Hauturier equivalent in USA?

dlochner · May 10, 2023

For the most part there are no regulations on recreational boat ownership or operation. Many states do have a requirement for a boating safety course, that focuses on very basic operational information and not boat handling. You can even take the courses online.

There are various USCG licenses if you are going to have paying passengers onboard, but these are not required to operate a recreational boat.

Insurance companies look at the age of the boat and owner's experience as well as other things, like claims history, driving record, credit score, etc.

BoatUS Foundation

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is an innovative leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating.

www.boatus.org

dlochner · May 10, 2023

If you are going to charter with six or fewer passengers, then you will want the OUPV license, commonly known as the Six-Pack. There is a citizenship requirement, I don't know if that applies to you.

Charter Boat Captain

www.dco.uscg.mil

jviss · May 10, 2023

dlochner said:
If you are going to charter with six or fewer passengers, then you will want the OUPV license, commonly known as the Six-Pack. There is a citizenship requirement, I don't know if that applies to you.

Charter Boat Captain

www.dco.uscg.mil

OUPV = Operator of Inspected Passenger Vessel. Mostly held by small private fishing charter captains, I think.

"You do NOT need to be a legal US citizen to obtain a USCG captain's license. However, you need to be legal to work in the US to get an OUPV/Six-Pack captain's license. If you want to go for the 25/50/100-Ton Masters license, you must be a US citizen."

Do I Need to Be a US Citizen for a Captain’s License?

Joe · May 10, 2023

xavpil said:
What I am trying to do is to not have to re-do all the hard training/courses because the Hauturier qualification is a tough one to pass. I would like to eventually charter people
Thx for the reply Dave

You're looking for some kind of "equivalency certificate". Is that correct. I''d research the Coast Guard, or other related agency, to see what is offered.
You may be able to get some courses waived, perhaps operator experience time also. These links may help, I hope they do. Good Luck.
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/courses/courses.pdf
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/...g/appeals/Appeals_Equiv_Exe_Process_Guide.pdf

jviss · May 11, 2023

I don't know, but I wouldn't imagine any equivalency thing exists; one thing I noticed is that for captains licenses, but on-water experience apparently must be in local waters. And there's a boundary line for an OUPV license for Great Lakes, inland, or near coastal.

Joe · May 11, 2023

I would not rule out anything out until I had actually checked with the authority that issues accreditation. It is not uncommon for licensing agencies to have cooperative agreements, equivalency credits, etc for similar agencies in other areas. At the various least, it would be worthwhile to investigate the possibility. The reality is anything we have to say on this forum carries none of that authority, since apparently, nobody actually knows. I would be interested to find out what xavpil discovers. It makes sense to me that an experienced, licensed captain from another country, who also has certification from an accredited international school, should be able to have some of the time consuming requirements waived. That said, it would not surprise me if they weren't, because..... well..... because you just don't know.

dlochner · May 11, 2023

Joe said:
I would not rule out anything out until I had actually checked with the authority that issues accreditation. It is not uncommon for licensing agencies to have cooperative agreements, equivalency credits, etc for similar agencies in other areas. At the various least, it would be worthwhile to investigate the possibility. The reality is anything we have to say on this forum carries none of that authority, since apparently, nobody actually knows. I would be interested to find out what xavpil discovers. It makes sense to me that an experienced, licensed captain from another country, who also has certification from an accredited international school, should be able to have some of the time consuming requirements waived. That said, it would not surprise me if they weren't, because..... well..... because you just don't know.

My understanding is a course is not required to qualify for an OUPV license. Instead of taking an approved course and passing the exams in the course an applicant may take the USCG exam at a regional exam center.

jviss · May 12, 2023

xavpil said:
Actually I don’t even know which organization regulates the certifications in the country? This is where I should start.

What are you trying to accomplish, charter a sailboat for your own use, or carry people for hire?

jviss · May 12, 2023

xavpil said:
1- I was told that if insurance dont require any certifications, they welcome one and their rate can lower.
2- I might decide to transport people vacationing on my boat (not sure what the term is )

For the first, I would think the cert you have is sufficient, if you explain it to them and send them documentation.

For the second, if you are doing it for free, as friends, and there's no exchange of anything of value, you can just do it. That's why when I have guests I even pay for the drinks and sandwiches. If you are doing it for hire, you will need a captain's license. The only one available to you is the OUPV, a.k.a. "Six-pack," and you will be limited to six passengers. For that, you will likely have to start over, per the earlier discussions, and will need documented experience in these waters, as far as I can tell.

jviss · May 12, 2023

xavpil said:
thx!!!!

Please, though, I'm not an expert, this is just based on my accumulated experience and recent online reading.

Davidasailor26 · May 12, 2023

jviss said:
For the second, if you are doing it for free, as friends, and there's no exchange of anything of value, you can just do it.

I would just add that depending on your state you may need a boating safety course/certification, whether bringing guests or even just alone. My guess is you’d probably spend more time trying to justify equivalency from your existing certification than just taking the state test.

dlochner · May 12, 2023

xavpil said:
Actually I don’t even know which organization regulates the certifications in the country? This is where I should start.

The Coast Guard regulates licensing.

Charter Boat Captain

www.dco.uscg.mil

Joe · May 13, 2023

But, no one really knows for sure. So keep researching and please keep us updated as you go. Your work will end up in the SBO archives and you will become legendary as an authority.

not a bad thing