Time requirement for getting your Captain's License - The Hull Truth

MarinersSchool · 12-28-2007, 08:55 AM

There is a lot of confusion on the time that is actually required for getting your Captain's License... Here are the facts:

You are required to have a total of 360 days experience on board a boat since you were 15 years old. 90 of those days need to be in the last three years. As little as 4 hours on a boat can be considered one day. And in one 24 hour period you can claim just one day of sea service time. If you own the boat yourself you sign off your own time. If your time was spent on friends or families boats they can sign the time off for you. Your time does not need to be signed off by a licensed Captain and in fact you do not even need to be operating the boat yourself for this time to count.

This is basically an honor system which the Coast Guard will accept your best guess... You are not required to submit log books. If you choose to use one of our courses Mariners School will provide you with a Sea Service form and guidance on how to properly fill it out. This is basically a form that looks like a calendar... In each month there are 5 slots... Each of these slots represent a month of your choice... You simply make a best guess as to how many days you were out on a boat for a particular month... Once the total of days is greater than 360 you have now met the Coast Guards time requirement for getting your Captain's License.

For those of you looking to get your license there is more information in the Mariners School forum Getting your Captain's License Fact vs. Fiction on this site...

surfcaster51 · 12-28-2007, 10:43 AM

any locations on the Cape...........as in Cape Cod

MarinersSchool · 12-28-2007, 11:55 AM

We do not have locations on Cape Cod... The classroom space is two expensive... We do have classes all around Cape Cod.

Another great option to taking a class is to do the course online... Mariners School is the only privately owned school in the country to be approved by the Coast Guard to offer the course online... So with this option you can actually take the course in the comfort of your home...

idigitu88 · 12-28-2007, 05:07 PM

New England Maritime In Hyanis is good.
http://www.nemaritime.com/neminformation.html

mcleaves · 12-28-2007, 08:29 PM

I've always wanted to get my captains license, but the 90 days in the final 3 years is tough. With a boating season mostly about 5 months here in NE, that means you have to get approx 6 days a month, or be on the water basically a weeks worth of days every month. Kinda tough for weekend warriors. Yeah you could fudge it, but the time requirements are there for a reason IMO. I suppose if you are close it's a judgment call, but in my case I get out 2-3 times a month in a good month, and a handful of times in the off season. It's just comes up too short, especially if you consider going out from 2-6 on Sat and then 6-12 on Sun only counts as ONE day. If I can't get the compressed experience in I probably shouldn't be responsible for other people in the capacity of Captain.

I know a lot of people who HAVE fudged the numbers (big time fudging) and they are all people I would NEVER get on a boat with. My 8 year old has more operational sense. Gives you pause on the value of a captains license.

M

MarinersSchool · 12-28-2007, 08:38 PM

Remember... You also have one additional year to meet the Coast Guards requirements once you have completed the course....

mcleaves · 12-28-2007, 10:57 PM

So are you saying it's really 90 days in years? That is significant

ClassicGuy · 12-29-2007, 04:29 AM

Quote:

mcleaves - 12/28/2007 9:57 PMSo are you saying it's really 90 days in years? That is significant

No don't be confused, you don't have four years. What this means is that the certificate you get from the course is valid for one year after it is issued. That gives you a year to apply to the Coast Guard for your license. You still have to demonstrate the sea time for the three years prior to when you actually apply, however. So for example if you had very little time three years ago, bought a boat two years ago, and then started getting more time, you could wait to apply until you built up time during the year after you completed the course. But the sea time requirement is still determined by the three year period prior to the date of your application -- when you take the course is not relevant for that purpose.

AlloyToy · 12-29-2007, 06:10 AM

What is involved once you have your license in maintaining it? Do you have to take refresher courses every year or other year?

mcleaves · 12-29-2007, 10:42 AM

Quote:

ClassicGuy - 12/29/2007 3:29 AM

Quote:

mcleaves - 12/28/2007 9:57 PMSo are you saying it's really 90 days in years? That is significant

No don't be confused, you don't have four years. What this means is that the certificate you get from the course is valid for one year after it is issued. That gives you a year to apply to the Coast Guard for your license. You still have to demonstrate the sea time for the three years prior to when you actually apply, however. So for example if you had very little time three years ago, bought a boat two years ago, and then started getting more time, you could wait to apply until you built up time during the year after you completed the course. But the sea time requirement is still determined by the three year period prior to the date of your application -- when you take the course is not relevant for that purpose.

Thanks for clarifying that AND figuring out I meant to says "4" years, since I neglected to type the number 4!

AFP06 · 12-29-2007, 10:49 AM

According to marinersschool above "As little as 4 hours on a boat can be considered one day."

The ability to take the course online sounds interesting...

mcleaves · 12-29-2007, 11:17 AM

Quote:

AFP06 - 12/29/2007 9:49 AM

According to marinersschool above "As little as 4 hours on a boat can be considered one day."

But you can't use every 4 hours as a day. 8 hours on a boat doesn't constitute two days, and going out in the AM for 4 hours and then the PM for 4 hours is still only one day. It's 24 hours blocks

Quote:

AFP06 - 12/29/2007 9:49 AM
The ability to take the course online sounds interesting...

It does. Timewise it's probably the only way I could do it and it really does open up the opportunity. I could, if carefully managed, push hard the next year and make my 90 hours.

