Guides & articles
Practical, regularly updated guides to boating licenses, captain’s credentials, and the best courses — written to help you find the right class and get certified without the guesswork.
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Our guides answer the questions boaters actually search for — how to get a license in your state, whether you need an OUPV or Master captain’s license, and which online safety courses are worth your money. Each one is researched against official sources like state agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NASBLA, and carries a visible “Last updated” date.
The essential gear for a new boater starts with the safety equipment the U.S. Coast Guard requires — a wearable life jacket for every person aboard, a throwable flotation device, a sound-signaling device, and visual distress signals — then adds a VHF radio, navigation lights, an anchor, and dry storage that make every trip safer and easier.
For most boaters the best online safety course is simply whichever NASBLA-approved course your state contracts — usually Boat-Ed. But if you want the lowest flat price, the widest availability, or a free option, the right pick changes. Here is an honest comparison.
If you want to take up to six paying passengers on an uninspected boat — fishing charters, dive trips, small tours — you need an OUPV (“Six-Pack”) license. If you'll carry more than six passengers or run an inspected vessel, you need a Master license. Both are issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Florida doesn't issue a traditional boating license. Instead, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 must pass an approved boater safety course and carry a Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card to legally operate a boat of 10 horsepower or more.
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