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CMABadseed
09-27-2002, 01:04 PM
I got inspected by the coasties while my boat sat tied up at a dock in a small launching area not 10 feet from the trailer still in the water.
They fully inspected it. I was found to be lacking proper registration, which was sitting in the truck which i was not allowed to go get. I also had 3 adult vest and 5 youth vests but there were 4 adults in the boat. They said i could go buy one or take my boat out of the water. I took the boat out and bought 2 more adult jackets and put the registraion in the boat. I went back to the ramp and asked to be inspected again and they handed me the inspection sheet with my infractions on it and said have a nice day. no re-inspection no nothing so i didnt think anything much of it until the other day when i go a notice (3 months Later) that i have to have my boat re-inspected with in 30 days or i would be subject to a pretty steep penalty. why did they not take care of this the same day, when i came back. they just said have a nice day! so now i gotta tow the boat to an inspector and have him sign it off (much like a fix it ticket). What a F*ckin hassle.
At least now i know why coasties have to be 6 feet or taller from now on.
so when there boats sink they can walk to shore!

HCS
09-27-2002, 01:26 PM
We were shook down by the coasties once,it took them 45min to check out our whole F'ckin boat. They couldn't find one thing wrong and acted like they were pissed!.They checked everything from the horn to life jackets you name it.So the clown coastie in charge made us remove our air cleaner,He rubbed his queer finger in the throat of our carburetor and said it had too much oil in it, and it needed to be cleaned.Thats it! what a joke! We looked at him like you got to be kidding!They lectured us about dirty carbs then left.These gays OH! I mean guys obviously have too much time on their hands!!

*LS7*
09-27-2002, 01:26 PM
What you seem to not Realize is the fact the Coasties need not be 6' tall to walk back to shore....
THEY WALK ON WATER

JetBoatRich
09-27-2002, 02:34 PM
How long can you talk about dirty carbs? Gay clean freaks I guess?

Boatcop
09-27-2002, 03:57 PM
CMA,
Where did this take place at? Did your Coast Guard 4100 Form, Notice of Violation, (their version of a "ticket") show which unit the Officers were from?
Since the Coast Guard scrapped it's primary Boating Safety program in the early '80s, they took the "PR" out of it. Instead of professional Boating Safety officers doing these inspections, they are now done by the Station crews or Tactical Law Enforcement teams. (I don't know why they call them "tactical, when they apparently have little tact.)
We always would have given the boater the opportunity to correct the problem on the spot, and then do another inspection with a clean slate. We were more interested in them being safe, than in grinding out violation numbers.
I'd find out which unit and individual gave out the violation and then refused to re-inspect it. Then call his Officer-in-Charge and set up an appointment to have the boat re-inspected, and explain (nicely) the situation,how you could have cleared it then and there, but were refused.
Also, for HardCore, there is no reason for the officer to remove the flame arrestor and "white glove" the carb. The only violation with a proper flame arrestor is if it's gunked up with oil so bad, it could catch fire. But that's the arrestor itself, not the carb.
Oh, yeah. I'm a retired USCG Senior Chief Petty Officer, (E-8 / 27+ years service), was on 2 Boating Safety teams,(Channel Islands, Lakes Mohave and Mead, Havasu & the Strip,1978-'79.) and was Supervisor of the Coast Guard Boating Safety Detachment - Parker Dam. (1980-1981)

Sangster
09-28-2002, 05:22 AM
Thats alot of coffee & doughnuts.....Well done BC.. Not to many people stay in one work field that long anymore..Congrats....

boatnam2
09-28-2002, 11:20 AM
damm bc pretty healthy resume!

CMABadseed
09-28-2002, 12:09 PM
no problem.....maybe i caught the guy on a bad day or something. i dont know he just seemed really inflexible. I dont wanna hang anybody out to dry cause it's not a huge deal.
the 4100 that i got had all the info i need on it and monday i'll be on the phone to clear it up.
BoatCop--if i happened to be out at the river and saw a CG vessel, could i request a re-inspect right there, and be back on the right side of things? or would that ust get into more trouble for being out before i was re-inspected?
LS7-- when getting a COI they certainly do! no offense just a funny something i ran across at the Maritime Academy.

