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license requirements

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by super termoli, May 2, 2011.

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  1. super termoli, May 2, 2011
    #1
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    I have a question regarding licensing requirements: suppose you are the owner of a 36-meter yacht which is privately registered and is NOT operated commercially in any way. What license would you need to be able to drive her yourself? Would you still need the Yachtmaster professional certification?

    Thank you...
  2. K1W1, May 2, 2011
    #2
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    If you own it outright and self insure it I would say you don't need anything major to operate it.
  3. YachtForums, May 2, 2011
    #3
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Licensing should be mandatory to operate any vessel, no matter the size. There are too many who have more "dollars then sense".
  4. C4ENG, May 2, 2011
    #4
    C4ENG

    C4ENG Senior Member

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    I do not believe that the Yachtmaster professional certification is a license, only a certificate for completing the courses from the school.

    It is rather strange why every other department in Transportation seems to require a license accept for the personnel marine vessel operator.
  5. K1W1, May 2, 2011
    #5
    K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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  6. Marmot, May 2, 2011
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    Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    Are you asking about doing this in France?

    According to the French Tourist Office:

    "A licence is needed to operate French motorised pleasure boats at sea where the actual horsepower of the engine or engines is/are higher than 4.5kW (6 HP). There are three types of licence:

    - la carte mer [sea licence]
    - le permis mer côtier [coastal licence]
    - le permis mer hauturier [deep-sea/ocean licence]

    There are specific licences for navigating on inland waters.
    Licences to operate motorised pleasure boats at sea only give the right to pilot by agreement. Any person operating a pleasure boat professionally must have the recognised professional qualifications.

    The regulations are on http://www.mer.equipement.gouv.fr/ "

    Heaven only knows what "pilot by agreement" means.
  7. super termoli, May 2, 2011
    #7
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    OK, so basically you need nothing special. In Europe that is... Because in the US you need nothing at all? I knew this was the case with offshores, if your pockets are deep enough, and you can buy and insure a 200-mph cat, then you can just drive it off into the sunset, no license, no experience required...

    I thought (hoped) it would be a bit different with 100+ foot vessels but it doesn't seem to be the case. If you can buy it and insure it, you can drive it, right?
  8. AMG, May 2, 2011
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    AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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  9. Pascal, May 2, 2011
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    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    hard to even understand what you're asking! in your first post, you didn't even mention where that mythical yacht woudl be operated or flagged. your home port is listed as france, so if the boat is flagged there, you'll have to abide by their stringent licensing requirement.

    as to the last part of your post, it's really meaningless since you will not be able to insure a 100 footer without some license and experience requirement, as well as minimum crew numbers on a 100+ footer.
  10. super termoli, May 2, 2011
    #10
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    Pascal, settle down mate... if my questions are wasting your time then don't reply to them, simple as that. I was asking in general terms hoping to get a reply from different parts of the world, both Europe and United States. As for "stringent requirements" in France as you put them, I would not consider training required by the "hauturier" permit to be anywhere near enough to put you behind the wheel of a 100+ foot yacht. This is why I wanted to know if professional qualifications are required beyond a certain size even if the yacht is to be used only privately.

    As for the insurance, regulations are so "stringent" in France that it is not even compulsory, it is more of a practical than legal requirement. Most ports require proof of insurance so if you want to berth in marinas, you must have it. But if you are happy to stay at anchor, you don't need any insurance...

    Now i would be grateful if you could tell me what the crewing requirements are for a 115' yacht. In the US and for a British-flagged vessel?
  11. super termoli, May 2, 2011
    #11
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    OK, just to make it clear(er) my question is:

    If you are an owner-operator, what are the requirements for a 115' private yacht in terms of

    1) qualifications or licenses

    2) crewing

    both in the US and UK-flagged as well?

    Thanks again...
  12. AMG, May 2, 2011
    #12
    AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    I think you should add the Gross Tonnage to the question...
  13. super termoli, May 2, 2011
    #13
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    fair point AMG, it's probably more meaningful than length... let's say under 200
  14. NYCAP123, May 2, 2011
    #14
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Assume you are talking about a commercial or charter yacht, and not a personal boat.
  15. GrahamF, May 3, 2011
    #15
    GrahamF

    GrahamF Senior Member

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    I would say for that size vessel and it is a privately owned British registered yacht you need RYA Yacht Master Ocean and that will allow you to skipper vessels up to 200 Gross Tons. Here in the Med and the UK there is an RYA ICC course that takes one day and you can skipper a vessel up to 24 meters. There are restrictions on this so called licence.
  16. Pascal, May 3, 2011
    #16
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    There are no requirement in the US . Nobody is going to arrest you, stop you, fine you if you are running a 115 footer unlicensed and uninsured as long as the boat is not carrying paying passengers

    That said, i dont think any owner would take the chance to run such a boat without insurance and they're not going to get coverage without a 200t master and most likely at least one crew. Also, the underwriters are likely to require a full time captain on a boat that size
  17. super termoli, May 3, 2011
    #17
    super termoli

    super termoli New Member

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    Thanks for your replies!

    Regards to all,

    ST