USCG Master 100 GRT

GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS

USCG Master 50 GRT

NEAR COASTAL

Commercial Towing Assistance

Endorsement

B.S. Mechanical Eng.

U of M Dearborn

Past Commodore

Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006

USCG Master 100 GRT

GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS

USCG Master 50 GRT

NEAR COASTAL

Commercial Towing Assistance

Endorsement

B.S. Mechanical Eng.

U of M Dearborn

Past Commodore

Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006

WHAT

What your insurer is asking for

Brokers call it a captain’s warranty or a captain endorsement. It’s a line in your boat insurance policy that says you don’t run the boat alone until a licensed captain has been aboard with you and signed off. It usually comes with a big step up in size, when your experience doesn’t match the boat you’re insuring.

It takes one of two forms. A check ride is an evaluation: I come aboard, you run the boat, and I judge whether you can handle her. Supervised hours are a set amount of helm time with a captain aboard. Twenty and forty are common numbers, and after a big jump in size some carriers ask for as many as a hundred. I go into the numbers in when your insurer wants hours with a captain.

Either way, it ends with a letter from the captain saying you’re fit to run her alone. A boater safety course is worth taking, but it won’t lift a captain’s warranty. The underwriter wants time on this boat with a licensed captain, not a certificate.

WHAT

What your insurer is asking for

Brokers call it a captain’s warranty or a captain endorsement. It’s a line in your boat insurance policy that says you don’t run the boat alone until a licensed captain has been aboard with you and signed off. It usually comes with a big step up in size, when your experience doesn’t match the boat you’re insuring.

It takes one of two forms. A check ride is an evaluation: I come aboard, you run the boat, and I judge whether you can handle her. Supervised hours are a set amount of helm time with a captain aboard. Twenty and forty are common numbers, and after a big jump in size some carriers ask for as many as a hundred. I go into the numbers in when your insurer wants hours with a captain.

Either way, it ends with a letter from the captain saying you’re fit to run her alone. A boater safety course is worth taking, but it won’t lift a captain’s warranty. The underwriter wants time on this boat with a licensed captain, not a certificate.

WHAT

What your insurer is asking for

Brokers call it a captain’s warranty or a captain endorsement. It’s a line in your boat insurance policy that says you don’t run the boat alone until a licensed captain has been aboard with you and signed off. It usually comes with a big step up in size, when your experience doesn’t match the boat you’re insuring.

It takes one of two forms. A check ride is an evaluation: I come aboard, you run the boat, and I judge whether you can handle her. Supervised hours are a set amount of helm time with a captain aboard. Twenty and forty are common numbers, and after a big jump in size some carriers ask for as many as a hundred. I go into the numbers in when your insurer wants hours with a captain.

Either way, it ends with a letter from the captain saying you’re fit to run her alone. A boater safety course is worth taking, but it won’t lift a captain’s warranty. The underwriter wants time on this boat with a licensed captain, not a certificate.

HOW IT WORKS

How a check ride or sign-off works

01

Send me the condition

Forward the part of the binder that sets the condition, or read it to me over the phone. I'm looking for two things: what it asks for, and whether the carrier has to approve the captain before the first hour counts. If the binder doesn't say, ask your broker and get the answer in writing.

02

I get on your policy file first

Before we touch the boat, your underwriter gets my one-page credential submission. It asks them to approve me for your policy, lists my Mariner Reference Number, Master licenses and towing endorsement, and describes the work as instructional coaching on your boat. You add the vessel name and policy number, sign it and send it to your agent. You can check every number yourself on my credentials page.

03

We run it as coaching

You're paying for the time either way, so you should come out of it able to run the boat, not just permitted to. The time follows my five Captain's Coaching modules: the dock first, then running the boat, anchoring, trip planning and keeping a log. A check ride is shorter, but it's still your boat, your water and whatever wind the day brings. If your partner will be handling lines, bring them along. First Mate coaching covers that side of the boat.

04

The sign-off letter

When you're ready, I write it. It names the boat, the dates, the hours logged, the conditions we ran in and what you showed me, and it says plainly that in my judgment you can run her without a captain aboard. It's on my letterhead with my reference number. It goes to you to send to your carrier, and I'll copy your agent if you want. Keep a copy. The next time you move up, it's part of your experience file.

GET IN TOUCH

HOW IT WORKS

How a check ride or sign-off works

01

Send me the condition

Forward the part of the binder that sets the condition, or read it to me over the phone. I'm looking for two things: what it asks for, and whether the carrier has to approve the captain before the first hour counts. If the binder doesn't say, ask your broker and get the answer in writing.

