Documenting your boat.

[Sea Ranger]

Here are some of the advanatges and disadvantages to documenting your boat.

Advantages: The main benefit of documentation versus numbering, is that a documented vessel may be the subject of a Preferred Ship Mortgage under 46 United States Code Chapter 313. In practical terms, this means that lending institutions regard a documented vessel as a more secure form of collateral. For larger and more expensive boats, it may be easier to obtain bank financing if the boat is documented rather than numbered.

Another benefit is that the certificate of documentation may make customs entry and clearance easier in foreign ports. The document is treated as a form of national registration that clearly identifies the nationality of the vessel.

Disadvantages: The main disadvantage of documenting rather than numbering is the higher cost. The initial documentation fee for a recreational vessel is $100.00. The numbering fee varies from State to State but averages about $25.00. In addition, documented vessels are not exempt from State or local taxes or other boating fees. Some individual States require a registration fee even if a boat is documast Guard will inform the state that there is a boat in their jurisdiction.

From U.S. Coast Guard Consumer Fact Sheet

[DougSea]

Hi Sea Ranger and welcome aboard! Glad to have you here.

Not sure how familiar you are with web-forums, so my appologies if this seems overbearing. I'm assuming from your posts that you were esentially continuing the conversations others have started, which is great. And you've got good information. But the value is usually highest if your input is included as a reply to the topic in question, not as a new topic. Obviously if youre starting a new discussion then a new topic is appropriate. Again, just my 2 cents.