50 ton to 100 ton sea time

[Shadow]

If the boat is uninspected, wouldn't, OUPV be sufficient? In the case of the OP isn't a 50 ton equivalent to OUPV? In that case I would think he could run a 51 ton vessel as an OUPV as long as the boat was uninspected even though he only has a 50 ton.

Was the vessel you read about in PM an inspected vessel?

[Sf_deckhand]

Hijacking the thread a little here, but I remember hearing back when i was in SF that the pilot boats there could be operated by somebody without a license. The word was that lots (all?) of the operators had tickets, but that it wasn't technically a requirement for the job. The notion was that since they only carried pilots, who were all owners, not passengers, they didn't need a license. Or something like that.

This could be totally made up, but thought i'd throw it out there, see if anyone else has heard about it.

[sfmariner]

Sf-deckhand,I was told the same thing. I have friends that run pilot boats on the east coast,same thing,no license needed. The pilot's association is a private organisation. They are working for the pilot's association which own the boats which are just used to transport the pilots. They usually hire ex-fisherman that know the bay/harbor very well,but have no license.
Interesting situation.

[tsteinford]

Reading between the lines, the vessel mentioned is over 50 tons. And it was mentioned it hauls freight. So if the vessel is UNDER 26' it needs NO license. I'm going over my list of boats I have run. I can't recall ONE that was over 50 tons that didn't exceed 26'. Ignorance is no excuse.

So if an operator is operating a vessel (like the guy in Alaska), with no license, what is the penalty? I am trying to get the info out there, so someone who wants to run a boat for hire (like Bell47) knows what the results of running a vessel (however it is called in the OP, helping, running, working on as operator) with no license and what it can 'cost' the operator. Trying to get clarification as to what does 'For Hire' mean? Does this mean someone is hired to run a boat, or does this mean the cargo or people have paid? I guess, looking at it more simply, if I went down to the harbor and asked someone to 'run my boat' for money, does this require a license? Does it have a tonnage or length caveat? Is this solely concerning carrying passengers? Does this concern freight? There was another guy on here not too long ago who asked, "Can I run cargo with my fishing boat?" Does this mean he needs a license too?

I can't recall how many times I have heard the phrase: "The company would not ask me to do something illegal, they MUST know the regulations!"

Being paid to run a boat does not mean that you have to be licensed. Licensing requirements are generally based on the use of the vessel and in some cases the tonnage, length or route. If the vessel is required to be USCG inspected the manning requirements will be on the certificate of inspection. The main situations requiring a COI (and thus at least 1 licensed operator) are vessels over 15 gross tons carrying freight for hire, vessels under 100 gross tons carrying more than 6 passengers, vessels over 100 gross tons carrying more than 12 passengers and offshore supply vessels. "Carrying freight for hire" refers to the cargo, not the crew. Uninspected vessels requiring licenses include towing vessels over 26 feet, assistance towing vessels of any length and vessels that carry at least one passenger for hire. Another uninspected vessel situation requiring licenses is a documented, seagoing vessel over 200 gross tons. Documented means issued a USCG certificate of documentation (not state numbered). Seagoing means operated beyond the 46 CFR part 7 boundary lines, 12 miles offshore in the Gulf and generally at the beach elsewhere. This category includes documented yachts if they meet the tonnage and route, otherwise paid yacht crew do not need to be licensed. A lot of large oceanographic research vessels are state numbered to beat the licensing requirements.

[jdcavo]

Trying to get clarification as to what does 'For Hire' mean?

Freight for hire is used in the U.S. Code, but is not defined. However, "passenger for hire" is defined [at 46 USC 2101(21a)] as "a passenger for whom consideration is contributed as a condition of carriage on the vessel, whether directly or indirectly flowing to the charterer, operator, agent, or any other person having an interest in the vessel." If you substitute "freight" for "passenger" you will have a reasonable interpretation of "freight for hire." In the context of passengers for hire, "consideration" has been interpreted broadly to include paying for fuel or other expenses.

The rest of your questions are outside of my expertise, so I cannot give authoritative answers. You can get more information in chapters 83 and 89 of Title 46 of the U.S. Code.