Paul,
I have been told that a person could captain any size boat he'd want to
provided there is no commercial interest. In other words if a person
could afford a 150' boat he wouldn't be required to have a Captains
license or hire a Captain to pilot the vessel. Is this correct?
Paul

renewontime dot com wrote:
snipped

Hi Jeff,

I don't want to belabor the point, as it seems you've pretty much decided to
do this job, but I think you're missing the point. It's not necessarily
whether you are being paid or not, it's whether your passengers are paying
for a ride on a boat and what assurances they are therefore entitled to.
Even if they haven't paid a red cent, your passengers are still entitled to
certain expectations, and if something should go wrong as a licensed master,
you will be held to a higher level of scrutiny. In my opinion (and I don't
think I'm alone) you are exposing yourself to a very high level of risk.
But that is your option, and I wish you luck.

I've always erred on the side of caution. Consequently, I turn down nearly
as much work as I take on. I'm sure I'd have more money in the bank if I
took more chances, but I sleep better at night!

All the best,