U.S. Coast Guard Boot Camp Practice Test

Cutters are defined by size: any Coast Guard vessel 65 feet in length or greater is a cutter. This threshold isn’t about speed or armament, but about classification that also implies a permanently assigned crew and the broader missions cutters perform, such as long-range search and rescue and law enforcement. So vessels at least 65 feet long are cutters, while shorter boats or small craft (for example, 60 feet or 50 feet) are not. The official cutoff remains 65 feet or greater, not any other number like 70.