Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Florida six-pack captains pay Coast Guard credential fees, plus TWIC, a CG-719K physical, a DOT drug test, and 360 days of sea time. 46 CFR 10.219 lists $100, $110, and $45 for evaluation, examination, and issuance. Paying anglers add an FWC for-hire license. Time follows your sea service and the NMC queue. Confirm live fees.
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Florida?
Yes. Take paying passengers on an uninspected boat under 100 gross tons, stay at six passengers or fewer, and federal law wants a Coast Guard merchant mariner credential with the right officer endorsement. Florida does not sell a substitute six-pack ticket. The state can add fishing and tax paper. It cannot replace the federal license.
The statute is blunt. 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 kills the dock rumor that Florida waters are somehow exempt. They are not.
"Six-pack" is slang for the uninspected passenger vessel limit. Under 46 U.S.C. 2101, an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons is the boat carrying not more than six passengers. [2] Cross that seventh paying body and you have left the six-pack world. You are in inspected-vessel territory now, which is a different certificate, a different manning scheme, and a different pile of money.
46 CFR 15.605 puts the same rule in operational language. The vessel has to be under the direction and control of an individual credentialed by the Coast Guard. [5] A laminated novelty card from a web shop does not count. A Florida boating safety ID card does not count. A county occupational license does not count.
You can skip the MMC if you are not carrying passengers for hire. Friends who split fuel are a gray social fact, not a business plan. If money changes hands for the ride, treat it as for-hire and get the credential. I would not test that line in a boarding.
Bareboat (demise) charter is the other legal structure people whisper about. The charterer has to truly take possession and command. Most sunset-cruise ads that say "bareboat" are not bareboat. If you stay on the helm and sell a trip, you are the operator. Budget for the license.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Florida?
The honest federal floor is the Coast Guard user-fee table, not a school brochure. 46 CFR 10.219 lists a $100 evaluation fee, a $110 examination fee, and a $45 issuance fee for an officer endorsement. [4] That is $255 if you sit the exam and take an original officer endorsement under that table. Confirm the live table before you pay. Congress and DHS can change user fees, and the National Maritime Center posts the working copy on its fees page. [6]
That $255 is not your all-in budget. It is the credentialing invoice. Around it you still buy a TWIC, a CG-719K medical exam, a DOT chemical test, first aid and CPR cards if you do not already hold them, and whatever a notary and passport photos cost in your county. Walk into a Regional Exam Center cold and you skip tuition. Take a USCG-approved course instead and you add the school's price. Florida schools do not publish one statewide number. Quotes I would trust live in the mid hundreds to around a thousand dollars, and I would verify the school's current NMC approval code before a deposit. [7]
Fish with paying customers and Florida adds a For-Hire license through the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. [9] That fee is a state schedule, not a Coast Guard schedule. Confirm it on the FWC for-hire page the week you apply. Run wildlife or sunset trips with no fishing and you may not need that FWC product. You still need the MMC.
Vessel registration is separate again. Florida sets recreational and commercial vessel fees by length class in section 328.72, Florida Statutes. [13] A 22-foot center console and a 36-foot express do not pay the same. County surcharges stack on top. I would not copy a forum number from 2019.
Insurance is the line nobody can honestly pin to a single dollar. There is no Florida six-pack premium table in a statute. Hull value, passenger limit, navigation limits, and your claims history move the quote. Get two marine underwriters. Skip the auto-desk "boat policy" that excludes passenger-for-hire.
Here is the clean first-year picture if you already have the sea time: federal fees plus TWIC plus medical plus drug test plus (maybe) a course plus (maybe) FWC plus registration plus an insurance binder. The MMC slice is the only slice with a numbered federal table. Everything else you confirm the week you buy it.
What USCG user fees show up on a Florida six-pack application?
You pay the National Maritime Center, not Tallahassee, for the license itself. 46 CFR 10.219 tells you to use its table to determine merchant mariner credentialing fees. [4] For an original officer endorsement the table lists $100 to evaluate the file, $110 to examine, and $45 to issue. Raise-of-grade, renewal, and duplicate rows are different amounts in the same table. Read the row you are actually in.
