How many have documented vessels

Documented, if for no other reason it keeps the ugly state numbers off the bow.

BandB said:

I'm amazed at the fact that the vast majority are documented. Perhaps this puts to rest the beliefs by some that very few here have documented vessels so it's irrelevant to discussions.

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Irrelevant?
May be even more relavant. But it seems there are plenty of doc boats here that can legality choose a hailing port anywhere within the country. But why is doing it in the first place attractive. Why I don’t know but I know little about boat documentation.

State licensing seems so inexpensive and easy why would anyone do anything differently?

Well, doc or state licensed either one can choose to post their boats home port where the boat is moored. There are exceptions like Sunchaser who have situations that would lend to one of three home ports. But most of us have no reason to list their home residense as the hailing port for their boat. One member said it’s all about money. I can see no connection there at all unless the doc is cheaper than the state lic and unless state lic in many states is very much higher than what I’ve experienced in Wa and Ak that’s not a good reason.

But obviously there’s some reason for all the doc boats. What’s motivating all this federal documentation?

Nomad Willy said:

But obviously there’s some reason for all the doc boats. What’s motivating all this federal documentation?

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Much has been mentioned in this thread.

1-Lender requirement to record mortgage. Insurers also prefer documentation, especially on larger boats.

2-It's an internationally recognized title document. There are certain privileges that carries with it as it's under the US flag. May make clearing customs easier. Identifies owner as US citizen too. Documentation is consistent with registration of boats in other countries.

3-May be required for certain uses.

4-Don't have to put numbers on the sides.

5-Gives the boat a confirmed history and sticks with the boat even if owners subsequently take it to different states. This also makes resell cleaner due to simple check for liens.

6-Easier to track stolen vessels.

7-It's simple and not expensive.

Registered (documented)

This and the prior two are documented.

BandB,
Yes much clearer now.

Think I'll stick w the state stuff.

My numbers haven't been bad looking (see pics).
The lower pic is as the numbers are now.
But of course no numbers would be better as in fly stuff.

Documented. Also our previous boat (Camano Troll) was documented.

BandB said:

I'm amazed at the fact that the vast majority are documented. Perhaps this puts to rest the beliefs by some that very few here have documented vessels so it's irrelevant to discussions.

Click to expand...

Or the vast majority are NOT documented but aren't inclined to post in this thread. The respondents here are self-selected; we don't know anything about the percentage of boats that are documented by posts here.

My first boat, a blue-water cruising sailboat, was documented. I had a preferred marine mortgage for a while, and it was a vessel that did international travel. Also, in those days, federal documentation carried no annual fee and obviated the need to pay state licensure, so was a real cost-saver.

Our current trawler will never voyage beyond Canada-USA-Mexico, carries no mortgage, will not carry passengers for hire, and nowadays documentation would just cost more money. There's no point in it.

In Canada there are two systems similar to the US. My vessel is Federally registered with Transport Canada with the official number carved on the keel in the engine room along with the net registered tonnage. It must have a unique name that cannot be repeated on any other registered vessel in Canada and there are no numbers on the bow. My dinghy is licenced with the Province of Ontario and is numbered on the bow.


If a vessel is Canadian registered it is easy to trace by it's name, much to the discomfort of the cowboys that blow through no wake zones. Type in all or part of a vessel name and it comes up, then click on the vessel number and you have all the owners info to pass on to the water cops or your insurance company, especially if you have video. Canada Steamship Lines had to pay big for waking me at Main Duck Island a few years back when they went to full ocean speed prior to leaving the low speed area.


http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/4/vrqs-srib

You may have to copy and paste
Try it with my vessel's first half of the name and see.

Sabre602 said:

Or the vast majority are NOT documented but aren't inclined to post in this thread. .

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I don't believe that's the case, even though the thread really surprises me. There's nothing about the thread that indicates a right or wrong answer so no reason for one or the other to post or not. If there were very few responding to the poll then I'd consider that but it's got high volume for a new poll. If it was 50/50 then I'd easily accept the real answer might be 70/30 or 30/70. Well, the poll has 51 responses and it's 90/10 toward documentation so I'm comfortable saying the majority of people here have a documented vessel. It may be 90/10 or 51/49, but I'm not going to buy that "the vast majority are NOT documented." I came in believing the majority were not and found our I was very wrong.

Documented. Although a little tricky for me being a permanent resident and not citizen and therefore not entitled to own a documented vessel or, for that matter, hold a USCG license. Had to set up an LLC to own the boat. Members are all family (daughter and two grandkids all US citizens). I am the manager. Makes it much easier for estate planning since they already each own a percentage of the boat.
I have a few other friends who are residents and not citizens who have this dilemma. One couple in particular who wish to live aboard their 50’ ketch and had rejected state registration as a permanent solution due to perceived difficulties in foreign travel. Nor did they want a foreign flag due to restriction of time allowed in the US on each entry. To get US documentation one of them has applied for US citizenship. The process has gone remarkably fast and should complete this spring. They are remaining in US coastal waters until it’s done.

We are federally documented and have no ugly numbers around the bow, and in California, no state registration/sticker either.

Certainly, a boat not US-documented but rather a state-registered boat, does not qualify as a yacht.

Nomad Willy said:

BandB,
Yes much clearer now.

Think I'll stick w the state stuff.

My numbers haven't been bad looking (see pics).
The lower pic is as the numbers are now.
But of course no numbers would be better as in fly stuff.

Click to expand...

Great looking. But how do other boats address you without displaying the boat's name?

