OUPV (Six-Pack) and Master credential paths for charter boats, tour boats, and passenger-for-hire operators in New York.
It isn't a state license — it's the same federal USCG Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV or Master endorsement, used nationwide.
New York runs both Atlantic (Long Island) and Great Lakes (Lake Ontario / Erie) charter operations. Montauk-style canyon trips need OUPV Near-Coastal or Master 100. On Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, six-passenger operators need OUPV Great Lakes and Inland (or a qualifying Near-Coastal endorsement) — plain OUPV Inland excludes the Great Lakes (46 CFR 11.467); OUPV Inland still covers New York's other inland waters such as the Hudson River and the Finger Lakes.
The nearest USCG Regional Examination Center is New York, NY. Compare centers and appointment rules in the USCG REC locations guide.
Major New York charter hubs
New York is the only state that combines an Atlantic demarcation coast with a Great Lakes shore, and the two are reached by different mechanisms. On the ocean side, 33 CFR 80.155 closes the eastern end of Long Island Sound at the Race, 80.160 covers Montauk Point to Atlantic Beach inlet by inlet, and 80.165 draws New York Harbor from East Rockaway Inlet to Sandy Hook Light — so the Sound and the harbour are inland water while a Montauk boat is on the International Rules as soon as it clears the jetties. On the lake side there is no Part 80 line at all: Lakes Ontario and Erie are inland water by definition at 83.03(q), and carry the Great Lakes lights option at 83.23(e). The Hudson is ordinary inland water. Under 46 CFR 11.467(b) a plain inland OUPV does not cover the Great Lakes, so a candidate working both ends of the state needs the wider endorsement.
COLREGS Demarcation Lines covering New York — 33 CFR Part 80
Great Lakes water (Lakes Ontario and Erie) needs no Part 80 line: 33 CFR 83.03(q) defines inland waters to include the waters of the Great Lakes on the United States side of the International Boundary. Under 46 CFR 11.467(b) a plain inland OUPV endorsement covers all inland waters except the Great Lakes.
This decides which rulebook you steer by, not where your credential may operate: the route limit is the 46 CFR Part 7 Boundary Line, and the two lines are not drawn in the same place. How the two lines differ · International Rules · Inland Rules
33 CFR Part 80 and the Part 83 definitions above read from eCFR on 12 Aug 2026. Any specific water is a determination for the cognizant Coast Guard Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection.
Not sure the trip needs a credential at all? The captain's-license trigger guide.
Inspected small-passenger-vessel authority — that is a Master.
Master requirementsDocument your sea service
Pass the medical & drug test
CG-719K and CG-719P — medical certificate guide.
Get a TWIC + CPR / First Aid
Submit your application to the NMC
Pass the exam at REC New York, NY
Or an approved course provider — what it covers and the score you need.
There is no New York captain's license to get — you earn a federal USCG credential, in the five steps set out above, and sit the exam at REC New York, NY.
The same — a federal Merchant Mariner Credential endorsement, valid in every state. New York licenses the business, the guide and local fishing separately.
The minimum age is federal, not set by New York: 18 for OUPV, 19 for most Master endorsements, 21 for higher-tonnage and ocean routes (46 CFR 11.201(e)).
At REC New York, NY once the NMC approves the application, or through an approved course provider that administers the exam itself.
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