Is it legal to make a boat longer?

[HeelBoy]

Without diving deep into the engineering here, the question is more of a legal one: Are we even allowed to turn a 25ft boat into a 26.5 ft boat? Since the length ends up on my title in Ohio.

There's a cheap trailer sailer nearby that has a scary looking transom (pic attached). I can do decent glass work, structural glass work, so the repair doesn't necessarily scare me.

But... it got me thinking... for twice the labor, I could fab up a sugar scoop back there. Before wasting brain space on rudder geometry etc, it'd be wise to see if it's even allowed.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Are we even allowed to turn a 25ft boat into a 26.5 ft boat?

?? Why would you think there is a law preventing you from doing anything you want with a boat you own?

You can do anything you want to your boat. Make it nicer, uglier, faster, slower, unable to insure, more seaworthy, Unseaworthy, whatever you wish.

The authorities would only need to know the new length, just like when they want to know the new name if you rename it.

 

[kappykaplan]

I'm no expert, but as long as you deal with updating registration and other legalities, I'd think you'd be fine.

 

[HeelBoy]

?? Why would you think there is a law preventing you from doing anything you want..

In Ohio, the length ends up on the title. So if I change that, I wondered if it would anger the bean counters and paper pushers.

 

[Leeward Rail]

In Ohio, the length ends up on the title. So if I change that, I wondered if it would anger the bean counters and paper pushers.

Here, the name is also on the registration (in addition to length etc.) All you do is tell them the new name or new length or whatever.

Do enough changes it should likely be registered as a "homebuilt" boat instead of a blah blah 25.

Major changes would likely alter value and therefore insurance.
Same as when you register a customised motor vehicle.(fortunately motor vehicles require safety inspections in many jurisdictions)

 

[dlochner]

Don't try to put lipstick on a pig. Why would you consider that boat? For your time, money, and effort, there are better deals out there.

Major changes would likely alter value and therefore insurance.

And likely insurability.

 

[jssailem]

There is no reason I can imagine why you can not change your boat.
Make it longer, make it wider, add a pontoon.

If you want to sell the boat, then the buyer is going to be interested in the title.

The state revenuers are going to want to gather their taxes. You see a guy in a funny suit down by the boat with a tape measure, you may have some "splaining to do".

But no reason you can not make improvements as you see fit.

 

[jssailem]

There are a number of racing boats that removed their transom to reduce weight. Then when the boat took on water the water just ran out the back. Out a little weight forward or a lip and flotation on the stern and the stern stays above the water line when you stand in the cockpit.

 

[capta]

Unlike buildings ashore, there are no regulations or permits involved in even the most drastic changes to a boat. However, when you are trying to change a boat, your changes could seriously affect the sailing characteristics of the boat. As for the registration, I don't see any plus to changing the registered length. Marinas don't care what's on the paper, they measure the boat themselves. The only time I've seen a government entity measure a boat is for a COI.

 

[LloydB]

Why yes it is legal but your billing address will be needed to clear up a couple details.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Unlike buildings ashore, there are no regulations or permits involved in even the most drastic changes to a boat.

Which is why we get the fun of seeing a lot of horrible or just plain ugly boats.

I saw a Catalina 30 that had been heavily modified with a sugar scoop stern and a pilothouse. Was listed A LOT cheaper than a comparable unmodified c30. So cheap, that if I had lived nearby I would have gone to see it. Simply parting it out would have likely netted more than they were asking.

 

[thinwater]

Personally, if the length changes by 1-2 feet but it is still fundamentally an XYZ-25, I would not change the paperwork. It will just confuse people, particularly if there is also an XYZ-27 ("I have a 27' XYZ-25, but it's not an XYZ-27"). Just not worth the potencial for paper snafus.

Yes, I have stretched and eventually sold two boats, one of wich was documented. No problems.

----

So long as you maintain the same shape, with the underbody rising a the same rate, you should be able to add 2-3 feet with no changing in behavior, except reduced hobbyhorsing.

Extending a PDQ catamaran

 

[capta]

Which is why we get the fun of seeing a lot of horrible or just plain ugly boats.

I saw a Catalina 30 that had been heavily modified with a sugar scoop stern and a pilothouse. Was listed A LOT cheaper than a comparable unmodified c30. So cheap, that if I had lived nearby I would have gone to see it. Simply parting it out would have likely netted more than they were asking.

Are you implying there aren't a lot of horrible or just plain ugly houses? Personally, about 99% of the homes I've seen are unbelievably ugly, a lot of those because they are so ostentatious.
After all, a house is just a poorly built boat that won't go anywhere.

 

[dlochner]

After all, a house is just a poorly built boat that won't go anywhere.

Here's a photo of a building built in Oswego, NY about 150 years ago. Lots of shipwrights in town back then. See some similarities?

 

[Leeward Rail]

Are you implying there aren't a lot of horrible or just plain ugly houses?

Hehe. Not at all. Presumably the new or newly renovated buildings were inspected, up to code, and reasonably safe for intended use.

There is a house nearby, where the two architect owners couldn't agree which look they should attain. Now it looks like a red barn was blown against a modern geometric house.
Like bonding half a Herreshoff design to an Finot Open 60 with little effort to reconcile the two. Ugh.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The length on the title is probably just for identification. The actual length is meaningless, unless there is a threshold for the calculation of a fee. For instance, our state registration fee is stepped. 16' to 26' is $28 per year. 26' to 40' is $52 per year. If you had your boat in New Jersey, you might want to pay the higher fee starting the first year after your modification (if you had a guilty conscience) but nobody will actually check up on this. Nobody is going to care about the title fee after you've paid it. A new buyer may want to avoid confrontation when it comes to titling in the future, but I suspect nobody will ever actually check up on any description that is recorded. The only entity who is likely to ever be concerned about your new length may be a marina that wants to bill you based on the length.

 

[dlochner]

The length on the title is probably just for identification. The actual length is meaningless, unless there is a threshold for the calculation of a fee. For instance, our state registration fee is stepped. 16' to 26' is $28 per year. 26' to 40' is $52 per year. If you had your boat in New Jersey, you might want to pay the higher fee starting the first year after your modification (if you had a guilty conscience) but nobody will actually check up on this. Nobody is going to care about the title fee after you've paid it. A new buyer may want to avoid confrontation when it comes to titling in the future, but I suspect nobody will ever actually check up on any description that is recorded. The only entity who is likely to ever be concerned about your new length may be a marina that wants to bill you based on the length.

About those sizes. Ever wonder why outboards are rated at 9.9 hp and not 10? Because there was a time when registration and insurance rates changed for boats with 10hp and above. A 9.9 hp motor qualified for the lower rate with no significant loss of power.

Many boats designed and built in the 70s and 80s are marketed as the Whatever 30, however a close reading of the specs show them to be slightly less than 30 feet, usually somewhere around 29'10". Just a marketing ploy? Nope, there was a rating rule back then that penalized boats at 30 feet and longer. Building a boat that was under 30' avoided that penalty.

US Customs and Immigration requires all boats longer than 30' entering the US to have a DTOPs decal. Try explaining to an CBP officer that your Sabre 30 isn't really a 30' boat, but only 29'10". Those young guys can get snarky.