A USCG-approved course that grants exam credit can wipe out the examination line. That is one reason people buy the class. It is not a reason to ignore the evaluation and issuance lines. Those still exist. The NMC fees page is the working desk reference next to the Code. [6]
Pay the fee the way NMC is accepting payment the week you file. Do not mail a creative substitute. Do not let a third party "hold" your fee and promise a shortcut. There is no lawful private express window into NMC evaluation.
Florida residency does not change the federal table. A captain in Pensacola and a captain in Key West pay the same evaluation number for the same endorsement. What changes is the extra state paper, the boat, and how far you drive to a fingerprint site.
Do you also pay Florida for-hire, vessel, and tax costs?
Often yes, and this is where Florida six-pack math leaves Alabama or the inland states behind. The Coast Guard license lets you operate the uninspected passenger vessel. It does not replace FWC if you sell a fishing trip in salt water. Read FWC's for-hire program page, then confirm the current product and fee for your boat and passenger count. [9]
Vessel registration and title run through the tax collector under state law. Fees scale with length under section 328.72, Florida Statutes. [13] Commercial use can change what the clerk asks for. Bring the hull numbers and a patient morning.
Sales tax is the sleeper. Florida collects sales and use tax, and many passenger trips are taxable depending on how you sell them. [14] I am not going to pretend a blog post is a Department of Revenue ruling. Open a DOR account if you are charging the public, then ask DOR or a Florida CPA how your specific trip should be coded. Guessing on tax is a more expensive hobby than the MMC fee table.
Counties still sell a local business tax receipt. Miami-Dade is not Wakulla. Budget a municipal line and do not fight the clerk with a Coast Guard speech. The MMC does not preempt a county receipt.
Here is the order I would pay: federal credential first, then FWC if you fish, then registration, then tax IDs, then insurance. Reverse it and you end up insuring a boat you are not legal to operate.
How long does six-pack captain take in Florida?
The long pole is sea time, not the state calendar. 46 CFR 11.467 requires an OUPV applicant to show at least 360 days of service on vessels. [3] If you do not have those days, no Florida shortcut manufactures them. A day is a day the Coast Guard will accept under its service rules. Weekends on your own skiff can count if you document them honestly. Invented logs do not.
Once the days are real, the rest of the clock is administrative. You still need a TWIC appointment and card, a signed CG-719K, a drug test that meets Coast Guard chemical testing rules, and a complete MMC application. [7] [8] [11] [15] NMC processing time moves. I will not invent a current queue number. Look at the National Maritime Center's published processing information the week you file and treat it as a snapshot, not a promise.
A USCG-approved OUPV course in Florida runs days, not months. The card you get at the end is exam credit, not the MMC. You still wait on NMC to evaluate and print.
Sea time already in a notebook? A clean file can come together in a few weeks of appointments. The credential in your hand takes however long NMC takes. Anyone selling a guaranteed ship date is selling you something NMC does not sell.
Near-coastal service carries an extra seasoning rule. For a near-coastal OUPV, part of those 360 days has to be on ocean or near-coastal waters. [3] Pure lake time will not get you a Keys endorsement. Most working six-pack jobs in Florida want near-coastal. Build the days on the water you will actually work.
How much sea time do you need before the money matters?
360 days. That number is the endorsement floor in 46 CFR 11.467, which says an applicant "must furnish satisfactory proof that the applicant has obtained at least 360 days of service." [3] Spend money on a course before you can document those days and you have bought a classroom seat you cannot cash yet.
A day of service follows Coast Guard counting rules, not your feelings about a long afternoon. Read the service section in 46 CFR part 10 and the OUPV section together. Small-boat owners can use the small-vessel sea service form path. Be boring and consistent. Dates, waters, vessel names, horsepower, and a signature beat a heroic paragraph.
Recency matters too. Officer endorsements carry a recent-service expectation in the general rules. [12] If your 360 days were all in 2009, do not assume the file sails through. You may need recent days. Confirm the recency row that applies to your endorsement on the NMC checklist before you pay a school.
