A Poll of our Southern Neighbours ..........

[Ralph Johnstone]

I recently found myself in a situation where I needed to identify a boat on the water and found out that his vessel license number was not a valid one. This got me thinking as to just how many vessel license numbers out there are current.

So ........................... I decided to stroll the dock of our marina here to see if people here even had vessel license numbers. That turned out to be a bit of a shock in itself. Of the 120 boats I checked, 58 did not have licenses and of these, only about half had them in the correct location. Some on the stern, many midships, the rest hidden in secret locations.

I'd be interested in our southern neighbour's observations as to what percentage of boats in your marina have proper identification. How many boats do you see on the water without license numbers ? Is it as bad as our Canadian west coast or does your US Coast Guard enforce the rules ?

 

[Joe]

They're pretty strict in this area. A condition at our marina is current registration and insurance, and you must show proof on yearly basis... by license I'm assuming you're talking about current registration stickers. You didn't actually ask every boat owner to show you their boat registration did you??? Anyway, I occasional see an expired stickers.... but not that much...

 

[Chuck Creel]

Seems not enough information to make a decision.
As per USCG and GOV regs, in our area if the boat is documented with USCG NATIONAL VESSEL DOCUMENTATION CENTER , the state registraion numbers are NOT required on the exterior of the boat anywhere.

 

[Sailm8]

Same here in Florida. Documented = No numbers. You do need a current tax sticker

 

[Maine Sail]

Ditto..

Ditto documented vessels in most US States do not require exterior registration numbers. The USCG documentation number must be permanently affixed to the interior of the hull.

 

[Ross]

Re: Ditto..

Documentation also requires that the vessel name be painted in block letters on the stern. Our state stickers are color coded for the year. The DNR has jurisdiction. Most people comply.

 

[guest]

Same applies in Canada - documented show name only.

Seems not enough information to make a decision.
As per USCG and GOV regs, in our area if the boat is documented with USCG NATIONAL VESSEL DOCUMENTATION CENTER , the state registraion numbers are NOT required on the exterior of the boat anywhere.

Don't know just what you were really looking for???

 

[sailaway78]

In La.

Here in cajun country, registration wasn't required till last fall for documented vessels. Now the
state requires more money, so they have added registration to the mix. Here the law says you have to have the numbers on the boat, and the sticker, even if the boat is documented. I see very few documented boats displaying the numbers or sticker. Nearly all documented boats are in compliance with the CG rules, but so fa are not in compliance with state.

 

[kloudie1]

Louisiana recently passed a law requiring a small sticker if documented .. The language of the Documentation rules and regs (Q&A) seems to forbid the external state registration numbers on documented vessels.. Louisiana law originally stated that the state numbers must appear, but myself and a couple of other folks pointed the language out to Wildlife & Fisheries and the state registration numbers are no longer required except on non documented vessels..
From the Documentation site Questions and Answers :
“No, all documented vessels must comply with the laws of the state in which they are operated. The vessel's document must be shown to state law enforcement personnel upon their demand. States may require documented vessels to be registered (but not numbered) and to display state decals showing that they have complied with state requirements.”

 

[kloudie1]

Easy, I didn't see your post before I posted.. The web site of Wildlife/Fisheries still says numbers but I have a letter from them that says no numbers.. so I have the tax sticker on but no external numbers.. I carry the letter in document folder to help when harassed by the registration gestapo.. I was harassed in Pensacola last summer.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Sorry if I Missed a Few Details ......................

..................... but the number I refer to here in Canada is issued by our Canadian Department of Transport (DOT) and is called a "vessel licence" number. If your vessel is "registered" by name only, you do not require a licence number but registering is an involved process for larger vessels only. Our DOT requires the number are to be a min. of 3" high (75 mm. in our language) and placed on the bow. Here in the Vancouver area the usual prefix is 13K.

Sounds like you people, in general, have a much better control than we do. I know many of you look on the licencing as a tax grab but learn to embrace it. Here, it's hit and run haven out on our waters as you often cannot identify the boat.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

I need to register my boat and will do so perhaps next month. I mentioned it to my neighbor and he said he hasn't registered his in quite some time. My father recently was given a ticket on our waters for his registration being expired. I feel like the taxes on personal property are very rough here. Seems like everyone wants to put their hand in my wallet and take my money. We have older boats and cars and the taxes etc are still high in my opinion.

