Are you looking to make extra money from your USCG 6-pack license? Then consider these six high-potential ideas.
Having your Merchant Mariner Credential, specifically a 6-pack license, could create new revenue opportunities. Here are six that may be an interesting match for you.
1. Running Fishing/Group Tours
Many owners of small fishing boats “graduate” from taking friends on fishing trips for free to hosting charters for a fee. This is an excellent idea for captains with boat loans they need to pay off or with a desire to augment their primary source of income. Although USCG compliance requirements for running charters aren’t trivial, once you master them, it becomes relatively easy to make money from hosting commercial fishing trips. And since you love being on the water, doing this on a part-time basis hardly feels like work. Better yet, the pay can be excellent.
2. Serving as a Freelance Captain
Don’t own a boat? Then hire yourself as a freelance captain to boat owners who want to host fishing charters, but lack the credential to captain their vessel. They can retain you as their captain/guide for a fee in this situation.
Freelancing isn’t limited to fishing charters. You can also make non-fishing trips. For example, in Florida, at least one company hires 6-pack freelance captains to take guests out to local sandbars for the afternoon. They skipper the firm’s 20-foot or 26-foot boats two to three times per week, earning $25 to $50 an hour, plus tips averaging $100. Depending on how generously their guest’s tip, they can make $400 or more for a six-hour trip.
Excursion companies also hire freelance captains to run sightseeing or snorkeling trips, with comparable earning potential.
3. Doing Eco Tours
Because you own a boat and have a 6-pack license, it’s a fair bet you love the ocean and the creatures found on, above or below it. So you’ll enjoy taking guests on eco-tours for a fee. After expanding your knowledge of the marine ecosystem, you can share it with paying guests, educating them about the threats the ocean faces today. Plus, if children are aboard, you’ll make a significant impression on them by giving them a front-row seat on life at sea.
4. Offering Sea Burials
Because conventional funerals are getting more expensive, consumers are starting to have their deceased loved ones cremated instead. The problem is, when their family member asks for their ashes to be scattered at sea, how does a non-boat owner make that happen? Enterprising ship captains have responded by offering sea burials.
The specifics vary by family. With some, the captain merely skippers the vessel while the guests conduct their burial ritual. With others, the family may want the captain to be involved in the ceremony, perhaps saying a prayer. Some families may not want to be present, preferring the captain to scatter the ashes for them.
If you decide to pursue this opportunity, be sure to check on state regulations. In Florida, for example, sea burials must take place at least three miles offshore. Also, prepare yourself for the possibility of the ceremony becoming emotionally charged. Since family members have just lost a loved one, they may be emotionally fragile and needy. You must be ready to deal with all contingencies when you offer sea burials as a commercial service.
5. Working as a Launch Operator
Most coastal areas have water taxis to transport people from the shore to outlying islands (or between islands). Freelancing for a marine taxi company is an excellent opportunity to make extra cash. Since the need for maritime transportation is significant, you’ll have multiple options in terms of companies to work for and days and times to work. (Experienced captains will likely get the better schedules and routes.) Plus, you’ll stand a better chance of being hired if you already have extensive knowledge of the local waters.
6. Doing Whatever Is Needed
Finally, the opportunity to make money from your 6-pack license is limited only by your imagination. For example, you can pitch your services to production firms that shoot films in your state. Movies with a nautical setting will often need a captain to navigate a boat from which a camera crew can film the action. This is more common in marquee locations such as southern Florida or California. You’ll need to reach out to your state’s film-promotion agency to see if any film crews will be shooting in your area soon and whom to contact to make your pitch.
From working with film crews to serving legal teams who need clients to sign documents in international waters, the sky—or rather, the ocean—is the limit when it comes to making extra cash from your captain’s license.
Mitigate Your Risks
Don’t forget that the risks of operating an ocean vessel exist whether you’re working your main mariner gig or a sideline one. To mitigate them, make sure to buy sufficient marine license insurance from an insurance broker who understands the risks captains and other mariners face.
Traditionally, Mariner Liability Insurance has not been easy to find or purchase. Fortunately, there’s a new and contemporary option for this essential protection: 360 Coverage Pros.
360 Coverage Pros provides insurance solutions to many professionals, including mariners. Underwritten by Berkley Offshore Underwriting Managers, an A.M Best A+ rated (Superior) insurer, this liability insurance covers a seamless application process with strong, stable insurance coverage, reshaping how professional mariners, including 6-pack captains, buy coverage.
Are you concerned about your professional risks as a mariner? Then consider buying convenient, affordable liability and license protection from 360 Coverage Pros.
Share this page.