I’m looking to get a coi for 10-12 people on my 57’ carver voyager. Does anyone know of anyone that got this approved for their carver.
Does anyone know of service that will do the leg work for you, to get the coi?
Have you read and gotten familiar with this section of the CFR. Subchapter T
I think you will find that it is extremely difficult to get a COI for a vessel built to recreational standards for recreational use. There are just too many structural, equipment and safety requirements for a small passenger vessel that can not reasonably be retrofitted to a vessel such as a Voyager 570.
The above is JMHO and if I’m wrong it wouldn’t be the first time this week.
BZ on wanting to do it the right way, instead of joining the far-too-many illegal operators.
There are a few recreational vessels that have been approved but it’s going to be a significant investment for just 10 passengers. You should consider the un-inspected passenger vessel rules. You will be limited to 6 passengers but it’s a easier standard to meet.
Thanks for the feed back. There is 44’ sea ray in the area that is running 12 people on. Not sure if he is legal or not. I figured if a sea ray could be allowed a carver would be easier down. I understand what you are saying.
It is very easy to see if it has a coi or not (I expect it does not). Just look the vessel up in PSIX Vessel Search. If inspected and legal, it will indicate the boat has a commercial endorsement. If it states “REC” then you have your answer.
1 Like
It’s possible, but as ocnslr said, it’s going to be a significant monetary and time investment. You should seriously consider the amount of trips you need with those 4 to 6 extra passengers to offset this greater initial (and the recurring) cost of operating as an inspected small passenger vessel instead of an uninspected six pack.
Bringing a boat up from recreational service to inspected passenger service has been done before, but it involves a lot of plans submitted to the Coast Guard, so if you don’t already have those from the manufacturer, it will be up to you or someone you hire to develop the plans listed in 46 CFR 177.202 for submission. The good news is that for a vessel under 65 feet, they can be more line drawings, sketches, or photos in lieu of proper engineering plans, provided they give the CG enough information to evaluate the systems. The other good news is that if you can prove the vessel has been operating with a similar number of people onboard on a similar route for 5 years without any structural issues, you can get away with the boat not being built to a commercial structural standard.
You’ll have to add a bunch of equipment, particularly in the firefighting and lifesaving realms.
The other big challenge is the stability letter, which can be obtained by hiring a naval architect to do a full stability analysis or doing a simplified stability proof test, which will be cheaper for you but much more labor intensive. See 46 CFR 178 Subpart C for those details.
The best recommendation I can give you is to give your local Coast Guard Sector a call and ask to speak to a marine inspector about obtaining an initial COI. It’s free to talk to them about what they would expect to see if you were to go down the path toward a COI, but read through Subchapter T first and have specific questions ready to ask. No inspector has the time to go through the regs line by line with you, but if they can tell you’ve taken a look at them yourself, they’ll be more inclined to discuss the finer points knowing you’ve done your homework before reaching out.
4 Likes
I would be astonished if there was a 44’ Sea Ray with a COI.
3 Likes
it is not coi. He is running under the radar.
Thank you for everyone’s feed back. It has saved me a lot of time and money figuring it out. Now it just piss’s me off that the other guys are running illegally and making money doing it. LOL.
And, IMHO, he should be reported. No different legally than unlicensed “guides” running illegal fishing charters, but more people being put at risk.
3 Likes
Stay off the national news over a few shortcuts and non-compliance. An unfortunate incident may not happen hopefully, but when and if it does, say goodbye to whatever wealth you have accumulated.
1 Like