Documentation versus State Registration

[sail sfbay]

Check this link on plaque and boat marking requirements.

What Is USCG Documentation Number Placard?| Vessel Placards

USCG documentation number placard is a plaque that you should attach to your documented ship. This documentation number works like a Social Security number.

vesselplacards.com

Vessel Placards Offers USCG Official Number Plates for Boats, Yachts & Ships

We are Vessel Placards, the web's leading number plate emporium. We offer a wide range of placard options to serve all of your nautical needs.

vesselplacards.com

 

[sail sfbay]

...........Id like to know what the advantages are of either direction.....

One disadvantage of a USCG documented vessel is the there is an initial fee to document your boat with the USCG (see link to fee schedule) then $26 annually thereafter as dlochner noted. Might check with the stat of Georgia on their registration fee schedule since they charge based on boat length (see link below) and the frequency, e.g., in California it is $29 every 2 years for any length boat.

https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/NVDC/Fee_Schedule.pdf

Boat Registration | Department Of Natural Resources Division

Transaction fees are subject to change and will be adjusted to the following effective August 16, 2022. Online recreational license transaction fee - $3.00, online boat registration transaction fee - $10.00, optional hard card price - $6.00, and state transactional discount for renewing certain...

georgiawildlife.com

On a side note I just received the USCG abstract from the marine title company that made the USCG documentation application and discovered the boat was originally named Last Fling hailing from Seattle, then Swept Away, then Ceremony hailing from Long Beach, then back to Swept Away, then Splinter's, followed by Miller Time (named after the owner'st name, then 5th Quarter hailing from Portland and now Oasis hailing from San Francisco.

 

[dlochner]

On a side note I just received the USCG abstract from the marine title company that made the USCG documentation application and discovered the boat was originally named Last Fling hailing from Seattle, then Swept Away, then Ceremony hailing from Long Beach, then back to Swept Away, then Splinter's, followed by Miller Time (named after the owner'st name, then 5th Quarter hailing from Portland and now Oasis hailing from San Francisco.

She got around didn't she.

 

[Dr.No]

Documentation also enables liens to be traced more easily, making it easier to sell the boat when that time comes. The buyer can make sure the title is clear in one operation, instead of having to check in every state you may have visited in the boat and had work done. Our state requires paying the registration fee also, but if you're documented you don't have to put the state registration numbers on the bow, so it looks nicer.

I agree with this one. Documentation help keep the provenance of the boat when trying to sell and keeps you from having to also display a state registration number (A small registration sticker every year but no ugly string of 3” letters and numbers on the bow. )

 

[sailme88]

The CG now advises states of NEW acquisitions so that the states can assess sales tax. The real kicker is excise tax. The town that you live in can assess an excise tax regardless of whether or not that boat resides in the town. Many sailors live miles from the shore. Often their boats get laid up in boat yards that are also many miles from where they live. The excise tax is sometimes referred to as a personal property tax. Oddly, in some areas, the tax is waived if you don't launch... go figure !

 

[dlochner]

Remember folks when it comes to taxation and registration every state is different. Some collect sales tax, some treat the boat (and cars) as property and tax as property, some collect annual registration fees. So, be careful when making generalizations about taxes and registrations. Due diligence, check your state regulations.

 

[quadrille38]

First time US doc registration is around $350. Every year after that just $75. Way cheaper if boat is in California to go US Reg instead of state!

Annual fee is $26 through the coast guard. There are scammers out there who show up periodically with mailings that look like they are official but of you read carefully they state it’s a private service not affiliated with a government entity. Yes you get your documentation but at 2 to 3 times the cost


of course there is still the state registration fee and her in Michigan registrations are good for three years. You don’t put the registration number on the hull but you do have to put the state sticker on

 

[MikeHoncho]

One point my documentation company said when I was considering keeping or canceling my documentation through USCG is the fact that with a documented vessel the USCG can run the numbers and check for stolen status where they tend not to ( I don’t know is they have access or if it is just practice) to check stolen status on state registration. It was going to cost me the same to transfer or cancel the documentation on the purchase then $26 a year after. My numbers are engraved into the fiberglass under my dinnet.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Should be pretty hard to hide. On my 30 I placed it in the lazarette in 3" vinyl numbers View attachment 186296

That doesn't meet the requirement that the numbers be permanent to the structure so removal of the numbers must show damage. Just lay up one layer of thin fiberglass mat over the top of your numbers, and you'll be good to go.

 

[Benny17441]

Benny, not sure about this, because the PO of my boat, purchased new and financed thru a bank in ‘07; however, it was not documented.

It does depend on the lender, some Banks may treat every boat loan as if it was a 17' runabout on a trailer. I knew a Bank that was lending on boats as if they were automobiles by holding a chattel mortgage on the Titles but have since changed their policies when a boat was sailed out of the Country and had a heck of time trying to get it back when the loan got in arrears. I think the Borrower eventually brought it back and surrendered it to the Bank. If they would have insisted that the boat be documented their lien would have been Internationally recognized and a repossession would have been much easier. Usually Finance Companies are much tougher than Banks when it comes to perfecting collateral.

 

[Benny17441]

Because he was required to attach the numbers, it does not mean that he actually did attach the numbers. They should be in a reasonably obvious place where someone could easily find them. On my 30 I put vinyl numbers on the inside of a locker near several seacocks and covered it with a layer of fiberglass and epoxy. On my current boat the numbers are affixed to a board inside a wet locker.

That is so true, On a previous boat it took us two years to attach a board with the numbers to the hull and laminate over it. We had the board all along laying around in the boat; the installation just kept getting postponed

 

[travlintwig]

Documentation also enables liens to be traced more easily, making it easier to sell the boat when that time comes. The buyer can make sure the title is clear in one operation, instead of having to check in every state you may have visited in the boat and had work done. Our state requires paying the registration fee also, but if you're documented you don't have to put the state registration numbers on the bow, so it looks nicer.

The traceability of a documented vessel from a buyer's perspective is helpful as well. As a buyer we recently requested an "Abstract of Title" report from USCG that gave us the whole history of the vessel, included liens and clearance of same. Some peace of mind before closing.

 

[S/V Honu]

Check this link on plaque and boat marking requirements.

What Is USCG Documentation Number Placard?| Vessel Placards

USCG documentation number placard is a plaque that you should attach to your documented ship. This documentation number works like a Social Security number.

vesselplacards.com

Vessel Placards Offers USCG Official Number Plates for Boats, Yachts & Ships

We are Vessel Placards, the web's leading number plate emporium. We offer a wide range of placard options to serve all of your nautical needs.

vesselplacards.com

Some misleading info on that link, just to sell you a plaque. USCG direct links are better for USCG requirements.

 

[Ron20324]

I PAINTED MY # ON THE HULL, IN THE LAZZ. A FEW COATS OF EPOXY OR VARNISH SEALS IT IN. NOT EASY TO REMOVE WITH OUT MESSING UP THE HULL.