Study library
Captain's license eligibility, forms, and cost guides
Every guide cites its primary source and carries a visible last-reviewed date. Written from 46 CFR Part 11, the public National Maritime Center checklists, and the TSA and NOAA public pages, not a course seller's marketing.
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Can you get a captain's license with a DUI?
How a DUI affects captain's license eligibility, the National Maritime Center assessment-period logic, what a case-by-case review involves, and the disclosure you must make on the CG-719C, framed as public rule and not legal advice.
Captain's license eligibility with a record
How the National Maritime Center evaluates convictions and the assessment-period rules, framed as public rule, never as legal advice.
Charter boat insurance: P&I, liability limits, and what marinas require
What passenger-liability (P&I) and hull insurance actually cover on a charter boat, which states make a minimum a legal licensing condition versus an industry norm, and the typical limits marinas and booking platforms ask for. Framed as public norms, not insurance or legal advice.
Do state charter licenses have reciprocity? Working in more than one state
Whether a state charter or fishing-guide license transfers to another state, how nonresident fee tiers and retaliatory fee-matching actually work, and why individual-angler reciprocal agreements do not cover commercial guiding. Sourced from all 51 verified state charter-license pages on this site.
Gulf and South Atlantic federal for-hire permits, and SEFHIER reporting
The NOAA Gulf reef fish and coastal pelagics charter/headboat permits, the South Atlantic snapper-grouper permit, and the SEFHIER electronic reporting duty that comes with them, explained for charter operators.
How long the National Maritime Center is taking
What drives NMC processing times, how the backlog built up, and how to read the dated processing tracker.
How sea time works for the captain's license
The 360-day total, the 90-day recency window, the 4-hour day rule, calendar dedup, and the near-coastal versus inland split, explained plainly and applied by the free sea-time calculator.
How to get a captain's license, step by step
The full path from sea time and TWIC through the course, exams, medical certificate, and application, for the OUPV six-pack and Master routes.
Is a captain's license worth it?
A neutral look at who benefits from a captain's license, the earning paths it opens, and the real cost and effort, without a course to sell.
OUPV vs Master license: which do you need?
A neutral comparison of the six-pack OUPV and the Master 25/50/100 Ton licenses, by passengers, vessel size, inspected versus uninspected, and cost.
Pacific groundfish and salmon charters: the federal and state permit picture
Why West Coast groundfish and salmon charters run on state licenses rather than a separate federal charter permit, and how the depth-contour management lines that NOAA and the states share still bind every trip.
The Alaska Charter Halibut Permit, explained
How Alaska's limited-entry halibut charter permit works: Tier 1 and Tier 2 angler endorsements, the Guided Angler Fish leasing program, annual registration, and logbook reporting.
The Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit, explained
Who needs the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permit, what species it covers, the shark and commercial sale endorsements, and how it fits a captain's license.
The CG-719 forms, walked through
Plain-English walkthroughs of Form CG-719B application, CG-719C conviction disclosure, CG-719K medical certificate, and CG-719S sea service form.
The CG-719K medical certificate and disqualifiers
What the merchant mariner medical certificate checks, which conditions trigger a detailed review, and how to prepare, from the public CG-719K guidance.
The OUPV (six-pack) license explained
What the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels license lets you do, the Inland versus Near Coastal routes, and who it fits.
TWIC for mariners: what you need and when
Why most mariners need a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, how to apply, and how its timeline fits the captain's license application.
What a captain's license costs, all in
A dated, all-in cost breakdown: course, exam fees, TWIC, medical exam, and application fee, compiled from public sources, not a single seller's price.