Our 1984 Starwind 27 is documented and did not come with state registration numbers on the bow when we bought her. She was located in a coastal area of New Jersey in Sea Bright where she had been for at least a decade. We moved her to an inland lake, registered her with the state and put numbers on the bow. We've had her for a year and a half. Obviously we now pay a registration fee each year and get a new state sticker. But what do we do about the documentation ... anything? The numbers are fixed to the inside under the vee berth cushions. I've read that the name and hailing port are recorded with the documentation and should be displayed on the boat. Her name and port were painted on, were badly faded and I removed them last summer. We haven't named our boat yet, but plan to do this for splashing in the spring. I did notice that our boat had a previous name "Sara" from Spring, Texas. This you can barely make out on a sunny day, like a ghost that appears when the light is just right! I wonder how she made it to New Jersey from Texas. I like to think that somebody sailed her up the coastline, but suspect that she was transported by truck. Is it possible to get more history of the boat from the documentation numbers? Shall we re-record the name and hailing port?
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Documentation change/renewal
Whether you want renew the documentation under your name is entirely up to you. For information, see the second link for starters. It will cost money as well as paperwork to change the owners name and the name of the boat. For a boat search for information check http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/commercial/landings/cg_vessel2.html
Whether you want renew the documentation under your name is entirely up to you. For information, see the second link for starters. It will cost money as well as paperwork to change the owners name and the name of the boat. For a boat search for information check http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/commercial/landings/cg_vessel2.html
Documentation transfer...
Scott, You are in luck. I just looked into this myself. Boats are documented with the Coast Guard. To keep her documented, you need to transfer the documentation from the previous owner to yourself. Then once a year, the Coast Guard will send a form to keep the documentation active. Read all about it here - http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/vdoc/nvdc.htm You can search for your boat by name and previous owner here http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/commercial/landings/cg_vessel2.html Good Luck. John
Scott, You are in luck. I just looked into this myself. Boats are documented with the Coast Guard. To keep her documented, you need to transfer the documentation from the previous owner to yourself. Then once a year, the Coast Guard will send a form to keep the documentation active. Read all about it here - http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/vdoc/nvdc.htm You can search for your boat by name and previous owner here http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/commercial/landings/cg_vessel2.html Good Luck. John
Some states don't require...
registration numbers on the bow when the boat is documented. Your neighbors in NY have such a law.
registration numbers on the bow when the boat is documented. Your neighbors in NY have such a law.
If You Renew the Documentation...
...you will keep the same numbers as the previous owner. Once a boat is documented, those numbers will stay with the boat for the life of the boat. Even if the documentation is not renewed, the CG will "retire" the numbers and not use them again.
...you will keep the same numbers as the previous owner. Once a boat is documented, those numbers will stay with the boat for the life of the boat. Even if the documentation is not renewed, the CG will "retire" the numbers and not use them again.
The Documentation Is Free
Once the Coast Guard documentation is up to date it is free to renew it. In Ohio you have to still purchase the state registration but instead of the OH number, you just display the state renewal sticker somewhere that is visible. It does not have to be on the bow.
Once the Coast Guard documentation is up to date it is free to renew it. In Ohio you have to still purchase the state registration but instead of the OH number, you just display the state renewal sticker somewhere that is visible. It does not have to be on the bow.
Not worth the money, but the number is yours
I documented when I bought my boat because it had been previously. The number stays retired until you document that vessel again, if ever. You don't have to use the previous name and hailing port but the hailing port you do use is (according to the official instructions supplied with the application) supposed to be a real "port" where the boat is primarily kept (i.e., not the name of your inland home town, the sure sign of a landlubber's boat). Unless you're planning to take your boat outside US territorial waters it isn't worth all the extra money to keep the state numbers off your bow. (For most states, you still have to put the current year sticker there anyway, even if you're documented). Spend the $400 on a nice decal or paint job for your transom boat name and hailing port and you'll look yachty and nobody will care about the state numbers.
I documented when I bought my boat because it had been previously. The number stays retired until you document that vessel again, if ever. You don't have to use the previous name and hailing port but the hailing port you do use is (according to the official instructions supplied with the application) supposed to be a real "port" where the boat is primarily kept (i.e., not the name of your inland home town, the sure sign of a landlubber's boat). Unless you're planning to take your boat outside US territorial waters it isn't worth all the extra money to keep the state numbers off your bow. (For most states, you still have to put the current year sticker there anyway, even if you're documented). Spend the $400 on a nice decal or paint job for your transom boat name and hailing port and you'll look yachty and nobody will care about the state numbers.
Wow
How about some correct information. I cut and pasted the following straight from the Coast Guard web pages: States may require documented vessels to be registered (but not numbered) and to display state decals showing that they have complied with state requirements. Initial Certificate of Documentation (COD) $133.00 Also, Rich, would you call Tulsa, Oklahoma an "inland home town, the sure sign of a landlubber's boat?" Check out this link. http://www.tulsaport.com/profile.html At least four sailboats from my marina have made the trip down the river to the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.
