Anyone here completed their coxswains?

[thesquidking]

Hi guys,

I am just wondering if anyone on here can shed some light regarding completing their coxswains course?

I am thinking about doing it but i want to know things like the following:

What would the average length of time to complete it part time?

Can anyone do it?

Whats required? I have heard something about you must have a certain number of hours under your belt?

Is the course difficult?

Average cost?

Is there something else i should know?

Thanks

charlie.

[LeoB]

I've also thought the same. I know tafe does a course in nsw as i saw a stand at the boat show

Cheers Leo

[wonniefisho]

There is a course, but you also need so many hours on particular type of craft (length etc) in particular type of water (enclosed/open) depending on what you want. There is no easy way of doing it.

You also need to pass a fairly strict medical, including INIDIVIDUAL eye sight tests. Its one reason I'm not going to bother, I can pass RTA driving eyesight test because one eye compensates for the other, but I am 'just' legally blind in one eye (fixable if I get the balls to do a cornea transplant I need), but individually in each eye I have no chance. Check you won't have problems BEFORE you do the course and put in the hours, you don't want to then fail the medical and its all in vain.

If you google 'coxswain requirements NSW' you should get lots of info.

[flattyslayer]

i was lucky and was given the oppertunity to gain my coxman certificate through high school, had to complete marine fire fighting,liferaft training, first aid courses and all kinds of stuff. i got my log book and have completed may hours on my own personal vessel but am unsure whether it qualifys to put in my log book. i am also very interested in this post and was also wondering if anyone knows anything about this what size boat qualifys for my hours. i currentley own a 32 ft cruiser

[Bald one]

i was lucky and was given the oppertunity to gain my coxman certificate through high school, had to complete marine fire fighting,liferaft training, first aid courses and all kinds of stuff. i got my log book and have completed may hours on my own personal vessel but am unsure whether it qualifys to put in my log book. i am also very interested in this post and was also wondering if anyone knows anything about this what size boat qualifys for my hours. i currentley own a 32 ft cruiser

Brookvale Tafe does the coxswaines course.

Forget how long it is for partime. but perhaps a year doing 2 nights week ?? ( forget now )

Course is not hard, but nor is it easy. requires study, There is alot more to it than just being able to drive a boat. Navigation, evironmental studies, polution, radio course to be done via an outsourced form of eduation, not a tafe course. ( cant get one question wrong in that exam )

I forget the amount of hours i needed, but 1500 or 1800 ??? from memory is where you need to be.

These hours cant be falsified. I would suggest getting a ROS book from Maritime. and get all skippers who have let you drive there boat ( over 5 mtrs)to sign off on your hours.

I guess the hardest part is the practical test with Maritime. they Throw some curly questions at you and yo have to answer quick, and correct often whilst driving their boat.

Guess that will do for an answer ?????

[thesquidking]

Hi guys thanks for your replies so far.

I called up maritime and they told me i need 1800 hours of offshore hours in a boat over 5 metres and I will also need signed documents to prove this time.I don't have this.

I asked them if I can do a lower class coxswain as I dont plan on driving large vessels offshore. What I want is to start up a fishing charter business in sheltered waters but the guy told me that I can't do anything else? This does not sound right so I just looked up on the net and I saw that you can do a restricted coxswain but the maritime guy did not mention this. Who else can I speak to regarding this as I don't want to call up the same guy that I spoke to?

Charlie.

[Bald one]

Hi guys thanks for your replies so far.

I called up maritime and they told me i need 1800 hours of offshore hours in a boat over 5 metres and I will also need signed documents to prove this time.I don't have this.

I asked them if I can do a lower class coxswain as I dont plan on driving large vessels offshore. What I want is to start up a fishing charter business in sheltered waters but the guy told me that I can't do anything else? This does not sound right so I just looked up on the net and I saw that you can do a restricted coxswain but the maritime guy did not mention this. Who else can I speak to regarding this as I don't want to call up the same guy that I spoke to?

Charlie.

Just do the course ( if you can prove your hours )

Then if they dont think you have enough hours outside, they will issue a restricted coxswaines

[chrisg]

I looked at this also but gave up on it.

The course work etc is straight forward enough but the 1800 hours is almost impossible unless you a working on a boat and can operate under supervison for that time. Really the course is aimed at people in the industry who have the deckhand certificate and are working their up the line. The last person I knew who did it worked on a dredger and got up to his Master certificate in a few years.

C.

[BWV]

I have completed a coxswains, master 5,4 and now doing master 3/under 500gt. The coxswain is an entry level(basic) course and alot of TAFES around sydney run it. I a aware of brookvale, Sydney, Gymea/loftus. I have failed my eye sight test for drivers lic but where glasses and still pass NSW Maritime and AMSA medicals. I think a Coxswains ticket is restricted to 12 or 15 nm offshore and vessels under 12m? just going of memory. If you want to do it just enroll in a tafe course, with or with out the required hrs. May be a 8/10 week course fulltime..??? You will met people on the course who will have work for you so you can complete your hr and have them signed off. As mentioned earlier it is a basic course and 95% of people would be able to complete it with no worries what so ever. The Oral exams by NSW maritime arent hard at all if you prepare for them, the best bit of advice for them is to let some one in your class go to them before you and the find out what was asked. they only vary there questions if they find a weak spot with you, eg. rule of the road, lights etc. but if you fail the orals they will till you what to study and the they will ask you a few more questions on that area. no one really fails it.

As for the 1800hrs offshore someone is pulling your leg you dont have to do any offshore. Manly ferries have master 4/3's on them and some of those blokes have never operated offshore on a commerical vessel and they still got there tickets.

If you are short on you hours they might restricted your ticket to inshore waters or 2/5/10 nm of the coast until you can prove that you have clocked at the hrs up.

There isnt a restricted course its the same course, NSW Maritime just restrict you ticket.

Just enroll in it either full or part time you wont look back.

as for the fishing charters, all commerical vessel have to be surveyed before you can charter them and it can be quite expensive if the vessel was not built to class in the first place if not impossible to have them commerically rego'd. You cant just buy any boat and use it commerically.

this is just my opinion a blend of the coxswains and GPH should be the general boat lic course, just have most of it done simialar to an oten course and practical assesment, just some food for thought......

Edited March 12, 2011 by Whaler 255

[chrisg]

Here's all the details -

Coxwain's Cert

C.