Planning on going in November for my OUPV/100/200/500 licenses… Yes, back to back.
Any tips of knowledge of this place or should I seek education elsewhere? St. Petersburg should be nice that time of year 
I have taken several classes there and enjoyed the experience. Not quite sure I understand why you are doing oupv/100/200/500 back to back.
As I understand it (which may be incorrect), I needed to take all of these courses to eventually obtain my 500 ton mate NC. I’m currently an AB unlimited w/ RFPNW trying to go to the wheelhouse (on tugs).
I need/want all the training I can obtain. If you know of a better route, I’m all ears. Thx
Aside from that, I work a 30/15 schedule and I’m the sole financial provider of my family of 3, therefore my aim to take these courses in succession is solely due to financial reasons.
[QUOTE=TxMariner;81944]As I understand it (which may be incorrect), I needed to take all of these courses to eventually obtain my 500 ton mate NC. I’m currently an AB unlimited w/ RFPNW trying to go to the wheelhouse (on tugs).
I need/want all the training I can obtain. If you know of a better route, I’m all ears. Thx[/QUOTE]
Go to the NMC site and get the checklist for Mate 500 NC and it will tell you exactly what you need.
Rather than waste so much time and money on so many unnecessary courses, you should hire a license consultant for a couple hundred bucks to help you pick the right courses. You should need only one 500 ton license prep course, radar observer, and the required STCW courses. Worry about ARPA, GMDSS, and an ocean endorsement after you already have your license. If you search license consultants on gcaptain, you should find at least four of them mentioned.
You cannot trust the schools to tell you what you need, They make money by selling courses, not by telling you that you don’t need so many courses. At one point the USCG was requiring a lot more courses than they are now. the rules are in the process of being changed again. There are far too many schools, so many of them cancel most of their classes for inadequate enrollment, and some of them are close to going under.
The publicly funded community colleges: L.E. Fletcher in Houma, Young Memorial in Morgan City, Delgado in New Orleans, San Jacinto in Pasadena, and Clatsop in Astoria are probably your best bet for inexpensive quality courses.
[QUOTE=Flyer69;81924]I have taken several classes there and enjoyed the experience. Not quite sure I understand why you are doing oupv/100/200/500 back to back.[/QUOTE]
Unless things have changed since I stopped doing course approvals for NMC (2008), the only course that gets you out of an exam for a 500 Ton license is celestial navigation when you are going from near coastal to oceans. For everything else, you need to takle the Coast Guard exam.
At most schools, the 100 and 200 ton courses are modular, there is a core OUPV and/or Master 100 ton course, and then supplements for 100 and/or 200 tons. However, if you’re going for 500 tons, you’re probably going to have to take the entire exam from the Coast Guard, so there may not be benefit in the 100 ton and 200 ton courses apart from prepping you for the 500 ton exam.
Give George a call at Quality. He genuinely wants to help people, not just take your money and sell you unnecessary courses. He is an excellent instructor, a straight shooter if you will. He won’t sell you what you don’t need and will help you with your application.
[QUOTE=TxMariner;81944]As I understand it (which may be incorrect), I needed to take all of these courses to eventually obtain my 500 ton mate NC. I’m currently an AB unlimited w/ RFPNW trying to go to the wheelhouse (on tugs).
I need/want all the training I can obtain. If you know of a better route, I’m all ears. Thx[/QUOTE]
If your goal is 500 ton mate you don’t NEED any of those courses. Follow the checklist and take classes that you don’t already have. I am guessing you might only need basic and advanced firefighting.
Buy the 5 books from Maritime Education Textbooks and study at home on your own on your off time. And onboard during down time. Hopefully you have other members aboard who could help you with any of the topics in the book you don’t understand.
As Mr. Cavo said, for the 500 ton licenses you will have to test at an REC. Search threads here for good info on testing.
Download and print the assessments, and see if your captain will work with you on them.
With that said, if you need the structure of an instructor and a classroom I cannot speak highly enough of George Trowbridge at Quality Maritime.
Good advice from everyone. To the best of my knowledge…which frequently leaves something to be desired…the only qualification you can’t really get on your own is the firefighting. You can prepare for the Rules, Deck, Safety and Nav stuff by yourself (or with a little help from your friends). Since you’re going to have to test at an REC anyway and money is a factor, invest the time and money in the books mentioned, training charts, maybe some of the software available (Capt. Joe’s and Lapware come to mind) , study them and spend your money crawling through somebody else’s smoking building with turnout gear on and a dummy under one arm. Having the AB Unlimited/RFPNW is a bonus and pretty good prep for the rest of the stuff.
Good luck. Keep us posted.
Nemo
Thank you ALL for the input. It is a bit intimidating doing the home-study route. I believe I’d be ok, but I’ve got a “confidence block” of sorts. And taking the courses would negate that I think.
A shipmate of mine told me today that “you cannot operate a tugboat with just a tonnage license, you have to go get the apprentice mate, tonnage licenses are for fishing and running international”
This hardly seems legit. I thought a completed TOAR would get you the mate of towing after the allotted time. Or… Perhaps my reading comprehension skills aren’t as sharp as they once were.
If it helps you guys and the direction you have already kindly provided me, my goal is to run captain on a tug. I’ve spent my whole career on them and it just feels like home. I aspire to move red flaggers and would eventually/ultimately want to be on an ATB.
I thank each and every one of you for your time and help, it’s priceless to me.
Furthermore, the checklist for 500 ton mate NC says nothing about sea time as a mate, only 90 days as AB. They sure do make this confusing :,D