How about some correct information. I cut and pasted the following straight from the Coast Guard web pages: States may require documented vessels to be registered (but not numbered) and to display state decals showing that they have complied with state requirements. Initial Certificate of Documentation (COD) $133.00 Also, Rich, would you call Tulsa, Oklahoma an "inland home town, the sure sign of a landlubber's boat?" Check out this link. http://www.tulsaport.com/profile.html At least four sailboats from my marina have made the trip down the river to the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.
yikes
Wow. How do you people come up with some of this stuff? It isn't worth the cost, one person said. Lets see, I documented my vessel..$80. Taxes saves $800. Hmmm Then the guy says to paint your boat for $400. Idiocy! I have to wonder why a high percentage of the info on this forum is misinfo, but then again because of it you get responses from people like Larry Long, Rich Wallace and others who respond with correct facts. The first and only response should have been this: To Scott: go to this site. LOOK up the info. They have everthing there, including how to delete the documentation located in the Frequently asked Questions section. Now, does anyone know how Ted Irwin built his centerboard pivot pin housings?
Wow. How do you people come up with some of this stuff? It isn't worth the cost, one person said. Lets see, I documented my vessel..$80. Taxes saves $800. Hmmm Then the guy says to paint your boat for $400. Idiocy! I have to wonder why a high percentage of the info on this forum is misinfo, but then again because of it you get responses from people like Larry Long, Rich Wallace and others who respond with correct facts. The first and only response should have been this: To Scott: go to this site. LOOK up the info. They have everthing there, including how to delete the documentation located in the Frequently asked Questions section. Now, does anyone know how Ted Irwin built his centerboard pivot pin housings?
documentation reality
According to the C.G. link given by John, a vessel may be documented if it is at least 5 net tons. I take it that Scott's Starwind 27 is about 27 feet long, and therefore must be less than 5 net tons. Also, a vessel of 5 net tons is probably too big for Lake Hopatcong. Are the technical/legal reguirements for documentation not adhered to strictly by the C.G.? -- like highway speed limits or marine VHF licensing. Documentation has advantges. For example, in Maine dinghies, if on the documentation, need not be registered (and therefore taxed).
According to the C.G. link given by John, a vessel may be documented if it is at least 5 net tons. I take it that Scott's Starwind 27 is about 27 feet long, and therefore must be less than 5 net tons. Also, a vessel of 5 net tons is probably too big for Lake Hopatcong. Are the technical/legal reguirements for documentation not adhered to strictly by the C.G.? -- like highway speed limits or marine VHF licensing. Documentation has advantges. For example, in Maine dinghies, if on the documentation, need not be registered (and therefore taxed).
5 tons
I documented my Catalina 27. It measured 5.1 tons. Remember that registry tonnage is a measure of volume, not weight. Anything lees tha 27 feet LOL is probably too small to document.
I documented my Catalina 27. It measured 5.1 tons. Remember that registry tonnage is a measure of volume, not weight. Anything lees tha 27 feet LOL is probably too small to document.
Thanks for the info and links! 
I don't think I will bother to re-document. It does seem silly for a small boat on an inland lake. I tried to find a history by inputting the boats 2 previous names ... nothing turned up. I don't recall the doc numbers, I'll wait till spring. Rich, you raise another interesting question. My hometown AND sailing lake is named "Lake Hopatcong", though the marina where I keep the boat is located in Mt. Arlington. I figure we'll call our hailing port "Lake Hopatcong" when we officially re-name the boat next spring. However, we plan to move our boat the following year. We're thinking about Haverstraw on the Hudson, or maybe a location on LIS or Sandy Hook Bay. What do we do? Change the port again? I thought that we would not since Lake Hopatcong is a port of sorts, though an inland lake. We see all kinds of boats on our lake that have the names of towns around us that have NO water to float a boat on.
I don't think I will bother to re-document. It does seem silly for a small boat on an inland lake. I tried to find a history by inputting the boats 2 previous names ... nothing turned up. I don't recall the doc numbers, I'll wait till spring. Rich, you raise another interesting question. My hometown AND sailing lake is named "Lake Hopatcong", though the marina where I keep the boat is located in Mt. Arlington. I figure we'll call our hailing port "Lake Hopatcong" when we officially re-name the boat next spring. However, we plan to move our boat the following year. We're thinking about Haverstraw on the Hudson, or maybe a location on LIS or Sandy Hook Bay. What do we do? Change the port again? I thought that we would not since Lake Hopatcong is a port of sorts, though an inland lake. We see all kinds of boats on our lake that have the names of towns around us that have NO water to float a boat on.