02

I get on your policy file first

Before we touch the boat, your underwriter gets my one-page credential submission. It asks them to approve me for your policy, lists my Mariner Reference Number, Master licenses and towing endorsement, and describes the work as instructional coaching on your boat. You add the vessel name and policy number, sign it and send it to your agent. You can check every number yourself on my credentials page.

03

We run it as coaching

You're paying for the time either way, so you should come out of it able to run the boat, not just permitted to. The time follows my five Captain's Coaching modules: the dock first, then running the boat, anchoring, trip planning and keeping a log. A check ride is shorter, but it's still your boat, your water and whatever wind the day brings. If your partner will be handling lines, bring them along. First Mate coaching covers that side of the boat.

04

The sign-off letter

When you're ready, I write it. It names the boat, the dates, the hours logged, the conditions we ran in and what you showed me, and it says plainly that in my judgment you can run her without a captain aboard. It's on my letterhead with my reference number. It goes to you to send to your carrier, and I'll copy your agent if you want. Keep a copy. The next time you move up, it's part of your experience file.

GET IN TOUCH

HOW IT WORKS

How a check ride or sign-off works

01

Send me the condition

Forward the part of the binder that sets the condition, or read it to me over the phone. I'm looking for two things: what it asks for, and whether the carrier has to approve the captain before the first hour counts. If the binder doesn't say, ask your broker and get the answer in writing.

02

I get on your policy file first

Before we touch the boat, your underwriter gets my one-page credential submission. It asks them to approve me for your policy, lists my Mariner Reference Number, Master licenses and towing endorsement, and describes the work as instructional coaching on your boat. You add the vessel name and policy number, sign it and send it to your agent. You can check every number yourself on my credentials page.

03

We run it as coaching

You're paying for the time either way, so you should come out of it able to run the boat, not just permitted to. The time follows my five Captain's Coaching modules: the dock first, then running the boat, anchoring, trip planning and keeping a log. A check ride is shorter, but it's still your boat, your water and whatever wind the day brings. If your partner will be handling lines, bring them along. First Mate coaching covers that side of the boat.

04

The sign-off letter

When you're ready, I write it. It names the boat, the dates, the hours logged, the conditions we ran in and what you showed me, and it says plainly that in my judgment you can run her without a captain aboard. It's on my letterhead with my reference number. It goes to you to send to your carrier, and I'll copy your agent if you want. Keep a copy. The next time you move up, it's part of your experience file.

GET IN TOUCH

WHERE

Michigan and Florida, on your own boat

In Michigan, I do this at your dock, from Lake Erie to Lake Huron. In Florida, it's year-round and anywhere in the state. Check rides sit alongside deliveries, lessons and the rest of my boat captain services in Florida. When I'm up north, a licensed captain I trust can take the job instead. You'll know who's coming before we start, their credentials go to your underwriter first, and the captain who rides with you signs the letter.

If the boat is still on its way to you, the time can start on the trip home. An owner-assisted delivery puts you at the helm with me aboard, and your carrier may count it if you ask first.

Wherever it happens, do the time on the water you'll actually run. A sign-off earned on someone else's boat may satisfy a carrier. It won't teach you how your boat backs into your slip with the current running.

WHERE

Michigan and Florida, on your own boat

In Michigan, I do this at your dock, from Lake Erie to Lake Huron. In Florida, it's year-round and anywhere in the state. Check rides sit alongside deliveries, lessons and the rest of my boat captain services in Florida. When I'm up north, a licensed captain I trust can take the job instead. You'll know who's coming before we start, their credentials go to your underwriter first, and the captain who rides with you signs the letter.

If the boat is still on its way to you, the time can start on the trip home. An owner-assisted delivery puts you at the helm with me aboard, and your carrier may count it if you ask first.

Wherever it happens, do the time on the water you'll actually run. A sign-off earned on someone else's boat may satisfy a carrier. It won't teach you how your boat backs into your slip with the current running.

WHERE

Michigan and Florida, on your own boat

In Michigan, I do this at your dock, from Lake Erie to Lake Huron. In Florida, it's year-round and anywhere in the state. Check rides sit alongside deliveries, lessons and the rest of my boat captain services in Florida. When I'm up north, a licensed captain I trust can take the job instead. You'll know who's coming before we start, their credentials go to your underwriter first, and the captain who rides with you signs the letter.

