Sea School vs. Mariners School

[one4water]

I posted this on another forum too so some of you may see this twice. I figre more info is better so...........

I am looking to get my Captain's license and have been trying to get real feedback on both of these schools. I don't need "I hated it don't take it" without real reasons to explain why. Anyone who has taken either, please chime in with your experiences from them. I would prefer the online course as my shcedule is rediculous right now and taking time off for class time is near impossible.

I know there have been many threads but I am looking for people's most recent experiences if possible from the actuall classes, study materials, forms, school personel and dealing with the USCG to get the actual license.

I have been procrastinating for years and its time to step up to it.

TIA Guys

[captbud4222]

Okay, I'll bite. I went to the school out of Edenton NC They come to Raleigh, NC every April and hold the class in a motel conference room. The teachers are all licensed merchant mariners and the overall class was enlightening. I've been on boats most of my life, but the acutal rules of the road and the rules for interaction with large vessels was informative. you also have to have first aid and cpr certification.

Day 8 was the test and the material was taught in such a way as to be repetetive enough that you nearly memorize the information. I think I missed one question on the test.

The real fun/hairpulling came when trying to put the information together. I had a physical but the doctor didn't know what was wanted from the eye exam part of the paperwork, so the day I showed up in Charleston to turn in my paperwork, I ended up going down the street to an optomitrist to fulfill tat part of the exam.

Then we have electronic finger prints, back ground check, experience log. don't forget the independent piss test. birth certificate, and now you will have to get the TWIC Card.

I saw a blog the other day that said the wait for a new one could be 4 months.. and then you get this 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper with an imprinted seal on it, that CANNOT BE LAMINATED!!!! So how do you keep that dry on a 20' center console?

Afterall the crap is said and done, I have it and will have to do who knows what to get it renewed in a mere 2years.

Hope that gives you an idea of what t o expect.

Capt Bud

[reel dawg]

OK - here's a little different view. I went through the Sea School course in Brunswick, GA five years ago. The instructor was both very knowledgeable and entertaining. Passed the test on the first try. Of course, I studied pretty darn hard. No problem with the physical, which was done during the course by an experienced Physician's Assistant. I put the paperwork together on my own, sent it to CG Charleston, SC and had the license in about 3 weeks. Last winter I went through the TWIC process, which seems to be little more than a way to lighten your wallet. This summer I took the license renewal course in Jacksonville, FL again through Sea School. Again no problem. Put the paperwork together myself and had the new license in less than 3 weeks. I'm good for another five years. By the way, the new licenses are NOT an 8-1/2 X 11 piece of paper. They are a booklet the size of a passport, but with an orange cover. Fits in a ziplock bag and stays in the electronics box on my boat. The old license is framed on the wall at home.

[Capt Rick Hiott]

I went to Sea School here in Charleston,SC about ten years ago. All the captains I know went there with no complaints.........Its a good class

And yea,,,The TWIC card SUCKS!!!!

[midway]

On laminating that 8 1/2X11 sheet of paper, check around there are laminating machines for that size paper, where my wife works has one of them. Printing/copying places should have them.

[Kamper]

On laminating ...

If there's a legal or practical reason for not laminating the TWIC, try this...

Photo-copy the TWIC on a full size piece of paper. Fold it large enough to insert the TWIC into it like a sleeve. Laminate the sleeve so that one end is at the edge and not permanently sealed. Put your TWIC in the sleeve and seal it with any plastic tape.

This will probably be better for folks who don't have to actually present the card on a frequent basis. Having the copy on the sleeve makes it obvious to you what the item is and at a quick view might get you by a casual viewing at a gate.

Good luck!

[iMacattack]

I used Mariners School. Classes were well prepped, staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Study material was good and I had no problems. I passed with an average of 98% on the tests. There was very little I "learned" aside from some regulations on vessels I had never operated. Most of the class was reinforcement of what I learned over the past almost 30 years living on or near H2O.

What scared me were some of the people in the class who were clueless. Completely clueless. Some of these folks needed to go to a basic starters class. Like welcome to boating 101..

Cheers

Capt. Jan

[reel dawg]

The TWIC (Transport Workers Identification Credential - only the gov't could come up with that mouthful) is a credit card size piece of plastic that does not need to be laminated. The old CG licenses were printed on 8-1/2 X 11 paper with the instruction that it is illegal to laminate them. As a result, there was no practical way to carry them on a small boat. The flak the CG took from that is likely part of the reason they have gone to the new passport type booklet.

[jdmseaside]

It was about 10 years ago that I took the Mariner's (I think) course in Wilmington NC. It was good and well presented and made the written test a few weeks later a much easier than I expected.

The best part was the evening the instuctor announced that he had the specimen cups and we could provide the sample for the drug test right then and it would be sent to a lab for analysis. This was provided as part of the course fee. Well, immediatly about 30% of the class, and mostly young, working, six pack mates as I recall, got upset and would not provide the sample. I forget whether they left the class or were allowed to provide a sample at some other time. I don't mean to slam working mates, it was just funny to the rest of us, the mostly over 40 year olds talking the class for fun and to improve our seafaring skills. I have since fished with a couple of those that refused at that time, and now it is funny to them too, a decade later.

[riffraff]

I did not get a 81/2 by 11 certificate, mine looks more like a passport and it is laminated...