 

[sailaway78]

Sounds about right

I don't think most of the time the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. I talked to a fisheries and wildlife guy a couple days ago, and he told me the numbers were required. I do not have numbers on the boat, and will not do so unless forced to. The primary purpose of this I was told was to get sales tax money form those who had a LLC in Deleware to avoid the sales tax. I personally know of two boats, both new, a 36 and a 45, that are registered in
Deleware this way. Although I am not real sure how they are going to fix this with the registration law. Whatever, it is still all about the money, more for them, less for us.

 

[Richard Bryer]

Ralph- not sure that the rules are exactly same for BC as ON, but registering a boat is not confined to larger vessels only, my 24 ft San Juan has been registered since it came into Canada in 1979. Registering is not that complicated but doess have a cost and the vessel is registered to its port- in my case Toronto. That port name must be displayed on the boat. Registration is done with the Federal Govt and your registered vessel name must be unique. Licensing is a provincial thing and results in the license numbers being displayed on your bow. ON used to begin with 50XXXX.

For a clearer and "official " explanation see item #14 on this page:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/boats/index.shtml#a1

 

[Jalepeno]

Roger, remember that there is a big difference between an annual US State licence with an annual fee (sort of like a car licence) and our federal free permanent "vessel licence". Not all Canadian boats need a "vessel licence".

This is from the Canadian Power & Sail Squadron" web site:

Q: What is the difference between a Vessel License and a Vessel Registration and which vessels need which document?
A: Vessel License
A license provides a number specific to each vessel for use by search and rescue personnel and other agencies to identify a particular vessel. The license number has to be displayed on both sides of the bow of the vessel, above the water line, in block characters, not less than 7.5 cm (3 in) high and in a colour that contrasts with the colour of the bow.
The license is mandatory for:
1. All pleasure craft of 15 gross tons or under (12 meters or less) equipped with a motor of 10 hp (7.5 kW) or more, including personal watercraft. These licenses are currently issued by the Canada Border Services Agency and will be issued by Service Canada as of April 2006.
2. All commercial (non-pleasure) vessels of 15 gross tons or under (12 meters or less), such as passenger, cargo, guide boats, fishing vessels, and any other vessels not used exclusively for pleasure. These licenses are issued by Transport Canada.
The Pleasure Craft License is free of charge and transferable to any subsequent owner of the vessel. The license must be carried on board the vessel at all times. However, a license is not a Title Document. Vessel operators must therefore also carry other documents, such as a document that establishes ownership or registration, in order to help avoid/reduce delays clearing US-Canada customs or in case of a fine.

 

[mitiempo]

If your vessel is Federally registered in Canada (bluebook) you do not have to carry provincial number/letter license on said vessel. Size is not an issue, I have had a 25' Westerly and a custom built 35' boat that had Transport Canada registration and currently have a 27" CS27 with the same. If you are not Federally registered you do need the provincial license if over a certain size and horsepower (10hp). Thus kayaks canoes. small dinghys and cartop boats with less than 10 hp are exempt. Thus outboards with 9.9 hp. Federally registered vessels must renew every 3 years at a cost of about $150Cdn. Vessel name must be marked clearly on some clearly visible part of the exterior part of the hull, at least 10cm in height and also show port of registry. Port of registry marking may show port only, or may include port and province. Only the province may be abbreviated by using the two letter Canada Post symbol. Both the official number and the registered tonnage shown on the Certificate of Registry must be marked in block-type Arabic numerals at least 4cm high on some clearly visible interior structure part of the hull. These must be affixed so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious and cause some scarring or damage to the surrounding hull area.
The vessel name must be unique and when applying for new or changing the name a search is done. The home port of Registry is changed with a fee of $150 Cdn and a name change with search costs $250 Cdn.
If you travel to a foreign port Federal documentation does make life easier as it is proof of ownership.
Brian