Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels Course - OUPV (6-Pack License)
Credits: 3
Fee: $695
Time: 56 hrs normally Tursday night, all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for two weekends
Materials: Manual, plotting tools, charts, exams, Rules, and Chart 1
Sailing Instructors, Dive Boat Operators, Assisted Towing Captains, Water Taxi Operators, Fishing Charter Captains, and anyone else who is on U.S. federal navigable waters in a power driven vessel with passengers for hire must have, at a minimum, an OUPV License. The OUPV license lets you take 6 passengers for-hire, plus crew, on your vessel (thus the nick name “6-pack”). If you want to carry more passengers, you need a Masters license to operate an inspected vessel.
Topics include Piloting, Marlinspike Seamanship, Navigation Rules, Magnetic Compass, Characteristics of Weather, Tides and Currents, Vessel Maneuvering and Handling, Small Engine Operations and Maintenance, Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting, Emergency Procedures, Maritime Law, Shipboard Management and Training, Ship’s Business, Communications, and Lifesaving Appliances.
The course fee includes all course materials, instruction, charts, 250+ page Student Manual, five-part final exam, and Certificate of Completion. No traveling to the Regional Exam Center for U.S.C.G. exams. No add-on costs.
The USCG website provides the detailed requirements for obtaining the OUPV License. In order to meet the minimum requirements for the OUPV License, the mariner must:- Be at least 19 years old
- Be a U.S. Citizen
- Speak English
- Have required sea service - 360 days since age 15*
*Your sea service determines the waters covered by the license. Normally, a license is issued for inland waters. When you are seeking a Great Lakes or Near Coastal Endorsement, you must have at least 90 days of the 360 days of sea service in the last three years to obtain that endorsement. That will enable you to legally work on the Great Lakes or Near Coastal areas.
License Rejection: There are a few items that will exclude you from getting a license. One is being a convicted felon or having a drug-related conviction. If these are a concern, we suggest you contact the R.E.C. first to see if they will permit you to get a license.A second item is color blindness. There are several different approved tests, which you may be able to pass, if you have a mild case of color blindness. The physical exam form lists them.
Why take our course versus going to the Regional Examination Center for your exam? Good question. The REC charges an examination fee of only $95, plus other licensing issuing fees, which you pay no matter where you take the exam. However, the REC's select from a pool of 22,000 questions, many of which can be quite challenging and ambiguous. Private schools develop their own questions for USCG approval. The Explorer's Guide test questions are easy to understand, yet test the knowledge required.
In addition, you receive detailed instruction on the required topics to make you a responsible and safe U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain. Why is this important? As the Master of the vessel, you are responsible for everything and everyone on the vessel. Just passing the exam does not mean you are a responsible and safe U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain. Explorer’s Guide instructors take pride in teaching students what is needed, not just what is required to pass the exam. The exams are easier to pass if you really know the material.
Finally, the U.S.C.G. approval requires the instructor to provide a teaching syllabus of each lesson, a course outline, and course schedule. We include ours in the front of our student manual. You know exactly what is required to be taught.
Have more questions? Feel free to call us at (800) 487-6029.