Okay. Here we go. [emoji897]

markpierce said:

Certainly, a boat not US-documented but rather a state-registered boat, does not qualify as a yacht.

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Now, I really don't want to offend you, but this is utterly ridiculous. Perhaps you had your tongue firmly in cheek. Let's hope so.

We canceled the documentation upon purchase. Just FL "antique" reg now.

McGillicuddy said:

Had to set up an LLC to own the boat. Members are all family (daughter and two grandkids all US citizens). I am the manager.

Click to expand...

Are your grandkids all over 18 years old or are they minors - and if so did that factor into things?

I'm documented. I transferred it from the previous owner in August. Now I'm just waiting to get the actual registration! Lol

Documented. I’m not surprised at the poll results.

dirtdoc1 said:

Not sure what "documented" means. My boat is registered with the USCG rather than the state. I was told that if the boat is not registered with the USGS they will not go beyond a certain number of miles if you call in a Mayday.

Don't know if that's true or not. I'll look in to that. What is documented?

Click to expand...

Wow, everyday new boating myths surface here I have never heard of....

I am fascinated how the one about the USCG got started.

markpierce said:

Certainly, a boat not US-documented but rather a state-registered boat, does not qualify as a yacht.

Click to expand...

Thank God! One handle I don't want plastered on me: "He's a Yachtie"

Nomad Willy said:

Irrelevant?
May be even more relavant. But it seems there are plenty of doc boats here that can legality choose a hailing port anywhere within the country. But why is doing it in the first place attractive. Why I don’t know but I know little about boat documentation.

State licensing seems so inexpensive and easy why would anyone do anything differently?

Well, doc or state licensed either one can choose to post their boats home port where the boat is moored. There are exceptions like Sunchaser who have situations that would lend to one of three home ports. But most of us have no reason to list their home residense as the hailing port for their boat. One member said it’s all about money. I can see no connection there at all unless the doc is cheaper than the state lic and unless state lic in many states is very much higher than what I’ve experienced in Wa and Ak that’s not a good reason.

But obviously there’s some reason for all the doc boats. What’s motivating all this federal documentation?

Click to expand...

In my case, my charter boat was federally documented 20 years ago. At that time, federal documentation was free and Maryland's registration had an annual fee. Being a commercial vessel, there's no requirement in MD to pay the state registration if documented. My trawler is federally documented and registered in Florida. Florida requires recreational vessels register / home ported in their state to pay the registration fee whether documented or not. For additional $26, I'll maintain both the federal and state.

Ted

So Art you’re a boatie?
Sabre Yes Mark has a great sense of humor.
Boy .. Vanity must run really high here w all the guys that think reg numbers are a great eyesore. I wonder how many of those guys have stickers on the bumpers of their cars?

Sabre602 said:

Or the vast majority are NOT documented but aren't inclined to post in this thread. The respondents here are self-selected; we don't know anything about the percentage of boats that are documented by posts here.

My first boat, a blue-water cruising sailboat, was documented. I had a preferred marine mortgage for a while, and it was a vessel that did international travel. Also, in those days, federal documentation carried no annual fee and obviated the need to pay state licensure, so was a real cost-saver.

Our current trawler will never voyage beyond Canada-USA-Mexico, carries no mortgage, will not carry passengers for hire, and nowadays documentation would just cost more money. There's no point in it.

Click to expand...

I was wondering who would post this. I wanted to but was criticized for repeating myself. Re that that’s about all we do here and most of the time repeating is egged on by the previous post.

This is a good point here and much like who has all chain rode. Here it may have produced different results if the poll had asked “how many here have state registered boats”? But in any case there are probably more doc boats than I had thought. I did notice that a lot of members not only voted but proudly proclaimed that they were documented. Could have just voted. Some to many certainly did. But Sabre’s point that this poll isn’t very accurate is valid however I’m going to accept as fact that there are a lot of documented boats here. But as Sabre points out the majority are probably state registered. Too bad we didn’t have to claim what kind of reg we had joining TF and then perhaps it would be in our profile and a simple tally could be performed.

Nomad Willy said:

So Art you’re a boatie?
Sabre Yes Mark has a great sense of humor.
Boy .. Vanity must run really high here w all the guys that think reg numbers are a great eyesore. I wonder how many of those guys have stickers on the bumpers of their cars?

Click to expand...

Eric, I consider myself a pleasure boater! Owning pleasure boats - only. Specifically for the premise of pleasure boating - only! I don't go "trawling" and I don't go "yachting".

I have numbers on my boats and not stickers on my land vehicles... well, come to think of it... that statement recently became incorrect. I do now have one small sticker on tailgate of my pick up tuck in support of our 17 yr. old's (Christmas day birthday) 6'4" grandson's high school Basket Ball Team!


That's him a few yrs. ago!

We are documented. I'm not sure the Dominican Republic officials would have even recognized a state registration.

Nomad Willy said:

So Art you’re a boatie?
Sabre Yes Mark has a great sense of humor.
Boy .. Vanity must run really high here w all the guys that think reg numbers are a great eyesore. I wonder how many of those guys have stickers on the bumpers of their cars?

Click to expand...

Nope, not into bumper stickers either.

Some people think most flying bridges are an eyesore.....

Really? Many in this crowd are easy to figure out when it comes to boating whims.

Posting rebuttals just involves pages more of the same....

Nomad Willy said:

Here it may have produced different results if the poll had asked “how many here have state registered boats”?

Click to expand...

Put up another poll.

But might also be useful to include more info about type.

We have two: a 19' square-stern canoe and a 10½' RIB (aka our dinghy), neither really suitable for documenting...

-Chris