Not Another USCG Documentation Thread!

[kthoennes]

I just got the -- real -- USCG documentation renewal notice from Falling Waters, WV. It's always so fun to see that in the mailbox, such a nice reminder that the boat will hit the water again in a couple months and brings back fond memories of our initial purchase and the shakedown trip from Newport to Albany. BUT: So I see this time, when I go the NVDC website, there's a big new front page announcement that expanded online ordering is NOW LIVE! Cool, so I go through all the steps to create an account in the new "eStorefront" system. I very carefully enter exactly the same information to create the account as what appears on my doc certificate. I go through email registration/verification. I do the two-factor authentication process next, do the phone verification, get the code. Enter that. Great, my account is now live, so I click onward to do the doc renewal. Nope, I'm grayed out. The only thing it'll let me do is apply for a new certificate. Even though the intro page announcement says it'll work for renewals -- no, apparently not, or at least not for me. The whole eStorefront process was a waste of time. So instead I click the "Legacy pay.gov" menu choice in the left margin, and do it the old way yet again. But then since the legacy pay.gov process is fully automated thereafter, I should get the certificate in the mail in like 72 hours. I don't get it. Anyway, just sharing my experience in case this is helpful to anybody.

 

[CaptTom]

Thanks for the heads-up. I got my (legitimate) letter recently, too.

It would be great if the new system worked. I'm anxious to hear any other experiences folks here might have had with it.

 

[BroadCove]

I had exactly the same experience as the OP. I think the issue is it won't let you renew more than two months in advance. At least I think that is why the option to renew is greyed out. I made a calendar note for myself to check back on March 1 (mine is up at the end of April). I'll report back if it works then...

 

[Don L]

It has been years now since you could do the multi-year renewal. One of these days maybe they allow you to do it online like the yearly renewal.

 

[kthoennes]

I had exactly the same experience as the OP. I think the issue is it won't let you renew more than two months in advance. At least I think that is why the option to renew is greyed out. I made a calendar note for myself to check back on March 1 (mine is up at the end of April). I'll report back if it works then...

Well, I'm within six weeks and it still won't let me. The legacy method is easy enough though, I just wish I hadn't wasted the time and effort on a new feature that still doesn't work. Not sure why they'd do a roll-out if it's not ready to go.

 

[scott_free]

I actually appreciate the failed trials with the new online system as I just received my renewal in the mail yesterday. I just signed and put a check in an envelope as always and dropped it in the mail. I would much rather do everything online but leave it to the government to be over a year late with the rollout and it still doesn't work. Great job!

Scott

 

[Don L]

It has been years now since you could do the multi-year renewal. One of these days maybe they allow you to do it online like the yearly renewal.

BTW if you print out the form from the USCG site you can fill if you and MAIL it in and renew for up to 5 years

It doesn't save and money and is really only of use to a cruiser who will be away from getting mail

 

[kthoennes]

BTW if you print out the form from the USCG site you can fill if you and MAIL it in and renew for up to 5 years

It doesn't save and money and is really only of use to a cruiser who will be away from getting mail

Yep. The only problem with snail-mail is that the renewal certificate may take weeks or months to arrive, depending on current (manual) processing times. The one-year pay.gov process must be fully automated because when I do it that way -- for just one year though -- the renewal certificate arrives lightning fast in my mailbox, like two or three business days. Oh well. Life is good either way.

 

[Don L]

Yep. The only problem with snail-mail is that the renewal certificate may take weeks or months to arrive, depending on current (manual) processing times. The one-year pay.gov process must be fully automated because when I do it that way -- for just one year though -- the renewal certificate arrives lightning fast in my mailbox, like two or three business days. Oh well. Life is good either way.

Yes the online 1 year is fast, the last time I did the multi-year it only took an extra week. But it takes planning

 

[psneeld]

I actually appreciate the failed trials with the new online system as I just received my renewal in the mail yesterday. I just signed and put a check in an envelope as always and dropped it in the mail. I would much rather do everything online but leave it to the government to be over a year late with the rollout and it still doesn't work. Great job!

Scott

Heck, sounds like a lot of businesses and defense contractors I know...

 

[hmason]

I just renewed online and had no difficulty. Multi-year renewal was available online as well. I already had a pay.gov account so maybe that's why. You may need to setup a pay.gov account first.

 

[CaptTom]

I had the same problems as the OP.

I went through the process of setting up a Login.gov account, but when I finally got the the screen where I could select renewing my COD, that option was greyed out. I'm well within 60 days of my expiration date.

So, now I have a login.gov account, the old pay.gov account, an ID.Me account for the IRS, and several other government "single sign-on" accounts. It's almost as if no one branch of the government knows what all the other branches are doing. What a surprise!

 

[BroadCove]

I just went back to take a look again. Like OP, the problem isn't that I can't renew - I can, through pay.gov or via mail. It's that the USCG directed me to the new site to renew, I signed up to the new site, and I can't do the only thing I want to do on the new site, which is renew my documentation. No big deal, I'll go through pay.gov on March 1 so I can maintain my current expiration date. But it's unfortunately typical with government implementation of online systems...

 

[Delta Riverat]

Easy.

All the good software engineers are working at Google and Apple and getting 10X government pay.

 

[DVF2001]

I got my renewal in the mail 2 weeks ago. I filled out the form, enclosed a check for the 5 year documentation and mailed it. I got the renewed 5 year documentation today in the mail. EZ PZ.

 

[fletch]

Pay.gov worked great for me also.

 

[Comodave]

I don’t do the 5 year renewal because I have only ever kept 1 boat that long. So I just do the yearly renewal online.

 

[CaptTom]

My documentation came in the mail a couple of days ago. So, less than a week. The Pay.gov process works.

I still do the one-year renewal. Not that I plan on buying a new boat any time soon. But I know myself too well...

 

[HeadedToTexas]

I tried renewing on line, but that function of the website was disabled because I had not yet been issued the renewal notice. Now I am patiently waiting.