Study library
Captain's license eligibility, forms, and cost guides
Every guide cites its primary source and carries a visible last-reviewed date. Written from 46 CFR Part 11, the public National Maritime Center checklists, and the TSA and NOAA public pages, not a course seller's marketing.
Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide
Can you get a captain's license with a DUI?
How a DUI affects captain's license eligibility, the National Maritime Center assessment-period logic, what a case-by-case review involves, and the disclosure you must make on the CG-719C, framed as public rule and not legal advice.
Captain's license eligibility with a record
How the National Maritime Center evaluates convictions and the assessment-period rules, framed as public rule, never as legal advice.
How long the National Maritime Center is taking
What drives NMC processing times, how the backlog built up, and how to read the dated processing tracker.
How sea time works for the captain's license
The 360-day total, the 90-day recency window, the 4-hour day rule, calendar dedup, and the near-coastal versus inland split, explained plainly and applied by the free sea-time calculator.
How to get a captain's license, step by step
The full path from sea time and TWIC through the course, exams, medical certificate, and application, for the OUPV six-pack and Master routes.
Is a captain's license worth it?
A neutral look at who benefits from a captain's license, the earning paths it opens, and the real cost and effort, without a course to sell.
OUPV vs Master license: which do you need?
A neutral comparison of the six-pack OUPV and the Master 25/50/100 Ton licenses, by passengers, vessel size, inspected versus uninspected, and cost.
The CG-719 forms, walked through
Plain-English walkthroughs of Form CG-719B application, CG-719C conviction disclosure, CG-719K medical certificate, and CG-719S sea service form.
The CG-719K medical certificate and disqualifiers
What the merchant mariner medical certificate checks, which conditions trigger a detailed review, and how to prepare, from the public CG-719K guidance.
The OUPV (six-pack) license explained
What the Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels license lets you do, the Inland versus Near Coastal routes, and who it fits.
TWIC for mariners: what you need and when
Why most mariners need a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, how to apply, and how its timeline fits the captain's license application.
What a captain's license costs, all in
A dated, all-in cost breakdown: course, exam fees, TWIC, medical exam, and application fee, compiled from public sources, not a single seller's price.