I am purchasing a new construction boat and will want to apply for documentation vs. DMV registration (California). The boat meets the criteria for Documented Vessels.
Seems like I should be able to do the documentation using the Coast Guard online documents without a 3rd. party documentation service.
Has anyone else done it this way?
Any lessons learned would be helpful.
Without knowing your builder, it's hard to answer. With an initial documentation there are a couple of potential challenges.
First is the correct paperwork from the builder. Most builders do a good job of providing a Builder's Certification and First Transfer of Title. Some builders may not and an agency might catch their errors or problems.
Second, is timing. Do you intend to cruise outside the US quickly? If so, I'd definitely recommend an expedited documentation. You can also handle that but agencies have more experience in doing so and in follow up.
Then there are other legal requirements that agencies often assist with, such as proper sales or use tax. Last, is California both your state of residence and your primary state of use? As California doesn't require registration of documented boats, timing is important. Until it's documented, it's considered undocumented and subject to registration. Keep in mind that without expedition, current initial documentation is taking 4 months on average and I'd expect that to worsen with the increase of employees out due to Covid.
Then the last unanswered question is does the boat documented and not registered qualify for exclusion when going to other states. Technically most states rules say it does not and must be registered, but I've only known of two instances of a state trying to enforce that. Otherwise, they accept that being in compliance of the state's registration law is the same as being registered.
We've always used an agency just for ease and to be sure. They also check titles and are not expensive.