If the boat is still on its way to you, the time can start on the trip home. An owner-assisted delivery puts you at the helm with me aboard, and your carrier may count it if you ask first.

Wherever it happens, do the time on the water you'll actually run. A sign-off earned on someone else's boat may satisfy a carrier. It won't teach you how your boat backs into your slip with the current running.

ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM

Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.

I've spent thirty-six years in the automotive, commercial truck and marine supply industries, and a lifetime on the water. I hold a USCG 100-Ton Master license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50-Ton Master Near Coastal, both with Commercial Towing endorsements. I'm a former Commodore of the Ford Yacht Club and currently serve as President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. The letter is what your underwriter needs. The job, the way I see it, is to leave you better at running your boat than I found you.

Tom Ketelhut

Owner, Offshore Captain Services

ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM

Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.

I've spent thirty-six years in the automotive, commercial truck and marine supply industries, and a lifetime on the water. I hold a USCG 100-Ton Master license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50-Ton Master Near Coastal, both with Commercial Towing endorsements. I'm a former Commodore of the Ford Yacht Club and currently serve as President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. The letter is what your underwriter needs. The job, the way I see it, is to leave you better at running your boat than I found you.

Tom Ketelhut

Owner, Offshore Captain Services

ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM

Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.

I've spent thirty-six years in the automotive, commercial truck and marine supply industries, and a lifetime on the water. I hold a USCG 100-Ton Master license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50-Ton Master Near Coastal, both with Commercial Towing endorsements. I'm a former Commodore of the Ford Yacht Club and currently serve as President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. The letter is what your underwriter needs. The job, the way I see it, is to leave you better at running your boat than I found you.

Tom Ketelhut

Owner, Offshore Captain Services

LEARN MORE

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my insurer accept you?

Carriers usually spell out what the captain has to hold: a USCG Master license at the right tonnage and route, and experience on boats like yours. My licenses and reference number are listed above. If your policy calls for an underwriter-approved captain, the credential submission is how that approval happens, before the first hour.

Can the hours count during a delivery?

They can, if your carrier agrees before we leave. My credential submission lists vessel delivery as well as coaching, so the same form puts me on your file for the whole run.

How is it priced?

After we talk. A single check ride and a forty-hour requirement are different jobs, so the quote follows what your binder asks for.

What if I'm not ready when the time is up?

Then you don't get the letter yet. It says that in my judgment you can run her alone, so I write it when that's true. I'll tell you what's left, and we keep working until you're there.

LEARN MORE

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my insurer accept you?

Carriers usually spell out what the captain has to hold: a USCG Master license at the right tonnage and route, and experience on boats like yours. My licenses and reference number are listed above. If your policy calls for an underwriter-approved captain, the credential submission is how that approval happens, before the first hour.

Can the hours count during a delivery?

They can, if your carrier agrees before we leave. My credential submission lists vessel delivery as well as coaching, so the same form puts me on your file for the whole run.

How is it priced?

After we talk. A single check ride and a forty-hour requirement are different jobs, so the quote follows what your binder asks for.

What if I'm not ready when the time is up?

Then you don't get the letter yet. It says that in my judgment you can run her alone, so I write it when that's true. I'll tell you what's left, and we keep working until you're there.

LEARN MORE

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my insurer accept you?

Carriers usually spell out what the captain has to hold: a USCG Master license at the right tonnage and route, and experience on boats like yours. My licenses and reference number are listed above. If your policy calls for an underwriter-approved captain, the credential submission is how that approval happens, before the first hour.

Can the hours count during a delivery?

They can, if your carrier agrees before we leave. My credential submission lists vessel delivery as well as coaching, so the same form puts me on your file for the whole run.

How is it priced?

After we talk. A single check ride and a forty-hour requirement are different jobs, so the quote follows what your binder asks for.

What if I'm not ready when the time is up?

Then you don't get the letter yet. It says that in my judgment you can run her alone, so I write it when that's true. I'll tell you what's left, and we keep working until you're there.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Did your binder come back with a captain's warranty?

Tell me what the condition says and what boat it's on. Pricing comes after the conversation, and the conversation is free. Bring the binder. I'll bring the form.

GET IN TOUCH

Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Did your binder come back with a captain's warranty?

Tell me what the condition says and what boat it's on. Pricing comes after the conversation, and the conversation is free. Bring the binder. I'll bring the form.

GET IN TOUCH

Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Did your binder come back with a captain's warranty?

Tell me what the condition says and what boat it's on. Pricing comes after the conversation, and the conversation is free. Bring the binder. I'll bring the form.

GET IN TOUCH

Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.