Alot of tour operators here in south Louisiana are just 6-pack operators, i wouldn't go as far as calling them captains, for a 6-pack OUPV (operator uninspected passenger vessel) any time counts as long as the boat your on is registered and has numbers, it could literally be a 12ft flat with a 5hp outboard. But if your carrying more than 6 passengers, and you yourself the operator is inlcuded in that 6, son really only 5 passengers, you would need to upgrade to a master's license, now little known fact is that if you dont have access to a vessel that qaulifies for the tonnage for a 100-ton masters upon inland waters, coast guard will then issue you a 50-ton Capt license, to qualify for that you need a minimum of 365 8hr days on a vessel over 5 tons, 10,000lbs. I'm a licensed 100-ton master 200ton mate upon near coastal waters, I just got hired by Edison Chouest to run a 165ft quad screw crewboat offshore, 4xs 3412ti Cat turbos. Just like someone had said earlier, the class is alot to grasp cause in my opinion its a lot of information crammed into such a short class, you have plotting, deck gen, nav gen, rules of the road. Most people that I have seen have the most trouble with plotting and rules of the road. Most maritime training centers give you three chances to past all four tests and then I believe you have 3months off then you can go test again, I was one of the very few people in my class to pass all 4 tests the first go around. The best school for the price and the well educated instructors not being very familiar with florida at all, I would say Sea School in Mobile, Alabama, they provide on campus housing and meals, and they are very reasonable on the price of the course, you also need to realize that you need to take a CPR course too and get your FCC Radio operators license too, and now its been pushed back until 2009 but its a matter of time when this is required, your TWIC card, (transportation worker identification credential) cause from what our local coast guard rec center told us, is you can have your license and radar endorsement and radio permit but if you don't have your twic card then your not valid. Hope any of this information is of some sort of help to you...
