OUPV Limitations

[SkipperJohn]

Skipper John,
Your signature line shows "master", which means oupv rules don't apply to you. My 50 ton masters is the same. Unless I am mistaken all oupv license are six pack only.
Gene

I have a 100 ton near shore masters (started out 50, then at one renewal was 200, now 100-I have little clue how they decide the tonnage).
When I first got this license, I'm pretty sure they referred to it as a oupv. But, I don't charter I just maintain the license. I am out of the loop.

 

[ComputerJoe]

Skipper John,
Your signature line shows "master", which means oupv rules don't apply to you. My 50 ton masters is the same. Unless I am mistaken all oupv license are six pack only.
Gene

Just to clarify...
Your license only limits your tonage (vessel size) NOT the number of passengers you can carry. The vessel is what limits passengers to 6. A OUPV is just a vessel small enough so that the USCG is not interested in inspecting. When large enough, and desiring to to carry 7 passengers or more a vessel has to be inspected by the USCG. Some, myself included, prefer to not have my vessel certified for the 8 passengers it could carry to avoid having to jump through the additional USCG hoops.

There is a new 300+ foot passenger ferry running across Lake Michigan built to be 99.9999 ton vessel just so that the company could hire less expensive 100 ton Captains. A "ton" is approximately 100 cubic feet of inclosed space on a vessel. So a Car ferry, with all the open space on the car deck which does not count towards its tonage, can carry 200 passengers and still be less than 100 tons.

 

[rjack321]

Just to clarify...
Your license only limits your tonage (vessel size) NOT the number of passengers you can carry. The vessel is what limits passengers to 6. A OUPV is just a vessel small enough so that the USCG is not interested in inspecting. When large enough, and desiring to to carry 7 passengers or more a vessel has to be inspected by the USCG. Some, myself included, prefer to not have my vessel certified for the 8 passengers it could carry to avoid having to jump through the additional USCG hoops.

There is a new 300+ foot passenger ferry running across Lake Michigan built to be 99.9999 ton vessel just so that the company could hire less expensive 100 ton Captains. A "ton" is approximately 100 cubic feet of inclosed space on a vessel. So a Car ferry, with all the open space on the car deck which does not count towards its tonage, can carry 200 passengers and still be less than 100 tons.

OUPV = operator of uninspected passenger vessels. Its a limited license for a particular type of vessel.

Such a vessel may be 5 tons, or 50tons but its still can't carry more than 6 paying passengers.

USCG National Maritime Center - Charter Boat Captain Information

 

[boydski]

The vessel is what limits passengers to 6. A OUPV is just a vessel small enough so that the USCG is not interested in inspecting. When large enough, and desiring to to carry 7 passengers or more a vessel has to be inspected by the USCG.

Hi Joe,

Great post, and I agree, but I would also clarify that there is an exception to your statement quoted above (although most of us are unlikely to run into it). If a vessel is more than 100 tons, it may carry up to 12 passengers and still be UnInspected. This is commonly referred to as a 12-pack and is relatively new addition to the CFR's.

The limits on an OUPV license would prevent its use on a vessel that size, but a 200 Ton licensee could operate the 12-pack vessel as "unispected". There are some luxury liveaboard yachts that operate under these rules due to the extra expenses and rules associted with a COI (Certificate of Inspection).

 

[ComputerJoe]

I do not believe the USCG issued an OUPV license any longer. My Mistake.

But after reading your link...
OUPV's are limited to undocumented vessels, and NOW the USCG IS requiring any vessel 5 ton or more to be documented. So OUPV= <5 ton.

 

[rjack321]

I do not believe the USCG issued an OUPV license any longer. My Mistake.

But after reading your link...
OUPV's are limited to undocumented vessels, and NOW the USCG IS requiring any vessel 5 ton or more to be documented. So OUPV= <5 ton.

Yeah basically only applies to stuff like bass boats and river rafts at this point. If you have any experience at all on a larger documented vessel you'll be issued a 25 or 50ton license.

 

[Tortuga James]

Yeah basically only applies to stuff like bass boats and river rafts at this point. If you have any experience at all on a larger documented vessel you'll be issued a 25 or 50ton license.

I do not believe this is correct. If it is, there are a lot of sportfishing charter boat Captains in non-compliance on the east coast.

I think you misinterpreted the CFR. The rule you refer to is a citizenship issue:

CFR 10.467 states:

Must be a US citizen or a legal alien. Legal aliens will be restricted to undocumented vessels only (commercial vessels less than 5 gross tons). ​

 

[Tortuga James]

Ok, I confirmed it with the USCG.

The response was:

Good afternoon. Per 46 CFR 10.467: an OUPV means an operator of an uninspected vessel of less than 100 gross tons, equipped with propulsion machinery of any type, carrying six or less passengers.
Thank you for contacting the Mariner Information Call Center.

Jessica ******
Call Center Specialist
Security Assistance Corp.
Contractor to United States Coast Guard
100 Forbes Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
(P) (888) 427-5662
(F) (304)-433-3416
(E) iasknmc@uscg.mil

 

[rjack321]

Ok, I confirmed it with the USCG.

The response was:

Good afternoon. Per 46 CFR 10.467: an OUPV means an operator of an uninspected vessel of less than 100 gross tons, equipped with propulsion machinery of any type, carrying six or less passengers.
Thank you for contacting the Mariner Information Call Center.

Jessica ******
Call Center Specialist
Security Assistance Corp.
Contractor to United States Coast Guard
100 Forbes Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
(P) (888) 427-5662
(F) (304)-433-3416
(E) iasknmc@uscg.mil

Jessica answered the question "what can a OUPV operate?"

I do not believe this is correct. If it is, there are a lot of sportfishing charter boat Captains in non-compliance on the east coast.

I think you misinterpreted the CFR. The rule you refer to is a citizenship issue:

CFR 10.467 states:

Must be a US citizen or a legal alien. Legal aliens will be restricted to undocumented vessels only (commercial vessels less than 5 gross tons). ​

I didn't make a claim about 5-tons being important. Talk to Gary.

Yeah basically only applies to stuff like bass boats and river rafts at this point. If you have any experience at all on a larger documented vessel you'll be issued a 25 or 50ton license.

The above answers the question: "how do I get an OPUV?" The answer is by having experience on only (smaller) undocumented vessels like bass boats and river rafts. Since you can operate a documented vessel with <6 paying passengers with an OUPV, if you have just a day aboard one, at your first renewal you can upgrade to a Master of appropriate tonnage.

 

[Tortuga James]

OUPV's are limited to undocumented vessels, and NOW the USCG IS requiring any vessel 5 ton or more to be documented. So OUPV= <5 ton.

I gotcha.

I guess the above was what I was responding to, which is the incorrect statement. US citizens with an OUPV MMC can operate documented (or undocumented) vessels up to 99.9 gross tons.

I am also curious if the Coast Guard requires all vessels of >5 tons to be documented. I don't believe this is correct as well, because a see a lot of pretty big sportfishing boats with state numbers in NC. Since tonnage is a function of enclosed space, all the pontoon boats anchored in the harbor would need to be USCG documented as well.

I went to the extreme hassle of documenting my boat because it is a custom built vessel and that was the best way to insure origin and ownership if I was to seek a mortgage against her. The boat is 11 gross tons, and it was my understanding last year that I was not required to document her, and could have just registered her with the state, as she was when I bought her.