I would not pay a rec services shop to "reconstruct" a decade of undocumented trips. If you cannot attest to the day, it is not a day. Start a log now and file later.
What do TWIC, the physical, and the drug test add?
They add real cash and real calendar drag, and none of them are Florida products. TSA runs TWIC. The enrollment fee is whatever TSA is publishing the week you pre-enroll. In recent years that number has sat near the mid $100s for a new card, but I will not lock a 2026 TSA figure here. Use the TSA TWIC page, book the appointment, and keep the receipt. [8] Most original MMC files expect a TWIC. Inshore Tampa Bay is not a TSA exemption.
The physical is form CG-719K, reviewed under the NMC medical program. [11] It is not a sports physical. It is a merchant mariner medical. Prices wander by clinic. Call a doctor who has actually submitted 719Ks. An urgent-care pad that has never seen the form will cost you a resubmit.
Chemical testing sits in 46 CFR part 16. Pre-employment testing is a named requirement, not a suggestion. [15] Find a DOT collection site that understands Coast Guard and DOT panels. Clinic street prices usually run tens of dollars, not hundreds. Call two sites. Keep the chain-of-custody copy.
First aid and CPR land in the general officer rules in 46 CFR 11.201. [12] Expired cards? Renew them before the evaluator has to ask. That is cheap next to a returned application.
None of these lines are optional decorations. A pretty sea-service letter with no medical and no TWIC is an incomplete original.
Should you pay for an OUPV course in Florida?
Only if it is USCG-approved and you actually need exam credit or structured study. The approval list lives with NMC training, not with Google ads. [7] A weekend class that cannot show a current approval code is entertainment.
I would take a course if I have not sat a rules-of-the-road exam in years, or if the nearest Regional Exam Center is an expensive trip. I would skip it if I already hold a close endorsement and the regulations say I do not have to retest. Read your specific case in 46 CFR part 11 instead of trusting a school upsell to 100-ton Master "while you are here."
A 100-ton course costs more time and more tuition. Worth it if you will run inspected boats or you are already eyeing a bigger hull. A waste if your business is six people on a 24-foot bay boat. You can upgrade later. You cannot unspend a week of class.
OUPVPath publishes a $149 one-time USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit if you want the paper path in one folder rather than hunting forms at midnight. Use it as a checklist, not as a substitute for the CFR. Start at /start if you want that kit. The Coast Guard still evaluates the file.
Online-only dumps with no proctored exam and no approval number are a hard pass. You will not talk your way past an NMC evaluator with a PDF certificate from a site that launched last month.
What first-year operating costs do new Florida captains miss?
They miss the costs that are not the license. Pump-out, ice, fuel at marina retail, a spare prop, and a second VHF are not romantic. They are how a six-pack day actually runs. I would rather see a boring maintenance reserve than a new helm decal.
Insurance deductibles and layover days after weather are the next miss. Florida summers cancel trips. A license fee is once. A month of thunderstorms is a revenue hole. Price your charter as if two days a week vanish in August.
Dockage in a working marina near a tourist ramp is not the same number as a trailer in your yard. Trailer captains trade slip fees for truck fuel, storage, and ramp fights. Pick one model and budget it. Mix both without a plan and your weekends evaporate.
If you fish, bait and FWC compliance sit on every invoice. If you do not fish, your guests still expect water and a working head or an honest plan for one. The boarding officer will care about safety gear under the uninspected vessel rules far more than your Instagram.
Sales tax deposits and quarterly estimates sneak up once you get busy. [14] Put DOR on the same calendar as oil changes.
Is six-pack captain cheaper in Florida than in other states?
The MMC slice is the same, because the license is federal. 46 CFR 10.219 does not have a Florida row. [4] What changes is the state wrap: fishing licenses, sales tax, registration, and local receipts. Florida's wrap is real if you fish or keep the boat here. It is not a second captain license.
That is why a six-pack captain cost in Georgia writeup looks familiar on the USCG lines and different on the wildlife lines. Same story next door in six-pack captain cost in Alabama. West Coast paper in six-pack captain cost in California adds a different state overlay. Island logistics in six-pack captain cost in Hawaii change travel and haul-out more than they change NMC. Even six-pack captain cost in Delaware and six-pack captain cost in Alaska still start with the same $100 / $110 / $45 table.
