OUPV Course

[jimmyg]

Hi
I was wondering if anyone in the Anacortes or SJI has taken Capt Roys course or any others. I need basics---

Jimmy
Lopez Island

[JamesTXSD]

If you don't have the sea time (360 days) necessary, the OUPV class may be overkill. If you are looking for basics, I'd recommend Power Squadron or Coast Guard Aux classes. If I am reading your "basics" comment wrong, my apologies. The OUPV classes are designed for those who are looking to get a Captain's License.

I've done both of these options (not in the PNW), and would be happy to discuss it further if you want.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Alyssa Jean]

I just finished (successfully) Capt. Roys class several weeks ago. I took the OUPV with towing endorsement and also the 100 ton. The next class is in January if I remember right. Capt. Kirby Stevens was a very good instructor and the class material is very good. Email me with your questions or maybe we can talk on the phone. I live on Guemes.
The 360 days needed are documented dayssince your were 16. Military time , depending on what you did, can count as part of it. In addition you need 90 days in the past 3 years on the tonnage you are going for. The testing is the same for 25, 50 and 100 ton and the license you will get will be dependant on the time you have in the past 90 days. Upgrading is not difficult from 25 to 50 to 100.

[starcrafttom]

Ok I have a question. What counts as sea time? I have been on boats since I was a kid. I have driven every thing from 12 ft to 60 ft by myself. In the last three years I have almost a 1000 hours on the Susan E. Does any of this count for anything? And how do you get hours in 25 to 100 ton? slave labor? can you take the classes before you get the hours or do you have to have the hours first? I spend three month as a capitve of the U.S. Navy on the USS Lenardwood. They did not let me drive but I could have done a better job. "Go around the hurricane" See how easy that is.

[B~C]

As James suggested, if you're just looking for the basics, the USCG Aux or power Squadron classes would be good. If it's a license you're after, the link below holds many answers.

http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/


Tom, if it floats and you where on it,it counts. You would need a sea service form filled out for every vessel you did time on & it needs to be signed by the owner or company rep.

I tried to spell out the steps for the licensing procedure in a thread some years back

[captd]

Anything on the water counts. Canoe, Kayak, whatever. Out fishing, paddling , rowing. Time in the Navy, 4 hours counts as a day. Very loose on your record keeping.
Now days it is very easy. Use to be you had to go to the Coast Guard and spend three days or so of testing. The test was different for the six pac, 50 ton and 100 ton. We had to spend the time in New Orleans to get it done. That wasn't all bad. Had to memorize everything. The first test was the biggie. You were only allowed to miss two out of 100 or so questions. If you failed you had to wait for a period of time before you could take it again. After passing you then got to take a bunch of other tests.
Sea schools today will assure your passing in exchange for your money.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was very hard to pass the first time around. Most had to go back and memorize some more. Soon as you pass you will forget 80%. Not some of the Tugnuts or C-Brats.... they would retain all. Just not me.
captd

[JamesTXSD]

Not to turn this into any kind of a debate... I am in favor of some sort of mandatory education requirement for boaters. At least basic safety knowledge and an introduction to Rules of the Road. An intro class with the US Power Squadron or the CG Aux will give you that and encourage you to continue through the classes to learn more about navigation, coastal cruising, etc, etc. Common sense should tell one that it is necessary to know "who goes where" in an environment where there are no roads. Anyone who has spent any minimal time on the water is fully aware that there are plenty of people out there who don't have a clue. That should not deter folks from getting a decent education.

For Tom, you can log time on your own boat (you do keep a log, don't you?). Ken and David have given sound advice... those who have been through the licensing process know that there are lots of steps to go through, and the time is just one. You will also need references, go through a background check (including being fingerprinted), have a current physical, drug screen, CPR and first aid card, and pass the multi-part written test. You can take a course or you can self study. The nice thing about the approved courses is the fact that you don't have to go to a Regional Exam Center (our nearest is in Houston, about 400 miles away). You will have to go there though to be fingerprinted and submit your documents (passport, birth certificate, Social Security card, etc). From the time you pass the test, you have one year to get your paperwork submitted.

