If you obtain your coxswain badge, do you ussually stay at small boat units? or can you get put on a cutter?

Either/Or. A standard boat certification or Coxswain insignia doesnt guarantee you will stay anywhere. It just means that you are certified for a particular boat platform or skill.

T

When you put your eresume in. for what you want. the Detailer first goes by priorty. then lets say you and another priorty 5 are putting in for Sta Charleston. The detailer will look and see who is more qualifed out of the two of you and put that person there. but yes you can still go underway. BM's need sea or surf time to make BMC.

if you have a surfman quil do you stay at a surf station or is it the same thing?

Sam,

Surfman is a giant commitment. Most can become a coxswain, it takes a special breed to become a surfman. I know that the surfman program is somewhere around 6 yrs. Surfman tend to stay in or around surf stations just on the mere fact that there are not that many. Since 1975 there have only been 267 Surfman certified. How many of them have retired I cannot tell for sure. But as an answer for your question, you will move. My current CO is a Surfman, but we are not at a Surf station. So even if you do have your qual nothing says you will stay at a Surf Station. But remember that any transfer will be at the needs of the service. Meaning where they need you, you will go.

-BM2.5 sends

that sounds like a big challenge. how long can you be at a station or cutter for?

Sam,
Visit a station and/or a cutter. Arrange it through a recruiter or by calling the nearest unit to you. IRT tour lengths at stations or cutters, usually three years, some two or four. You may rotate early if you advance (promote), but sometimes stay. Sounds like the old "it depends" answer to your question? Nothing is a certainty, but I have always felt that the BM rating allows the most flexibility in CG career choices.

when your a coxswain, do you have to fight for wheel time? and are there coxswain positions on cutters?

Also Truebm2, how come you dont have MLBs at your station? i live close to station sand key and there are two 47' MlBs?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SJA93,

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when your a coxswain, do you have to fight for wheel time?

Ummm, no. When you're a coxswain you're in charge. You can drive the boat whenever you please. However, once you become an experienced coxswain you'll be training new coxswains so your helm time will be considerably reduced.

quote:

are there coxswain positions on cutters?

Yes, most all cutters have small boats attached. What type of small boat depends on the type of cutter.

Get a hold of Sta Sand Key (I know the XPO there....he reads these boards from time to time) and schedule a tour. Then you can check out the boats and talk with several BM's in person...have them show you around and fill you in on what they do there.

Then, find the closest cutter and schedule a tour of that. Talk to their BM's and compare notes.

Sounds like you have a strong interest in being a BM in the CG. Good for you! Make sure you do your research and are committed to this. Its a great job and life!

quote:

Originally posted by prayforsurf:

Ummm, no. When you're a coxswain you're in charge. You can drive the boat whenever you please.

I meant do you have to fight for wheel time with the other coxswains?

No, there would be a duty rotation. Now sometimes there are fights for the TV remote on duty nights!

quote:

Originally posted by SJA93:

quote:

Originally posted by prayforsurf:

Ummm, no. When you're a coxswain you're in charge. You can drive the boat whenever you please.

I meant do you have to fight for wheel time with the other coxswains?

Depends on the unit, but not really. Most days you can con the other cox'ns out of some kind of u/w time, and at a busy unit you will have no issues. Sometimes the more senior BM's *cough *BM1 J.G.* Cough*, will cherry pick and take all the cool patrols or boondoggles.... but I suppose thats is their right

quote:

Originally posted by CHunter_81:
Sometimes the more senior BM's *cough *BM1 J.G.* Cough*, will cherry pick and take all the cool patrols or boondoggles.... but I suppose thats is their right

Hehe, I do it too. But after running 500 hours in a cycle and 450 the next, I think I earned my right to take the boondoogles. Besides the newest qualed coxswain will get underway for just about anything.

quote:

Originally posted by truebm2:
but we are not at a Surf station.
-BM2.5 sends

im up by sta sand key and they have two 47' MLBs and i know the east coast has got to be bigger surf.

quote:

im up by sta sand key and they have two 47' MLBs and i know the east coast has got to be bigger surf.

You may want to Google Cape Disappointment......or any of a number of other places on the Oregon coast.

quote:

Originally posted by SJA93:

quote:

Originally posted by truebm2:
but we are not at a Surf station.
-BM2.5 sends

im up by sta sand key and they have two 47' MLBs and i know the east coast has got to be bigger surf.

The east coast has got baby surf compared to the left coast.

i know that but still, dont you have to be surfman qauld to even opperate those boats?

hmmmm..... yeeeaaahhh....its alot bigger out here. Need proof? Log on to NOAA, and look at the buoy reports. The numbers dont lie.

Uh, yeah, cause its flipp'n huge. Thats why we have Surfman and Heavy Weather Coxswains.

Hi Chris. Hows work?