I would not move to another state to save the evaluation fee. I would pick waters I know, then pay that state's wrap without surprise.
What paperwork does the Coast Guard actually want?
They want a complete original MMC application, identity, TWIC evidence, sea service that can be checked, the medical certificate path, chemical test results, fees, and any course completion you are claiming. The NMC application page is the current assembly list. [7] Do not build your packet from a 2016 blog screenshot.
46 CFR 11.201 is the general officer-endorsement rule set. Age, first aid, and the other baseline items live there. [12] OUPV age is 18 in that framework. If you are 17, you wait. No Florida exception.
Photos, signatures, and names have to match across TWIC, application, and medical. Hyphenate your last name the same way every time. This sounds petty. It is how files stall.
Keep copies of everything you upload or mail. NMC is a large evaluation shop. Your local marine store is not a backup archive.
Print the OUPV checklist from NMC, tick each box with a date, and refuse to hit submit until the boring items are in the folder. Incomplete files do not get a sympathy evaluation.
What is a waste of money on a Florida six-pack path?
Paying for a "Florida six-pack license" class that is not USCG-approved. Paying a fixer who claims a private NMC window. Buying a 100-ton Master course because the salesman said OUPV looks small. Laminated captain cards. Sea-service reconstruction by someone who was not on the boat. Insurance that excludes passengers for hire. A second GPS before you have a CG-719K.
Also a waste: rushing FWC money before you know if you will fish, and ignoring DOR because a guy at the ramp said cash charters are invisible. They are not invisible when a customer pays by card.
Spend on documented sea time, a clean medical, a real TWIC, and a school with an approval code if you need one. That is the path. If you want the forms and bareboat paper in one kit, the $149 USCG OUPV + Bareboat Kit is at /start. OUPVPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a Coast Guard office. The board that confirms your credential is still NMC.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for six-pack captain in Florida?
Yes, if you carry passengers for hire on an uninspected vessel of less than 100 GRT with six or fewer passengers. 46 U.S.C. 8903 requires a licensed operator. Florida does not issue a replacement six-pack credential. FWC paper is extra if you fish. Confirm your exact trip type before you advertise.
How much does six-pack captain cost in Florida?
46 CFR 10.219 lists $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance for an officer endorsement ($255 if all three apply). Add TWIC, a CG-719K physical, a DOT drug test, optional course tuition, and FWC for-hire if you fish. Confirm every live fee. Insurance and dockage dwarf the MMC table once you operate.
How long does six-pack captain take in Florida?
Sea time dominates. 46 CFR 11.467 requires 360 days of service. If you already have the days, appointments for TWIC, medical, and the drug test take days to weeks. NMC evaluation follows its published queue, which changes. Nobody can honestly guarantee a print date. Confirm processing snapshots on the NMC site when you file.
Is the six-pack license a Florida license or a Coast Guard license?
It is a federal Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV (or higher) officer endorsement, issued through the National Maritime Center. Florida may require vessel registration, a local business tax receipt, sales tax collection, and an FWC For-Hire license for paid fishing. Those are add-ons. They do not replace the MMC.
Do I need an FWC for-hire license for sunset cruises with no fishing?
Usually you need the Coast Guard credential either way if passengers pay you. The FWC For-Hire product is aimed at taking paying customers fishing in salt water. If rods never come out, you may not need that FWC license. Confirm on the current FWC for-hire page for your exact activity. Do not skip the MMC.
Can I skip the USCG exam if I take a course in Florida?
A current USCG-approved OUPV course can grant exam credit, which is why the 46 CFR 10.219 examination fee may not apply. The school must be on NMC's approved list the week you attend. You still pay evaluation and issuance fees and you still wait on NMC to produce the credential. Keep the original course certificate.
What if I already have sea time from my own Florida boat?
