Documentation
Another option open to many boaters is to have their vessel federally documented or
registered with the US Coast Guard. Documentation has several advantages, but
its primary uses are to provide a "paper trail" that establishes ownership of a
vessel, and documentation is often necessary to travel overseas.
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- While federally documented vessels are not required to display state
registration numbers, you may still be required to register the vessel with the state, and be required to pay any sales taxes. Your best bet is to display the state numbers, and the federal documentation sticker.
- Ships are documented according to use-commercial, recreational, etc. While
you may use a commercial vessel for recreational purposes, you may not use a
recreational boat for commercial purposes. Doing so will result in the loss
of documentation, and fines/penalties.
- Documentation numbers need to be permanently attached to a structural portion
of the hull, and the vessels' 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.
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Documentation is only available for boats that admeasure 5 gross tons, which
works out to be about 30 feet in length. "Admeasurement" is a unit of volume — not weight. A boat that weighs 10,000 pounds might not qualify for documentation.
For more information
on documentation,
visit the USCG at:
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