Boatcop
09-28-2002, 02:18 PM
Sorry CMA. No Coast Guard on the River anymore. You won't get in trouble for using the boat before re-inspecting, as long as everything is in order.
What I suggest to every boater is to go to your local Coast Guard Auxiliary and have them do a Vessel Safety Check (VSC) on the boat. They require more than "just" the legal items, but also some essential extras that you need, but aren't required by law.
If you pass they give you a decal to put on the boat. The Coast Guard and other boating enforcement officials don't stop and do "random" safety checks on boats that are displaying the decal, unless they see an obvious violation or unsafe operation.
More Info Here:
USCG Auxiliary (http://www.cgaux.org/cgauxweb/public/pubframe.htm)

gnarley
09-30-2002, 11:53 AM
CMABadseed:
I got inspected by the coasties, I was found to be lacking proper registration, which was sitting in the truck which i was not allowed to go get. I also had 3 adult vest and 5 youth vests but there were 4 adults in the boat. CMABadseed, I hate to say it but it sounds like you need to learn the rules. I don't want to sound rude & I know getting inspected is a b*tch but the fact is you didn't know or were not prepared for safety. What would have happened if you sank & all four adults needed vests? Someone may have drowned, as you didn't take proper precautions! Do yourself & family a favor and those who boat with you. Take a class & learn the laws, it really opens your eyes. Owning a boat doesn't mean you can just do what you want & if you haven't taken a course how do you know what you really need to know? When you operate a boat, law enforcement assumes that you know all this & are prepared & if not they really hassle you when they find you aren’t! When you are prepared and have everything you need you can get your boat inspected by the CG or auxiliary and get the inspection sticker yearly, & rarely does anyone ever hassle you again when they see it on your boat!

CMABadseed
09-30-2002, 02:48 PM
well i got in touch with the local auxilary inspector and got hooked up. I have taken a boating safety course in the past. and i do know the rules and the consequences, just had to vent a bit about the bad day i guess. sorry if i have offended anybody, i dont wanna look like some ignorant boater. been doing it all of my short 22 years, even worked at DCB for 3 years, and still do during the summers. I am actually at a California Maritime Academy pursuing my 3rd Assistant Engineers License, so i am aware just perhaps a bit absent minded one time.

gnarley
09-30-2002, 03:05 PM
CMABadseed, glad to see you got it handled. The coasties may not have been very cool but they did their job & it made you think, thats their job & you'll be safer for it now & should be able to boat in peace with that sticker & they will look for someone else!

cigarette1
09-30-2002, 03:16 PM
That's nothing ....
Orange County Sherrif said the LABEL with the serial# on my Bravo1 was missing .... THEY TOOK MY ****ING BOAT ... now they won't return it until they verify numbers on my engines. The Merc #'s had been removed so they are looking for GM #'s.
G

gnarley
09-30-2002, 03:22 PM
[QUOTE]Originally posted by cigarette1:
That's nothing ....
Orange County Sherrif said the LABEL with the serial# on my Bravo1 was missing .... THEY TOOK MY ****ING BOAT ... now they won't return it until they verify numbers on my engines. The Merc #'s had been removed so they are looking for GM #'s.
G
Holy Sh*t! I hope all was up front if you bought it used! So what happens if any of us have had any work done on our engines? Don't we have the right to do that?

cigarette1
09-30-2002, 03:32 PM
March 2001, I bought two 509 rebuilt longblocks with a trade in of my existing 502 mag engines. I've been running them since then and have even rebuilt one due to a berring failure. If the motors turn out bad, I sure hope my insurance will cover it ... I have receipts for everything. We'll see.
[ September 30, 2002, 07:56 PM: Message edited by: cigarette1 ]

gnarley
09-30-2002, 03:43 PM
I would think that who ever you bought the engines from (if a shop or company) should have documentation on the engine & sale. I just wonder what gives the Sheriff the right to confiscate your boat??? On what reasoning? What probable cause? Maybe BoatCop would answer how this can be done? I just wonder what prevents them from keeping anyone’s boat if the feel they need to check numbers???

Boatcop
09-30-2002, 04:07 PM
If you've been reading this board for any amount of time, you've probably seen all the threads about boats being stolen and then recovered with the engines and drives missing.
This is the current trend by boat thieves. The first thing they take off is the serial number labels.
Any boat or component, (hull, engine, drive, or gimble housing) that has the serial number altered or removed can be seized and held until that particular component can be positively identified. Even if it's just the housing, we take the whole boat (and the trailer).
Yes. We have the authority to do this, and if it was YOUR engine or drive that was stolen, you'd want us to do everything we possibly can to recover it for you.
And even if you "bought" the unit, you could be charged criminally, if you "knew, or should have known" that the unit was stolen.
This is inferred if you pay way less than the item is worth. Such as paying $1,000 for a blown 502, that's normally worth over 10 grand.
If your boat is supplied through a dealer, they (or the manufacturer) will have a record of every component and the serial numbers associated with that boat. This is required by federal law, so that safety defect notification can be made in case of a recall.

gnarley
09-30-2002, 04:11 PM
Thanks BoatCop, but what about any engine that may have been decked as a result of needed machine work & may have then milled off the serial number on the deck???

Boatcop
09-30-2002, 04:50 PM
Most engine serial numbers I've seen are on the side of the block, and shouldn't be affected my decking the head surface. Any reputable engine builder will make sure that the original ID number is still entact, or if it must be removed for machine work, is re-located to another easily accessible area.
After all, the number is the only way to id the engine as "his" for warranty claims or repairs.