Historically, it seems that there are people who take the course, but don't follow up on getting the rest of the requirements done (thus, no license). When I got my Master License, there was a guy taking the course who had no sea time. 730 days are required for that license. I asked the guy why he was taking the course, since there was NO WAY he could get the required time in one year to complete the paperwork. I think he was convinced that passing the test made him a captain - certainly not true.

Once you have the license, most employers will require you to demonstrate practical knowledge. Many insurance companies will require a certain amount of days "in type" to insure you through an employer.

The TWIC card will be required at some point (keeps getting pushed back) and is already necessary in many ports.

If you want an OUPV to do fishing charters, keep in mind that there are some requirements for your boat (# and type of PFDs, etc) and some states also require you to have a Guide License.

Kudos to those who want to pursue education to make them better and safer boaters, whether it is a USCG license or a certificate from the USPS or USCG Aux.

Best wishes,
Captain Jim B (not to be confused with the cartoon Captain Jim )

[matt_unique]

[captd]

Things may have changed. I took my tests in New Orleans in about 1993. Sea schools couldn't give the tests in those days.
I studied and memorized on my own. I did one of those mail order lessons for $29.00.

I did use the Navy , fishing boat and canoes to get in my time. I had no documentation for any of my sea time. They questioned only the summer before when on a long cruise I claimed twenty four hours a day. They said you can't run the boat 24 a day. I said how about if it is your boat and I am the captain. I explained the trip and they accepted it. (besides it was for the goverment. They could verify that if they wanted to)
The test for 100 ton was different than the 50 ton. I remember some of the questions were about man power requirements for a tug boat. How many had to have certain deck licences. The names of some of the equipment on the tug. The question that really baffled me was "when was the hightide some where in Boston Mass on a certain date. I didn't know there was a book up front that would have told me. Bowditch was another one that would have answered some of those questions I thought were impossible.
My memory is not what it use to be, but it is pretty close in this case. I don't question anyone on todays requirements.
captd

[Captains Cat]

Wonder if any/all of my USN sea time would count? I was a qualified OOD underway and a Surface Warfare Officer, even though I was an Engineering Duty Officer...

Anyone?

Charlie

[damason]

I have had a OUPV license for the past 10 years and if I remember correctly the only sea time that counts is time spent on a vessel powered by machinery (gas, diesel, or steam) or a sailboat. Sea time on a canoe, row boat, or kayak without a engine do not count. Sea School will bring you up on the requirements.

[matt_unique]

[Alyssa Jean]

[DaveS]

Taking an OUPV course and passing it sounds appealing for the experience and for gaining knowledge......however, if an individual has no intention of actually utilizing the credentials, I would not take the course.

The way I look at it, it is just like some individual spending several thousand dollars, one intensive year of his/her time to become a paramedic and then never be employed as one. They therefore lose their certification. (Maybe, you don't lose the OUPV if you don't use it, but without using it, you might lose the skills that were learned).

Claiming time spent on a canoe with an electric trolling motor would be like following a medic rig around on a bicycle with an electric motor and claiming that as experience. (Perhaps, not the best analogy, but I'm hoping that the point is well taken).

[B~C]

Hey, but what if I could follow the ambulance around in the kayak?

time in a kayak or drift boat would be applicable in some cases, fer instance, if one was applying for a limited OUPV for the Snake or Salmon river and you had many years, in addition to motor vessel experience, of experience on the river running a drift boat, it would be solid. If you where to use kayak time in hopes to run a whale watching vessel in the Sound, that would be cheesy and probably not allowed...different scenarios, that is perhaps why the the sea time requirements just specify time on a vessel comparable to the type of license requested.

Don't want to totally derail this thread, DaveS brings up a good point about using a license in order to renew it. Another consideration is the increased level of legal risk and responsibility one may have with a license.
For the purpose of gathering some solid boating basics, hard to beat the Power Squadron or USCG Aux courses