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- Thread starter Dennis Kitchen
- Start date
Same here. Not leaving Lake Michigan, so no need. Zeehag's earlier comment reminded me that the State of Illinois no longer notifies boat owners when their state registration is due for renewal. May be the case in other states too.
That's correct. Here in Fl. one still needs to register every year but if documented need only display the decal somewhere forward of the beam. Mine is on the mast a couple feet off the deck. BTW, in Fl., if your boat, any boat, is thirty years old or older, you qualify for antique status. Registration fee drops to $6.25 a year. The taxman won't tell you this. You have to ask for the form. When I did this a few years ago, the lady at the desk did not know what I was talking about. Needed to get a supervisor to sort it out.
i can't quote the regs from the uscg verbatim but i think i remember somewhere in there they will not allow you to have a state number displayed on the documented boat that has the name displayed
You are correct. My point was that some states will require you to state reg (and not display numbers) while other (like MN) say no need to register if documented.
i should be so lucky but i am sure i won't move that far north to take advantage of that perk ..thanks for adding that
I have just discovered that my 1983 H31 was previously documented with the USCG. The documentation expired more than 10 years ago. If USCG documentation really makes clearing customs easier when outside the US, then I would consider reapplying before we start seriously cruising. Does anyone know whether past documentation makes it easier or harder to reinstate documentation? The boat is registered in FL, and has FL numbers on the hull.
that number is the one you will get when you register with the coast guard its like a ss number it never dies and if you plan on renewing it you would be wise to do it about 6 months to a year before you think you will need it it can be long and drawn out on there end the history of the boat has to be brought up to speed
We undid our documentation when we bought our current boat. It can be done, just red tape. We went through a closing (like an escrow company) company.
Ken
Woodster, my understanding is that a Federally-documented boat doesn't need (and shouldn't have) state reg as well. The documentation trumps that; as you point out you're responding to the CG's authority over the boat, not the state's. One benefit is that the state would have to ask permission from the CG if they wanted to impound the boat for less than a Federal offense (such as fleeing an accident), for example. If the CG doesn't have a problem with you, it doesn't matter what a state says. They can ticket you and that's it. Your boat hails out of a Federally-recognized port, not some in-state neighborhood. Also you would have free reign to sail anywhere in the US without paying state usage taxes. And clearing in is easier when the hosting nation recognizes 'New York' better than 'Haverstraw', for example. However, if the CG did have a problem with you, you'd pretty much have no safe haven anywhere.
This is how I understood it back in the 1980s, when I regularly set up Delaware corporations and documentation for C44 buyers (and got tipped like $100 for it each time!).
Are you able to point me to authoritative documents on this? I have searched the CG's boat-documenting site and didn't get all my questions answered.
Thanks for your insight on this. I am even now considering getting my boat documented too.
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one thing for sure this day and time is if you own a boat you are going to pay property taxes in most states and the way they track it is by being registered with the state ...i can't post the document right now but i read somewhere that if you are state registered and cg documented you don't have to display the state numbers but you do have to have there decal and in order to do this you have to register with that state ...also if you are planning activity in florida from another state bone up on there laws very well and make sure you are correct in any rebuttal to them they can get very nasty down there ...i agree with you that if you are cg documented ...that should trump the state any day but the climate has changed since homeland security has been enacted and we are now in a new ball game with very modified rules....
i think i am going to post this question to Boats US and see what they have on this...i am sure they are well informed on the subject and if i am incorrect i will give my retraction the same coverage on screen
Woody
i think i am going to post this question to Boats US and see what they have on this...i am sure they are well informed on the subject and if i am incorrect i will give my retraction the same coverage on screen
Woody
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Sorry but not true in Michigan. The state still requires the boat to be registered and you have to display the State registration decal. You don't have to have the State MC registration numbers on the boat however.
The registration is how the State collects its fee and you have to renew them every third year. No way they'd give up that source of revenue.
Below Copied from the States web site.
Watercraft - Registration Requirements
All watercraft, unless exempt, must be registered with the Department of State and display a registration decal. Once a registration number has been assigned, it cannot be transferred to another watercraft. For most watercraft, the registration fee is based on length. All registrations expire on March 31 in the third year of issuance.
Watercraft exempt from registration are:
- Those 16 feet or shorter, propelled by oars or paddles, and not used for rental or commercial purposes;
- Nonmotorized canoes and kayaks not used for rental or commercial purposes, rafts, surfboards, sailboards, and swim floats, regardless of length; and
- Watercraft registered in another state and used only temporarily in Michigan.
Missouri rules require state registration of "documented" vessels. The numbers are not displayed but "validation" decals must be affixed on each side of the forward half of the vessel in clear view. Federal law prohibits Missour from issuing a title certificate. The registration fee is the same as an undocumented vessel and a sales/use tax is still charged and called an "in lieu" tax.
No apparent advantage to documentation here except for sale/purchase financing and chain of ownership verification.
Funny though, I have a Missour Title and now discover that the boat was once documented. I cant wait untill the rebuild in finished and I try to go register it. I forsee having to get a lawyer involved.
No apparent advantage to documentation here except for sale/purchase financing and chain of ownership verification.
Funny though, I have a Missour Title and now discover that the boat was once documented. I cant wait untill the rebuild in finished and I try to go register it. I forsee having to get a lawyer involved.
The boat had to be USCG documented. This was required by the financial institution for loan approval. Until the documentation came through I had regular MD registration numbers displayed. Now that I have the USCG documentation paperwork the number boards are to be removed and the state sticker applied to the base of the mast. The boat is still registered with the state I just don't need to display the numbers.
Okay; now I'm only more confused than I was before.
There is something to applying for and belonging to the Red Ensign Club after all. For one thing, it's easier to get into (apparently).
There is something to applying for and belonging to the Red Ensign Club after all. For one thing, it's easier to get into (apparently).
This is untrue in our state. (Check you state regulations) Federally documented vessels also require a state registration. It just doesn't get numbers on the outside but the state wants and gets the money. We undid our documentation because it is cheaper and less hassle (sending in to the state and feds both.) In many cases there is no advantage for documentation unless you sail in foreign water. We only sail in US and Canadian water and in our case also no advantage to documentation. Mexico - I think different story.
Ken
In other news, North Carolina charges $15/year, typically at $45/3 years, with no onerous requirements as to residency, where the boat is kept, or bloodletting production of ID (as NJ does for driving licenses). If all they want is the money, pick the cheapest state. 