Kameroo
Member
Just finished the courses and testing for the OUPV and Master upgrade. After 88 hours of classroom work spread over 3 weeks, I'm gonna be a licensed capt!
My goal a year ago was to do the OUPV over the winter. I wanted to do it for several reasons, including learning more about the hobby, becoming safer, getting an insurance break, and last but not least, I thought it would be a good way to get through the end of a long winter without the boat.
I took the course through "True Courses" out of Dayton OH, who offered to bring the class to Louisville if I could get them 8 students. They tried before, but only had 2 show up. I put up posters all over Louisville, and advertised on my website for the river there. We had 15 commitments, so they brought the class to Louisville. All in all, we had 11 show up, and 9 completed the Master upgrade.
For those who have considered reading Chapman's for a year then taking the tests, don't bother. Read Chapman's to learn in your free time, then go to a class to find out how to breeze through the tests. There will be a tremendous amount of material to learn, but you'll be glad you did it.
I appreciate all the advice here regarding liability. Interestingly, we had an attorney in the class who's been defending accident victims for 40 years. He had also served as a commissioner for KY Fish and Wildlife (the boat regulators here). His take regarding our laws was the following: Everybody is responsible for the rules of the road, regardless of whether you are licensed. Going through the training and becoming licensed only helps you become more aware of the rules and responsibilities. In his opinion, being on another vessel as a guest does not expose you to any additional liability. I know there are some other opinions out there; that was his.
Anyway, if you live in a harsh winter environment, I'd recommend an OUPV class for anybody! It was a great education, and I got to make some new boating friends along the way.
My goal a year ago was to do the OUPV over the winter. I wanted to do it for several reasons, including learning more about the hobby, becoming safer, getting an insurance break, and last but not least, I thought it would be a good way to get through the end of a long winter without the boat.
I took the course through "True Courses" out of Dayton OH, who offered to bring the class to Louisville if I could get them 8 students. They tried before, but only had 2 show up. I put up posters all over Louisville, and advertised on my website for the river there. We had 15 commitments, so they brought the class to Louisville. All in all, we had 11 show up, and 9 completed the Master upgrade.
For those who have considered reading Chapman's for a year then taking the tests, don't bother. Read Chapman's to learn in your free time, then go to a class to find out how to breeze through the tests. There will be a tremendous amount of material to learn, but you'll be glad you did it.
I appreciate all the advice here regarding liability. Interestingly, we had an attorney in the class who's been defending accident victims for 40 years. He had also served as a commissioner for KY Fish and Wildlife (the boat regulators here). His take regarding our laws was the following: Everybody is responsible for the rules of the road, regardless of whether you are licensed. Going through the training and becoming licensed only helps you become more aware of the rules and responsibilities. In his opinion, being on another vessel as a guest does not expose you to any additional liability. I know there are some other opinions out there; that was his.
Anyway, if you live in a harsh winter environment, I'd recommend an OUPV class for anybody! It was a great education, and I got to make some new boating friends along the way.