I don't quite understand the part about getting a certificate in lieu of the CG exam. Do you get a certificate that states you are a licensed captain without every taking the CG exam?

M

phestaris · 12-29-2007, 12:13 PM

These schools are able to give the tet at their location. Same test. Then you get a certificate to take to CG to apply for your license, at this time you bring all your paperwork with your hours and whatnot.

MarinersSchool · 12-29-2007, 08:54 PM

The Coast Guard literally has thousands of questions in their data base that they can use to test you... In the case with Mariners School we have gone through each of those questions and have hand picked a few hundred which we fell are fair, accurate and reflect the knowledge required for a particular license... When you take your final exam the test questions come directly from this data base... We are not looking to trick you or ask you questions that may be considered a "trick question"...

Once your license is issued you need to renew it every 5 years... This renewal process requires that you have 360 days on water experience since the license was issued... If you cannot meet that requirement you can take an online refresher course that we offer that the Coast Guard will accept in lieu of the time requirement...

You need to pass a physical... And if you were not enrolled in a DOT approved random drug testing program you will need to once again pass an approved drug test... If you were enrolled in an approved drug testing program then no problem as long as you did not refuse to take a drug test during your enrollment...

With the original license you also are required to have a valid CPR/First Aid card... When you renew your license you are not required to meet this requirement...

Send in the necessary forms and a check for $95.00 to the Coast Guard...

With Homeland Security there may be other changes, however, this is the current renewal process... An example of a recent change would be anyone who currently holds a license and has not been fingerprinted electronically... Needs to now be fingerprinted once again by the new electronic system...

Also to clarify the hours that count as one day... Each Regional Exam Center interprets how many hours count as one day... However most accept as little as 4 hours as one day... In a 24 hour period you can only claim one day... The sea service form askes you to estimate the total numbers a day spent on the water... If this time is closer to 4 hours a day than 8 the Coast Guard may require you to show more than 360 total days on the water...

The online program is a great solution to anyone wishing to get their Captain's License who cannot attend a classroom course...

mcleaves · 12-29-2007, 09:11 PM

Quote:

MarinersSchool - 12/29/2007 7:54 PM

The Coast Guard literally has thousands of questions in their data base that they can use to test you... In the case with Mariners School we have gone through each of those questions and have hand picked a few hundred which we fell are fair, accurate and reflect the knowledge required for a particular license... When you take your final exam the test questions come directly from this data base... We are not looking to trick you or ask you questions that may be considered a "trick question"...

If you fail to pass the exam first time around, how often can you take it, or can you retake it? What are the rules on this? Do you retake portions you fail or the whole exam?

Quote:

Once your license is issued you need to renew it every 5 years... This renewal process requires that you have 360 days on water experience since the license was issued... If you cannot meet that requirement you can take an online refresher course that we offer that the Coast Guard will accept in lieu of the time requirement...

Do they definitely accept the refresher? having to be on the water 1 full years worth of days in the course of 5 years is a LOT tougher than the 90 in three!!! I can't imagine anyone other than a working captain could do this. That's almost being on the water on day every week for 5 years, no off season.

Quote:

... And if you were not enrolled in a DOT approved random drug testing program you will need to once again pass an approved drug test... If you were enrolled in an approved drug testing program then no problem as long as you did not refuse to take a drug test during your enrollment...

With the original license you also are required to have a valid CPR/First Aid card... When you renew your license you are not required to meet this requirement...

Can these be done through the school?

Quote:

With Homeland Security there may be other changes, however, this is the current renewal process... An example of a recent change would be anyone who currently holds a license and has not been fingerprinted electronically... Needs to now be fingerprinted once again by the new electronic system...

Again can this be done through the school? I've had to be fingerprinted and retina scanned for previous security clearance, but the former was paper and the latter I suspect won't count.

Quote:

The online program is a great solution to anyone wishing to get their Captain's License who cannot attend a classroom course...

It does seem attractive and definitely is something I am considering. Thanks for answering these questions

M

MarinersSchool · 12-30-2007, 06:53 AM

The refresher course Mariners School offers is approved by the Coast Guard and will be accepted in lieu of the time requirement once a license is issued...

The final exam is given in four sections... If you were to fail one of the tests modules the three you passed go in the bank... And you just re-test the one you did not complete successfuly... You have three attemps at each module test. You need to complete and passs all test within one year of completing our course... If you do fail three times you are requred to repeat that module. There are no testing fees with Mariners School... Even for the any necessary re-testing that may occur...

MarinersSchool · 12-30-2007, 06:54 AM

The refresher course Mariners School offers is approved by the Coast Guard and will be accepted in lieu of the time requirement once a license is issued...

The final exam is given in four sections... If you were to fail one of the tests modules the three you passed go in the bank... And you just re-test the one you did not complete successfully... You have three attempts at each module test. You need to complete and pass all test within one year of completing our course... If you do fail three times you are required to repeat that module. There are no testing fees with Mariners School... Even for the any necessary re-testing that may occur...

We are out here for you when you are ready to get going... Any additional questions do not hesitate to ask...

Trydent · 01-04-2008, 10:39 PM

I took my Masters 100 ton captains class with New England Maritime at their location in Quincy. They also have a classroom in Hyannis.

I want to tell everyone....that their instructors really go the extra mile. In fact, their lead instructor Charlie, offered to meet up with me one night when we did not have class. He patiently spent three hours with me going over some chartplotting questions.

I would recommend them to everyone.