What Is the Difference Between Lifeboatman and Lifeboatman - Limited?

Lifeboatman is for vessels equipped with lifeboats as well as liferafts, rescue boats, and other survival equipment while Lifeboatman - Limited is for vessels that only have liferafts, rescue boats, and other survival equipment.

According to 46 CFR 10.107:

• Lifeboatman means a mariner who is qualified to take charge of, lower, and operate survival craft and related survival equipment on a vessel.
  

• Lifeboatman-Limited means a mariner who is qualified to take charge of, lower, and operate liferafts, rescue boats, and other survival equipment on vessels where lifeboats are not installed.
  

This means that if you are going to work on a vessel that has lifeboats such as the ones below you need to hold a Lifeboatman.

If you are working on vessels that only have lifecrafts, rescue boats, and other survival equipment then you only need Lifeboatman - Limited.

We recommend checking with your employer on what type of Lifeboatman they need you to have.

How many sea days in the deck department do I need for my Lifeboatman?

The sea service requirements for Lifeboatman and Lifeboatman - Limited are dependant on if you've taken an USCG approved Course.

USCG Approved Course?

Sea Days Required

With a USCG Approved Lifeboatman or Lifeboatman - Limited Course

180 Sea Days in any department on any vessel on any waters

No USCG Approved Course

360 Sea Days in any department on any vessel on any waters

We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!

MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Pro inside of the site.

No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application, you can choose to have the MM-SEAS staff create a perfect application, handle the USCG application fees and work with the USCG on your behalf to resolve any issues for a flat fee of $349 or you can choose to submit on your own.

Pro MM-SEAS members get access to unlimited live 1 on 1 calls with one of our USCG Licensing Specialists. We've found that answering questions live with screen sharing in a video call makes both of our lives easier. Pro MM-SEAS members can access these features inside of MM-SEAS under License Guidance.