Oh, another thing about the port
My wife and I were at the Haverstraw Marina in New York on the Hudson. There are a lot of NJ sailers up there it seems. I noticed at least 2 boats that had the "hailing port" shown as "Oak Ridge". I knew they were neighbors of mine in NJ. Obviously, they were following the convention of naming the home town. It is nice to see the hometown of the sailers on the boat, though this is not the purpose, I'm sure!
My wife and I were at the Haverstraw Marina in New York on the Hudson. There are a lot of NJ sailers up there it seems. I noticed at least 2 boats that had the "hailing port" shown as "Oak Ridge". I knew they were neighbors of mine in NJ. Obviously, they were following the convention of naming the home town. It is nice to see the hometown of the sailers on the boat, though this is not the purpose, I'm sure!
The facts vary from where you are
Look Tom, the facts vary according to where you are in the process, so cool off. I had to pay $400 to document my boat because the documentation had lapsed--after that I pay a minor amount (I remember it being only about $6) to renew. The dollar amounts and tax stuff you mention make it sound to me like you're confusing your state registration with Coast Guard documentation. "Documentation" isn't a generic term here, it refers specifically to getting your Federal papers as opposed to registering your boat with your home state. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation on topics like this because people don't seem to know how to do basic research on the web. For topics like this, how hard is it do Google searches for keywords like "Coast Guard documentation" or "yacht ensign" or any of the other technical matters people ask about? But people don't seem to know how. These forums are best for having people describe their experiences and practices rather than technical/legal issues...
Look Tom, the facts vary according to where you are in the process, so cool off. I had to pay $400 to document my boat because the documentation had lapsed--after that I pay a minor amount (I remember it being only about $6) to renew. The dollar amounts and tax stuff you mention make it sound to me like you're confusing your state registration with Coast Guard documentation. "Documentation" isn't a generic term here, it refers specifically to getting your Federal papers as opposed to registering your boat with your home state. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation on topics like this because people don't seem to know how to do basic research on the web. For topics like this, how hard is it do Google searches for keywords like "Coast Guard documentation" or "yacht ensign" or any of the other technical matters people ask about? But people don't seem to know how. These forums are best for having people describe their experiences and practices rather than technical/legal issues...
Document or Register
Scott, There are practical reasons why one would federally document rather register a vessel with the state. The Federal Documentation (DOC) is usable internationally. The DOC is a positive proof and assurance of ownership and/or the existence of a lien. You can fly an US Ensign flag. If you DOC, you do not need to register - in some states. The state can't tax the vessel or the sale, with no registration, it does know the boat is in its waters. No ugly numbers on your bow. Regarding the port marking, the USCG requirement is specific and regulated as to markings. The "Hailing Port" and State must be displayed at the stern with minimum size letters and certain fonts. Once you DOC, you can file for changes , name , port etc., but the DOC number always stays with the vessel. Rich - lighten up! Everyone starts at the beginning - the forum by definition is a discussion and a round table. Bob D
Scott, There are practical reasons why one would federally document rather register a vessel with the state. The Federal Documentation (DOC) is usable internationally. The DOC is a positive proof and assurance of ownership and/or the existence of a lien. You can fly an US Ensign flag. If you DOC, you do not need to register - in some states. The state can't tax the vessel or the sale, with no registration, it does know the boat is in its waters. No ugly numbers on your bow. Regarding the port marking, the USCG requirement is specific and regulated as to markings. The "Hailing Port" and State must be displayed at the stern with minimum size letters and certain fonts. Once you DOC, you can file for changes , name , port etc., but the DOC number always stays with the vessel. Rich - lighten up! Everyone starts at the beginning - the forum by definition is a discussion and a round table. Bob D
No reason to continue documenting
I wasn't really looking to open a discussion about how to document (or re-new documentation) so much as it was a question about why I should (or should not). I've already registered with the State and have numbers on the bow. I'm not fussing about that. I've concluded that there is no reason for me to do it. The previous owners obviously did not renew. We're on an inland lake, and even when we move to the coast, we are not going to sail this boat internationally (at least not intentionally). From what I can tell, you can re-new anytime if you so desire. I saw nothing wrong with Rich's response. He did open my eyes to the naming of the port. I don't want our boat to look like a landlubber's boat!
I wasn't really looking to open a discussion about how to document (or re-new documentation) so much as it was a question about why I should (or should not). I've already registered with the State and have numbers on the bow. I'm not fussing about that. I've concluded that there is no reason for me to do it. The previous owners obviously did not renew. We're on an inland lake, and even when we move to the coast, we are not going to sail this boat internationally (at least not intentionally)
. From what I can tell, you can re-new anytime if you so desire. I saw nothing wrong with Rich's response. He did open my eyes to the naming of the port. I don't want our boat to look like a landlubber's boat!- Status