Quote:
Originally Posted by tennis4789
In 7 years, My end goal is to own & captain a 4 cabin 4 head boat 40 to 50 feet long. Where I can rent out to 3 other couples & sail to Europe or in bvi or Australia or coast of Florida or Hawaii or.... Or do I need to stay in one area/country to keep the red tape from getting out of control?
I live by a marina two blocks away on the Illinois river.
Would getting my captain's license now help later for licensing/insurance for bigger boat Bluewater/coastal?
I could pick up a cheap sail boat here. & think marina fee is around $1,000 & state of Illinois would want its cut of course. & then insurance.
For licensing would a certain size boat count better towards license for 40 to 50 foot?
What licenses would I need? Multiple people said a 6 pack will not suffice.
Fishing/ snorkeling/ going to beach is what i really enjoy. Illinois River isn't most ideal for these.
I don't really want to spend money unless it has potential to make me money.
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Right now you have a Dream. Not a plan. Nothing wrong with dreaming, if you want to turn your dream from a wish to a realistic plan.
You need to figure out what a 6 pack will allow you to do.
Then come up with a plan which can be fulfilled with a 6 pack.
Then decide if going to the effort of getting a 6 pack is worth your time and effort. (I would suggest it is, there are lots of options on how to use)
The sooner you start the better, you will need 365 days of recorded time. Which will take a while to get. You may have some already.
So part 1 how do you get a 6 pack.
Can a small owner operator charter boat work, It’s not easy but some people do it.
I left it at the Dream stage, I found it would require way more work and commitments than I wanted to make. I also figured the chances of success were not high.
I modified my dream to working as a sailing instructor, I found it quite enjoyable as a recreational pursuit but not lucrative enough to make a living. It was fun though. And I got to sail some nice boats.
Next part, where, your American so Florida and Hawaii are both possible. For you. You will need a minimum of the 6 pack. For local domestic charters.
Next part. You also need to have a boat certified and insured for the
commercial voyage you intend to take.
Once you get into further distances, this gets a lot more stringent. So getting yourself and a boat certified to sail
offshore for
commercial voyage not easy.
But chartering a 40 ft boat locally quite plausible. Not easy either but plausible.
As for exotic locations, most have their own rules for who can operate a charter boat in their waters, so not just qualifications you will also need work permits.
You can do international charters, again you need to figure out what qualifications you will require and what sort of boat you will need to be able to do international voyages.
Good luck with your dreams.