I am asking about an OUPV 6-pack license. The way I understand it is that you may carry up to 6 paying passengers. BUT, I have been hearing that with a demise charter, or a bareboat charter, the boat being driven is actually "sold" to the passengers for the time being. This means that they are no longer paying paying for the boat because, in essence, it is theirs. This somehow removes the restriction of only carrying 6 passengers. So, then I have read some wishy-washy articles on how a OUPV certified license could then carry 12 passengers on a charter like this. Please give me more information on this subject if you know about Bareboat Charters!
I echo what Dennis wrote. Here is a link to the applicable documents.. http://www.uscg.mil/pvs/docs/PVSA_NVIC_7-94.pdf The 6 vs. 12 is a change to come closer to international rules. 6 passengers applies under 100 tons and 12 over, but it's far more complex than that. Definitions of passengers have even changed. At one time the guests of the owner on a chartered vessel were considered as if the owner, now they're considered passengers. There are now definitions for Recreational Vessels, Uninspected Passenger Vessels. Small Passenger Vessels, and Passenger Vessels. This is a very complex subject and the specific details become very important including the details of the charter contract itself. See a Maritime Attorney.
This flyer published by the USCG district 7 (South East) clarifies this issue. http://www.uscg.mil/d7/sectmiami/pdf/CharterBrochure.pdf We were recently boarded while on charter (bareboat) and they did ask to see the boat and crew contracts. Note that the charterer (person who signs the contract) is not considered a passenger so total limit is actually 13 Afaik, on the license side the 6 pax limit still applies and you need a master to run a bareboat with more than 6 pax