Private-boat time can count if you document it under Coast Guard service rules. Use the small-vessel sea service path, keep dates and waters straight, and sign only what you can attest to. 46 CFR 11.467 still wants 360 days. Near-coastal endorsements need qualifying days on ocean or near-coastal waters, not only lakes.
Does Florida charge sales tax on six-pack charters?
Florida has a statewide sales and use tax, and many passenger trips are taxable depending on how they are sold. Treat this as a Department of Revenue question, not a dock consensus. Register if you are charging the public, then confirm coding for your trips with DOR or a Florida CPA. Budget for collections from day one.
How many passengers can I carry on a six-pack in Florida?
Six paying passengers is the uninspected passenger vessel cap tied to 46 U.S.C. 2101 for boats under 100 GRT. Crew is separate, but packing "friends" who paid in cash still counts. A seventh paying passenger is not a Florida gray area. It is a different federal vessel category with inspected-vessel rules.
Do I need a TWIC if I only run inshore bays?
Plan on it for an original MMC. TWIC is a TSA credential, and NMC's application package treats it as part of identity and security processing for most officer endorsements. Inshore water does not cancel TSA. Check the current NMC application instructions and the TSA TWIC page before you skip the appointment.
What medical form does the Coast Guard want?
Use form CG-719K through a physician who understands merchant mariner exams. NMC's medical certificate program reviews it. A sports physical or an urgent-care scribble is how files bounce. Bring your medication list and glasses. Ask the clinic if they have submitted 719Ks before you pay the visit.
Is a 100-ton Master cheaper than OUPV in Florida?
No. The federal evaluation, exam, and issuance rows can look similar, but the course is longer, the exam is heavier, and the sea-time flavor is different. Buy 100-ton if you need inspected vessels or a bigger endorsement. For a true six-pack skiff, OUPV is the tighter spend. You can upgrade later.
Can I operate on both Florida coasts with one MMC?
Yes. The credential is federal. Near-coastal OUPV covers domestic near-coastal waters out to the endorsement limit, plus inland waters as the endorsement reads. You still obey local FWC rules, drawbridges, and whatever registration you owe. The plastic card does not change when you trailer from Naples to Jupiter.
What happens if I carry a seventh paying passenger?
You have left the uninspected six-passenger definition in 46 U.S.C. 2101. The Coast Guard can treat that as operating outside your endorsement and outside the uninspected passenger vessel rules. Fines and post-casualty pain are the downside. If you need seven or more, look at inspected-vessel certification, not a bigger cooler.
Sources
- U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 8903: An uninspected passenger vessel must be operated by an individual licensed by the Secretary.
- U.S. House Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 46 U.S.C. § 2101: Federal definitions include the uninspected passenger vessel category used for six-passenger operations under 100 GRT.
- eCFR, 46 CFR § 11.467 OUPV endorsement: An OUPV endorsement requires satisfactory proof of at least 360 days of service on vessels.
- eCFR, 46 CFR § 10.219 user fees: Table 1 lists $100 evaluation, $110 examination, and $45 issuance fees for officer endorsements.
- eCFR, 46 CFR § 15.605 credentialed operators for UPVs: Uninspected passenger vessels must be under the direction and control of a Coast Guard-credentialed operator.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Fees: NMC publishes the working merchant mariner credential user-fee reference used with 46 CFR 10.219.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, MMC application: Original MMC applications are assembled from the current NMC application instructions and supporting proofs.
- Transportation Security Administration, TWIC program: TSA administers TWIC enrollment and publishes the current card fee and appointment process.
- U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center, Medical certificates: NMC medical review uses the CG-719K merchant mariner medical process for officer credentials.
- eCFR, 46 CFR § 11.201 general officer endorsement requirements: General officer-endorsement rules set baseline items such as age and first aid for original endorsements including OUPV.
- Florida Senate, section 328.72 Florida Statutes (2024): Section 328.72 sets Florida vessel registration fee classes by length.
- Florida Department of Revenue, Sales and use tax: Florida imposes sales and use tax that can apply to how passenger trips are sold.
- eCFR, 46 CFR § 16.210 pre-employment testing: Coast Guard chemical testing rules include pre-employment testing for dangerous drugs.