As of right now, charter permits are limited entry and can usually be purchased for anywhere from $500-$1000 a rod. Being limited entry, like any other permit, the price is subject to whatever the seller thinks the permit is worth. Dock Street Brokers in Seattle usually has a couple kicking around.

There are a couple different trains of thought on what will happen if 696 passes. One is that the state will sell additional charter permits, which they have been buying back for the past few years. The other is that there will be no increase in charter permits, thus making the current ones worth more money.

As far as getting a CC license is concerned, if you have enough sea time you can go with the Masters License to whatever tonage you qualify for, or go with the 6-pack charter license. Both tests are nearly identical, but if you get the Masters you can upgrade every five years, while the 6 pack limits you to just that, a 6-pack. Obviously there's more to it than that, but that's the basics.