OUPV (Six-Pack) and Master credential paths for charter boats, tour boats, and passenger-for-hire operators in South Carolina.
It isn't a state license — it's the same federal USCG Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV or Master endorsement, used nationwide.
REC Charleston is the East Coast Southern hub. SC inshore operators run OUPV Inland; offshore Mahi/wahoo/marlin trips need OUPV Near-Coastal or Master 100.
The nearest USCG Regional Examination Center is Charleston, SC. Compare centers and appointment rules in the USCG REC locations guide.
Major South Carolina charter hubs
These are planning questions, not a state-issued license checklist. The National Maritime Center and the responsible Coast Guard Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection make the final route and vessel determination.
Map the actual charter track from Charleston, Hilton Head, Beaufort, or Murrells Inlet. The credential route turns on the waters served and the federal boundary lines, not simply on the word “coastal.” Under 46 CFR 11.467(b), OUPV Near Coastal can cover service up to 100 miles offshore as well as inland waters, while an Inland endorsement does not authorize the same offshore route.
OUPV is the six-or-fewer-passenger route for an uninspected passenger vessel. A business plan involving more passengers or an inspected passenger vessel needs a Master comparison rather than an automatic Six-Pack assumption. Record the vessel's inspection status and tonnage before selecting Master 25, 50, or 100; the endorsement limit follows qualifying vessel and service evidence, not the marina where the trip begins.
Separate inshore and offshore service days and identify the vessel used for each period. Note the departure point, route, passenger capacity, and tonnage, then compare the documented service with the OUPV Inland, OUPV Near Coastal, and Master checklists. REC Charleston or a USCG-approved course provider can handle the examination path, but the National Maritime Center evaluates the submitted route and service record.
Federal route baseline verified 7 Aug 2026: 46 CFR 11.467.
South Carolina's coast takes five sections and they are drawn tightly: Little River Inlet to Cape Romain (33 CFR 80.703), Cape Romain to Sullivans Island (80.707), Charleston Harbor's own line (80.710), Morris Island to Hilton Head (80.712), and the Savannah River at 80.715, which runs from a tank on Hilton Head Island to Tybee Light in Georgia. Charleston Harbor and the sounds behind the sea islands are inland water; the offshore mahi and wahoo grounds are not. For a Murrells Inlet or Hilton Head operator the practical reading is that the rulebook changes at the harbour or sound entrance, and REC Charleston — the office that will evaluate the application — sits directly on the water 80.710 describes.
COLREGS Demarcation Lines covering South Carolina — 33 CFR Part 80
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 Charleston, SC
Or an approved course provider — what it covers and the score you need.
There is no South Carolina captain's license to get — you earn a federal USCG credential, in the five steps set out above, and sit the exam at REC Charleston, SC.
The same — a federal Merchant Mariner Credential endorsement, valid in every state. South Carolina licenses the business, the guide and local fishing separately.
The minimum age is federal, not set by South Carolina: 18 for OUPV, 19 for most Master endorsements, 21 for higher-tonnage and ocean routes (46 CFR 11.201(e)).
At REC Charleston, SC once the NMC approves the application, or through an approved course provider that administers the exam itself.
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