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Thread: Paging Boat Cop

  1. #1
    Three Days Only
    Quick question........
    Is Coast Gaurd Documentation an acceptable form of registration, or should the vessel have state registration also. I ask this because currently my boat is Coast Gaurd documented only, and as far as I am aware, it is not required that I have state registration also, as my boat is registered federally. If pulled over on Havasu am I going to have problems.
    Thanks for any info.
    Jeff

  2. #2
    Kilrtoy
    pretty sure you are good,
    I know a few people that have it that way and boat on havasu

  3. #3
    Essex502
    As I understand it from past posts you are okay anywhere in the U.S. and its coastal waters. However, by having Coast Guard Documentation only you are giving the right to ANY Law Enforcement officer to board your boat without any cause to verify your documentation. Could bring you more trouble than you want.

  4. #4
    Havasu Cig
    3DO,
    You are good with Federal Documentation, as a matter of fact the law in Arizona states that a vessel shall not be dual registered.
    As far as boarding your boat I think LE and CG have the right to do that anyways.
    I had some problems with a LT. at Havasu PD when we first got the Cig. He was telling me to post the Documentation #'s on the hull in the same spot the state #'s would be.
    I explained to him that CG law stated otherwise and he got a little pissy, but i have not had any problems since then. He told me that they were not familier with documented boats, but this was two years ago.
    When boating in the ocean the water cops have been much more knowledgable. Anytime I have been contacted they just ask for my documentation number automatically.

  5. #5
    91nordic29
    our boat is documented and registered (AZ). we werent aware that you didnt have to have both. the lienholder on the boat is in VA and requires any boat ove 25 ft (i think that is the #) to be coast guard doc'd. i guess that i assumed that AZ would want thier money also. ?????
    "As far as boarding your boat I think ANY LE and CG have the right to do that anyways."
    i think tis is correct.

  6. #6
    Three Days Only
    I was under the same impression!!!! I guess im going to run what I got and play it by ear.

  7. #7
    LakeRacer
    Mine is CG documented. I've never been hassled at Havasu. The most is they ask me if it's documented and I say yes. I've never even had to give my CG numbers.

  8. #8
    Rvr2Bch
    Havasu Cig is right on- Havasu PD didn't know about documented vessels a couple of years ago. I think there will still be some new boat cops with all the different agencies on the water that might stop you, but it is getting better.

  9. #9
    Ducatista
    Its kinda like giving LE an open invitation to come over and say "hello" to check you out.....which I think is a bad idea. Unless you & crew are "perfect" all the time(as good law abiding citizens I'm sure you are) I would put tags on the boat. You just never know...they just might do it at a bad time for you, or you may run into a LE thats just havn' a bad day and takes it out on you. With the new noise monitoring devices and such, they have plenty to "roust" you on if they want. No sense giving them another excuse in my opinion.
    I'm not trying to sound disrespectful to LE, but they probably would prefer to see documentation on the boat in plain sight. They have other things they would rather be doing, like cleaning up the drunks and unsafe idiots, I would think.

  10. #10
    Boatcop
    Federally Documented Vessels aren't required to be state registered, as many have noted.
    However, in order for the Documentation to be valid ALL of the below must apply.
    1. Official Name and Hailing port (as listed on the Document) must be displayed on the stern of the vessel.
    2. Official Number must be permanently affixed to the main beam (or similar) of the vessel, so that removal would be obvious.
    3. The Official Document must be on board.
    4. The vessel must be Documented in the current owners name.
    5. The Documentation must be current.
    As far as number 4 is concerned, DOCUMENTATION IS NOT TRANSFERABLE! If you purchase a Documented Vessel, you must apply for new Documentation in your name. It is invalid as of the date of sale. No Grace Period.
    If any one of the items are above are not valid, then the entire Documentation is not valid and you will be cited for operating an unregistered boat, and possibly have the vessel seized until proper ownership is established.
    Those are the directions that the Coast Guard Documentation Office have given local LE in dealing with Documented Boats. Too many people have taken advantage of their Documentation System, and they want us to help maintain the integrity of it.
    And, Yes! We can stop and board any boat, at any time to check for compliance with registration and safety regulations.
    Although, with all the idiots out there, stopping for a random safety check is a waste of time and resources.

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