Documentation

Hey, I got my Vessel Documentation today (only took four months).
I know there was a thread some time ago about where to permantly affix the vessel number, but I can't seem to find it. If I recall, the general consensus seemed to be somewhere in the engine room, like on a stringer or someplace like that.

I was wondering if that is the most logical place or if anyone has a reasonable alternative. Did you carve your numbers in?
Any pics would help. KJ

Mine are 'carved' (hacked might be a better term) in the bulkhead behind the steps leading to the salon. It used to drive me nuts that someone would carve the bulkhead and not do a better, neater job, at least use a template, if they couldn't freehand. I have gotten over that, I suppose it gives character. Congratulations on your documentation. Mine took over a year. But mine was complicated by trying to fix a hull number error that had been wrong since it was new. The hull number had the characters M82 in it that was recorded as M32. Easy to see how it happened looking at the number molded in the transom. The 8 character was crooked with the left side far shallower than the right. The M stands for month of mfg. The 82 is the year. Easy I thought, obviously the boat was not built in 1932 out of fiberglass. And there is a 3 a few characters to the right and it is obviously a different font. Not so easy with the Coast Guard. Fortunately I hired a marine title servive. He prepped the paperwork, turned it in, and said it would be a few month's. A few months later, the Coast Guard said they needed a better photo. Provided. Then a few months later they said they needed a pencil rubbing. Provided. Then a few months later they needed a notarized affidavit. Provided. Then a few months later they needed a photo of the Documentation number carved in the bulkhead. Provided. Then they wanted to see the state registration with the corrected number. That is a problem since the state first wants to see the Documentation. That one took some creativity to solve. Finally, 14 months after buying the boat the Documentation came. The title service earned their money from me.

KJ said:

Hey, I got my Vessel Documentation today (only took four months).
I know there was a thread some time ago about where to permantly affix the vessel number, but I can't seem to find it. If I recall, the general consensus seemed to be somewhere in the engine room, like on a stringer or someplace like that.

I was wondering if that is the most logical place or if anyone has a reasonable alternative. Did you carve your numbers in?
Any pics would help. KJ

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Didn't marking instructions come with your documentation papers? They came with mine but the PO had already done it. They are engraved on a piece of wood which was then glued to a stringer in the engine room.

rwidman said:

Didn't marking instructions come with your documentation papers? They came with mine but the PO had already done it. They are engraved on a piece of wood which was then glued to a stringer in the engine room.

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I did mine the same way.

rwidman said:

Didn't marking instructions come with your documentation papers? They came with mine but the PO had already done it. They are engraved on a piece of wood which was then glued to a stringer in the engine room.

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Yes, instructions came with the document, which reads;

"The number must be permanently (spelled it right this time) affixed so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious and cause some scarring or damage to the surrounding hull area".

So, it doesn't say specifically where the number must be located.

I like the way you have yours done. I would prefer not to have to carve into the fiberglass or wood (like Capn’ Craig’s bulkhead) but, I was wondering, if the piece of wood came off or was taken off the stringer, would there be enough "damage" or "scarring" so that it would be obvious that it was removed? Couldn't the area just be sanded down so that it wasn't apparent that something was removed? KJ

Mine is in a piece of wood (looks like it was done at a sign shop) and it is glued and screwed to the engine room bulkhead behind one of the dinette seat cushions. pick up the cushion and there it is.

Ours is deeply carved into a teak board about four feet long which is fiberglassed to the inside of the transom in the lazarette.

Marin said:

Ours is deeply carved into a teak board about four feet long which is fiberglassed to the inside of the transom in the lazarette.

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That sounds like a pretty reasonable alternative. KJ

KJ said:

Yes, instructions came with the document, which reads;

"The number must be permanently (spelled it right this time) affixed so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious and cause some scarring or damage to the surrounding hull area".

So, it doesn't say specifically where the number must be located.

I like the way you have yours done. I would prefer not to have to carve into the fiberglass or wood (like Capn’ Craig’s bulkhead) but, I was wondering, if the piece of wood came off or was taken off the stringer, would there be enough "damage" or "scarring" so that it would be obvious that it was removed? Couldn't the area just be sanded down so that it wasn't apparent that something was removed? KJ

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The regulation is poorly worded at best and pretty stupid at worst. Any damage could be repaired or covered up and since whoever was looking for the number wouldn't know where to look, it would be pretty easy to hide an old number.

Glue that piece of wood down with 3M 5200 and it will be a bear to remove, especially if there are no overhanging edges to pry up on. Use a couple screws to help hold it in place while the 5200 cures. If you really think someone will ever look hard at it, use one way security screws.

Epoxy would work as well.

Just do what it says and forget about it.

So how did you get a Hailing Port of Myrtle Beach, SC living on the Left Coast?

If I had been more imaginative, would have picked something like "Tonopah NV" for the Coot.

Acceptable are hardware store stick-on numbers applied somewhere in the engine room, and then cover using clear resin. Cheap and easy solution.

Anode said:

So how did you get a Hailing Port of Myrtle Beach, SC living on the Left Coast?

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From what I understand, you can use any location you want as your hailing port. There is no residency requirement.
The boat is currently located in Myrtle Beach, and once I move onto the boat I will not have a permanent address for a while. So, it seemed like reasonable choice. KJ

yachtbrokerguy said:

Acceptable are hardware store stick-on numbers applied somewhere in the engine room, and then cover using clear resin. Cheap and easy solution.

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I like cheap and easy (sounds like my last girlfriend). Sometimes it doesn't seem like anything that has to do with owning a boat is cheap and easy. KJ

Ours is carved on a teak board and fiberglassed onto a stringer in the engine room.

One needn't necessarily "hide" the number in a lazarette or engine room.

Mine, done in the distant past, is a simple piece of 1X8 with the number routed into it. Glued and screwed into an engine room stringer that is visible from the saloon hatch, when opened. The Coasties have been using Lake Pontchartrain as a newbie training platform for their MSO types lately, so I've been inspected an inordinate number of times. No gripes on the installation, with the instructor types observing. Guess it meets the "standard".