HCS
10-02-2002, 02:14 PM
Wow boatcop thats good info,you need more donuts in that avatar! That was along time ago when they shook our boat down and bitched about our carb being dirty.They did make us remove the spark arrester and said it could cause engine fire.It wasn't that dirty, so it was a joke in our opinion.
[ October 02, 2002, 03:16 PM: Message edited by: HARDCORE-SKI ]

DetroitJim
10-03-2002, 07:04 AM
Back here in Michigan we get it from multiple agencies. On Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, you are on U.S. coastal waters but never outside the limit. You are either in the U.S. or Canada. I can be stopped by three different County Sherriff boats, City of Detroit, the U.S. border patrol, Canadian Border Patrol, Canadian Customs, U.S. Customs or the Coast Guard. By far the biggest jerks are the Coast Guard Auxilliary who are part time unprofessionals. Big ego trips and totally uncool. No offense to all hard working public servants, I have total respect for the law and all who serve but these guys have threatened to impound my boat for a burned out nav light even though I was returning to my home port to make repairs. I could go on but I'll quit at that.
DJ

Tinkerer
10-03-2002, 06:40 PM
So your telling me that if I repaint my drives and the sticker is removed I can get my boat taken from me?? That is BS. How about if I install aftermarket parts ( drives ) They won't have matching #,s to the engines and I won't walk around with the reciepts in my pockets or in the boat.

77charger
10-03-2002, 06:49 PM
i have heard of this in the coastal harbors mainly LB nd SD I use to fish alot and would hear others complain about it alot of them would say that the coast guard guys were not the nicest either.they would look for the tiniest infraction and would search until one was found.

Boatcop
10-03-2002, 08:20 PM
Interesting that the Coast Guard Auxiliary said they would impound your boat. The Auxiliary is the civilian arm of the Coast Guard, use their own private vessels for safety patrols, and have no law enforcement powers whatsoever. They have an important role, in that they give boating classes, do courtesy safety examinations, and help distressed boaters.
But as for boarding your boat to do a compliance enforcement inspection, they have no authority to do so.
Tinker, I'm not saying that the boat has to have the same drives and components they were delivered with, but if the ID numbers have been tampered with or removed, you, or the boat, may be detained to determine the origin and status of the components without the numbers. It's a felony in every state to remove or alter a boat's ID, engine, or drive serial numbers.
I'll say it again. If it was your boat that was stolen and found stripped, you'd want us to do everything we could to recover your property. Read some of Keith's (BOATPI) posts on the trends of boat theft lately. The hulls are being found, but with engines and drives removed.
How many of these units are finding their way into "new" boats these days? While 99% of the boat builders out there are on the up and up, there's that 1% who are shady, at best. I don't want to put down or discredit the quality boat manufacturers, but the Southern California Boat building business has had its share of "Bad Apples", going back into the '60s.
I don't have to name names, but anyone who's been around the scene since then know who I'm talking about.
Many unsuspecting boat buyers have had their boats taken from them because they were built with stolen parts. It's not our fault. We just want to return those parts and/or boats to their rightful owners. The more we recover, the less the insurance companies have to pay out in claims. That benefits everyone, with lower insurance premiums. The only recourse the guy who bought the boat has is to sue the person or company he bought it from, or if we can gain a conviction, make restitution part of the sentence.
In the past few years Keith has recovered several hundred thousand dollars worth of stolen boats, and put a dozen or so people into the California Penal System.

HCS
10-04-2002, 07:51 AM
Two dozen donuts for that info! Sounds like you better know what you buying and keep your receipts. Buyer BEWARE! no what your paying for. eek!

cigarette1
10-04-2002, 09:43 AM
It's been over 10 days now and I still don't have my boat. They tell me they were able to recover the sr# from the drive and it is the same drive that was on the boat 3 years ago when I bought it. It checked out clean(as it should have). They did find numbers on the engines and they need to check 1 more business out of 5 to confirm the origin of them. They said I will probably get everything back by this weekend after paying around $1000 in impound fees and about $500 to have a lawyer draft a letter saying I will not sue them because there was probable cause for them to seize the boat.
**** Me

diggler
10-04-2002, 09:51 AM
cigarette1:
They said I will probably get everything back by this weekend after paying around $1000 in impound fees and about $500 to have a lawyer draft a letter saying I will not sue them because there was probable cause for them to seize the boat.
**** MeSo not only do you pay for them to impound it, you also paid $500 to not sue and recover any money? ouch! I would sue like hell!!! The least they could have done was waived the impound fees, I mean fair is fair!
BoatCop, what do you think? Why should this poor guy be punished financially because of an investigation? I'm not even talking about the cost of "loss of use" while the investigation was ongoing.

cigarette1
10-04-2002, 09:54 AM
Serial# not on drive = Probable Cause
Whatever