46 CFR 11.431: Tonnage requirements for Great Lakes and inland endorsements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets tonnage rules for the experience needed for Great Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements. All required experience must come from vessels of 100 GRT or more, and at least half from vessels of 1,600 GRT or more. Tonnage limitations may be imposed under § 11.402(b) and (c).

Applies toGreat Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements.

What it says

  1. All required experience for Great Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more.

    46 CFR 11.431(a)“All required experience for Great Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more.”

  2. At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

    46 CFR 11.431(a)“At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.”

  3. Tonnage limitations may be imposed on these endorsements in accordance with § 11.402(b) and (c) of this subpart.

    46 CFR 11.431(b)“Tonnage limitations may be imposed on these endorsements in accordance with § 11.402(b) and (c) of this subpart.”

Common questions

What is the minimum vessel size for experience toward a Great Lakes or inland unlimited endorsement?

All required experience must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more.

“All required experience for Great Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more.”

How much experience must be on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more?

At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

“At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.”

Can tonnage limitations be placed on these endorsements?

Yes. Tonnage limitations may be imposed on these endorsements in accordance with § 11.402(b) and (c) of this subpart.

“Tonnage limitations may be imposed on these endorsements in accordance with § 11.402(b) and (c) of this subpart.”

The text of 46 CFR 11.431

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Tonnage requirements for Great Lakes and inland endorsements for vessels of 1,600 GRT or more

(a) All required experience for Great Lakes and inland unlimited endorsements must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more. At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

(b) Tonnage limitations may be imposed on these endorsements in accordance with § 11.402(b) and (c) of this subpart.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.