Buying guide

Chartering a yacht in U.S. waters: verify the captain, the vessel, and the contract

Updated October 22, 2026 · Written by the Only for the Wealthy editors · General information, not legal or financial advice

A day on the water should be the easiest luxury to enjoy, and the most discerning guests make it so by asking three quiet questions before they step aboard: who is at the helm, what the vessel is certified to do, and what the contract really says. The U.S. Coast Guard terminates illegal charters every season, sometimes with guests already aboard. Here is how to make sure yours isn’t one of them.

We don’t sell, broker, or arrange charters or boats. Only for the Wealthy is a publisher. We aren’t a yacht broker, charter agent, or vessel operator, and we have no relationship with any company named in our sources. This guide covers U.S. federal navigable waters; on waters under sole state control, the Coast Guard pamphlet says to contact your state boating law administrator [3].

1. Know which of the three legal formats you’re buying

Coast Guard rules turn on how many paying guests are aboard and who supplies the crew. In broad terms, a U.S. charter is legal in one of three ways [3]:

Format	Guests	Who runs the boat	What to ask for
Uninspected passenger vessel (“six-pack”), under 100 gross tons	Up to 6 passengers for hire [3][4]	A captain holding at least an Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV) endorsement [4][5]	The captain’s Merchant Mariner Credential
Inspected small passenger vessel	More than 6 passengers, up to the limit on its certificate [3][6]	A credentialed master suited to the vessel’s tonnage and route [4]	The Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection, plus the captain’s credential [1]
Bareboat (“demise”) charter	Up to 12 passengers, plus the charterer [3]	You. You take control of the vessel and choose and pay any captain and crew yourself [1][3]	A written bareboat contract that genuinely leaves the choice of crew to you

Larger yachts and vessels on international voyages fall under further rules; an OUPV endorsement, for example, is not valid for international voyages [4]. If your plans are ambitious, ask the operator which rules apply and get the answer in writing.

2. Verify the captain

Every self-propelled uninspected passenger vessel must be under the direction and control of someone holding a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential endorsed as, or equivalent to, OUPV; uninspected passenger vessels of 100 gross tons or more need a credentialed Master [5].
Ask to see the credential. The Coast Guard urges anyone paying for a trip to verify that the captain has a safety plan and a Merchant Mariner Credential [1][2].
To check that a credential is authentic, the Coast Guard says to email the National Maritime Center at IASKNMC@uscg.mil with “Credential Verification” in the subject line and the mariner’s name and reference number in the body [8]. Ask the captain for the reference number in advance; a professional will not mind.

3. Verify the vessel

For more than six passengers, ask to see the Coast Guard-issued Certificate of Inspection [1]. A vessel that needs one may not operate without a valid certificate on board, and must comply with its terms whenever passengers are aboard [6].
Look the vessel up in the Coast Guard’s Port State Information Exchange (PSIX), searchable by vessel name, official number, hull identification number, or call sign [7]. Compare the name, flag, service type (for example, inspected passenger, uninspected passenger, or recreational), and status with what you’ve been told.
Foreign-flagged yachts can be chartered, but under U.S. coastwise trade laws they cannot carry passengers for hire between U.S. ports [3].

4. Read the bareboat contract closely

Many luxury day charters are sold as “bareboat with a captain.” That can be perfectly legal, but only if it is a real bareboat charter. The Coast Guard’s own words: “Once an owner dictates which captain the renter must use, it is no longer a bareboat charter” [1]. The Coast Guard pamphlet lists the common errors [3]:

The contract provides or dictates the crew, instead of letting you select and discharge them.
The owner is aboard as captain or crew. Under a bareboat charter, the owner is not allowed on board.
More than 12 passengers aboard without a Certificate of Inspection, whether underway or moored.
Food, fuel, insurance, and safe navigation are not actually the charterer’s responsibility, as the elements of a valid bareboat charter suggest they should be.

5. Red flags from recent Coast Guard cases

In two 2026 Florida cases, Coast Guard crews ended charters and cited the operators for, among other things, no valid Certificate of Inspection, no credentialed mariner in control, no drug and alcohol testing program, and no valid Certificate of Documentation [1][2]. One owner was also cited for operating in violation of an active Captain of the Port Order and for giving false information to a federal officer [2]. Walk away if:

The operator can’t or won’t show the captain’s credential or, for more than six guests, the Certificate of Inspection. The Coast Guard’s advice is plain: if the operator cannot produce appropriate credentials, don’t get on the boat [1][2].
You’re told to sign a “bareboat” agreement but must use the owner’s captain, or the owner comes along.
Your party is larger than the vessel’s legal format allows, and someone suggests the head count “won’t matter.”

The Coast Guard notes that owners and operators of illegal charters can face civil penalties of $69,000 or more [1]. The greater cost, of course, falls on guests aboard a vessel without the safety standards the rules exist to guarantee.

6. A short pre-booking checklist

Confirm the format (six-pack, inspected vessel, or bareboat) and that your guest count fits it [3].
Get the captain’s name and mariner reference number, and verify the credential with the National Maritime Center [8].
For more than six guests, ask for a copy of the Certificate of Inspection before you pay [1][6].
Look up the vessel in PSIX and check that the details match [7].
If it’s bareboat, confirm in writing that you choose and pay the crew and that the owner will not be aboard [1][3].
Pay the contracting company by a method you can dispute, and confirm any wiring instructions by calling a number you found yourself. See fake escrow and wire-fraud scams.

Suspect an illegal charter? The Coast Guard asks anyone with information about illegal charter operations to contact the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) [1].