How To Avoid Registering Sailboat

Registration Requirements

Boarding Preparations

You've been stopped past the local marine patrol for a routine equipment cheque. According to your recent Courtesy Marine Exam, you are carrying all required and recommended equipment. Just exercise y'all know what else marine officers are likely to check?

Numbering and Registration

a chart showing a typical registration and where it should be placed on the boat, which is on the bow

Just as you wouldn't bulldoze your automobile without a license plate, current sticker, and registration, your gunkhole must exist properly numbered, must accept a current state use sticker, and your registration, or "certificate of number", must be aboard. This is a requirement for all mechanically powered vessels, all vessels that travel on federal waters that are navigable, and for vessels that travel on the high seas--near every vessel on the water. Gunkhole numbers must be affixed on the forward portion of both the port and starboard side.

Boat numbers must exist affixed on the forwards portion of both the port and starboard side.

Numbers should be cake letters instead of script
Numbers need to be at least 3 inch in peak
The color needs to contrast with the hull color
The number needs spaces or hyphens betwixt numerals and messages, as: Doctor 1234 AB or Dr.-1234-AB

Also, nearly states require a electric current sticker immediately after or earlier the boat numbers on the port side, generally inside half-dozen inches. While most vessels must be registered, some--like canoes and kayaks, may non have to be registered in your state. Also, fees and the length of registration vary from state to state. Many boaters like to comport their boat papers on a floating central ring handle so they will always have them close at hand.

Finally, if you register your boat in your state of residence, but shop information technology or use in another state, you lot might have to register your gunkhole in that state, or confront a fine. Most states have "reciprocity" laws that let visitation without having to pay a new registration fee for a few weeks or even a few months, simply if your gunkhole essentially resides in another state, you should expect to take to register it in that country. For case, if you lot live in Pennsylvania, only keep your boat in Maryland and gunkhole on the Chesapeake Bay, you can look to pay a Maryland registration fee. Cheque with your state, and the state your gunkhole resides in for specific laws. This reference is included in the country law section of this course.

Hull Identification Number (HIN)

a chart showing an example HIN, also showing that it is located on the transom, or back of the boat

Your vessel will also accept (if manufactured since 1972) a Hull Identification Number which is the 12 digit serial number of your vessel. This number is unremarkably located on the upper right portion of the vessels' transom. This number indicates the boat manufacturer, its serial number, and the month and year of production. This number is used to register the gunkhole, and to identify an individual gunkhole.

Yous may not legally:

Change the 12 digit number so that it appears to exist a different boat
Pigment over the number
Obscure the number
Otherwise destroy, deface or remove the number

Documentation

Another option open up to many boaters is to have their vessel federally documented or registered with the US Declension Guard. Documentation has several advantages, but its primary uses are to provide a "paper trail" that establishes ownership of a vessel, and documentation is ofttimes necessary to travel overseas.

Some things to remember:

While federally documented vessels are not required to brandish state registration numbers, yous may still be required to register the vessel with the state, and be required to pay any sales taxes. Federally documented vessels are prohibited from using state gunkhole numbering on the hull, though they can display registration stickers.
Ships are documented according to use-commercial, recreational, etc. While you may use a commercial vessel for recreational purposes, you lot may not use a recreational gunkhole for commercial purposes. Doing so volition consequence in the loss of documentation, and fines/penalties.
Documentation numbers need to exist permanently attached to a structural portion of the hull, and the vessels' proper name and home port need to be listed on the hull--usually the transom. Recreational vessels must have the name and hailing port listed in 4 inch letters. Commercial vessels must do the same, but they must also have the name on both sides of the bow.

Documentation is but available for boats that admeasure 5 gross tons, which works out to be nearly 30 anxiety in length. "Admeasurement" is a unit of volume — not weight. A boat that weighs 10,000 pounds might non qualify for documentation.