime Center fees page: NMC publishes the live merchant mariner credential user fees that applicants must pay.
- TSA Transportation Worker Identification Credential: TWIC enrollment and pricing are set by TSA and must be confirmed on the official TWIC page.
- DNREC boat registration: DNREC administers Delaware numbering and registration for undocumented vessels.
- DNREC fishing licenses: DNREC publishes Delaware fishing license and related for-hire fishing credential requirements.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.467 OUPV endorsement: An OUPV endorsement requires 360 days of service, with 90 days on ocean or near-coastal waters for near-coastal.
- USCG NMC processing times: NMC publishes current merchant mariner application processing times that change and must be checked when filing.
- USCG NMC medical: NMC medical review of form CG-719K is part of original officer credentialing.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.225 original MMC: Original MMC applications must include identity, TWIC, fees, and the other original-issue evidence listed in 10.225.
- eCFR 46 CFR 11.201 general officer requirements: General officer endorsement rules include minimum age and first aid and CPR evidence for OUPV applicants.
- eCFR 46 CFR 7.35 Delaware Bay and River: The Delaware Bay and River boundary line runs from Cape May Light to Harbor of Refuge Light, then to Cape Henlopen.
- U.S. Code 46 U.S.C. § 8906: Chapter 89 violations for unlicensed uninspected passenger vessel operation carry federal civil penalties.
- eCFR 46 CFR 10.227 MMC renewal: Merchant Mariner Credentials are renewed under federal 10.227 rules on a five-year cycle, not by a Delaware board.