What identification do I need on my zodiac?

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Donna

Donna

Guru
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
1,231
Location
United States
Vessel Name
Southerly
Vessel Make
1986 Marine Trader 36' Sundeck
I'm not sure what identification I need on my zodiac. Looking for advice. The boat is documented.
 
In Maine, if the dinghy has an engine, it needs to have a State boat registration, registration numbers on the bow and annual excise tax sticker. I'm guessing that probably holds true in most, if not all, States.
 
dwhatty said:
In Maine, if the dinghy has an engine, it needs to have a State boat registration, registration numbers on the bow and annual excise tax sticker. I'm guessing that probably holds true in most, if not all, States.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me? A seperate registration number? How is it then identified back to its "mother ship"?
 
Donna said:
Are you kidding me? A seperate registration number? How is it then identified back to its "mother ship"?
Click to expand...

Some put "T/T Your Mother Ship Name" on the dinghy. But some say that if your dinghy is tied up at shore, that tells a potential thief that maybe no one is aboard the mother ship.
 
If you're going to the Bahamas, you might not want your tender to have the same name as your boat since an empty tender means a likely empty boat offshore...

FL requires tenders to be registered just like any other motorized water craft. Not expensive, but one more way to extract $$$ from boaters.
 
If you have an outboard on the back, I beleave you need your dinghy registration plus the numbers on the port bow if registered in FL. Don't forget pfds in case you get pulled over. :)
 
Greetings,
Ms. D. You may NOT want it identified with the mother ship. If you're ashore somewhere and a crook spies your dinghy with your boats name on it, pretty good chance your boat is unattended and ripe for theft. Some vessels label their dinks T/T (tender to) XYZ but I found out in FL that is NOT acceptable and the dink HAS to be registered.
Aw snap! 4 minutes too late....
 
Crap, crap and more crap. Ugh! Another thing to do!
 
What do I even need to register the zodiac?
 
I'm not advocating breaking the law but... our dinghy is FL registered and we've never attached the numbers on the port bow. We make sure we have a signal device, pfds, light and copy of the registration on board. We've been stopped once and no problem.

In the Bahamas there is no issue.
 
Florida doesn't require registration on non-powered vessels under 16', so get out the oars. One thing you will need is a secure way to lock your dinghy when ashore or if you leave it in the water at your mooring.
 
Donna said:
Are you kidding me? A seperate registration number? How is it then identified back to its "mother ship"?
Click to expand...

Nobody is kidding you. A dinghy is a boat. As such, it has to meet the registration requirements of your state. Usually, that means registration numbers and decals. And carrying the registration card in the dinghy when using it.

The state doesn't care about its relationship to another boat.
 
As has been stated. You would need to register a motorboat unless it is considered the tender to a larger vessel. Then it would need to be marked as T/T <Vessel Name>. I register the dinghy separately.
 
Donna said:
Are you kidding me? A seperate registration number? How is it then identified back to its "mother ship"?
Click to expand...



Picture a large motor home towing a sub-compact car. You would expect that both the motor home and car would need registration.

In Washington State, if it is a tender to a registered vessel and has a motor of 10hp or less, then it doesn't need its own registration but it still has to have the registration number of the mother vessel with the digit "1" appended to it. Not sure what you are supposed to do with a Documented vessel that doesn't have registration numbers.

FWIW, I have never registered any of my tenders over the years. Even though they have never had an engine more than 10 hp, they still technically would not fall under the tender exemption since the state is very clear that they can only be used for transport between the mother vessel and shore.

Even my rowing dinghy violates it because it does have a sail.
 
Greetings,
Mr. S. As I stated in post #7, T/T is not sufficient in FL where our Ms. D is located. Some may have gotten away with a simple T/T but...
 
If you use Tender To, that is only good for transportation directly to shore and back. That means you can't go exploring or cruising in the dinghy. Also the aforementioned problem with notifying everyone that your boat is unoccupied.
 
I got a donated dink that did not include any title or previous registration. That made it a PITA to register. I have used it for I think 8yrs with a little putt-putt outboard and no state registration. Marked it "T/T Louisa".

Technically not legal in the states. I don't think there are exceptions in the state reg laws regarding the T/T thing. If I am wrong, let me know.

I have never had any issue, but I have always made a point to avoid the blue light boats. Pretty sure that encounter would result in a ticket.

So far, never had a problem. And now dink is near the end of its service life, so soon to be a non-issue.

When at popular dink docks, seems like about half have no state regs. Nice ones and fast ones more likely to have numbers. POS's like mine, few seem to bother.

When entering the Bahamas, customs was completely not interested in the dink.
 
I looked up the rules for NC. It says if "motorized", it needs numbers. So I guess a trolling motor is not looked at differently than a gas outboard.

Interested as I am considering the trolling motor set up myself.
 
When you bought your boat you should have gotten a separate Bill Of Sale for the dinghy and you should have paid a separate sales tax on the dinghy. If the big boat was registered or documented in Florida then you should have a Florida Title for the dinghy or at least a registration from some other state.
To use the dinghy in Florida it must be registered, but not needed in the Bahamas. In Europe "tender to" is legal but not in Florida. Saying that you are only going ashore is not good enough in Florida, you will get a $150 ticket if caught
If you do not have a current title or registration then you will need an original Bill of Sale to the original owner and any subsequent owners. Then you can get it registered.
I use a Tag Agency here in Fort Lauderdale, Art's Tags, that is extremely knowledgeable in difficult boat registrations, much better than an employee at the local DMV.
 
By me the bay constable likes pulling over dingy's without numbers, then comes (where is your anchor, sound device....etc). Get it all taken care of or be prepared for a stop!
 
yachtbrokerguy said:
When you bought your boat you should have gotten a separate Bill Of Sale for the dinghy and you should have paid a separate sales tax on the dinghy. If the big boat was registered or documented in Florida then you should have a Florida Title for the dinghy or at least a registration from some other state.
To use the dinghy in Florida it must be registered, but not needed in the Bahamas. In Europe "tender to" is legal but not in Florida. Saying that you are only going ashore is not good enough in Florida, you will get a $150 ticket if caught
If you do not have a current title or registration then you will need an original Bill of Sale to the original owner and any subsequent owners. Then you can get it registered.
I use a Tag Agency here in Fort Lauderdale, Art's Tags, that is extremely knowledgeable in difficult boat registrations, much better than an employee at the local DMV.
Click to expand...

Okay, now I'm having an anxiety attack. Of course I want everything to be legal and I don't take shortcuts in anything I do.

Both previous owners are deceased. I have no seperate title. There must have been one since it is on an electric davit, but no markings on it what so ever. Am I screwed here?
 
I contacted my broker this morning. She just got back to me. The title is sitting in New Bern, NC. She is handling it and I should have it in 2 weeks. Not in time for the Bahamas, but I'll have it when I return.

As always, I thank you all for the advice, responses and personal knowledge you share! It's good to be a part of this forum!! :)
 
Donna

In the Bahamas I would use your dink without Florida numbers. Ours has our Florida numbers and decal but previous dingy never did. If it is expensive make sure your insurance covers it for theft which is common on the big islands.
 
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