"Motor Vessel" or M/V - how? Why?

[DougSea]

Hey all,

Not sure where this thought came from, probably from something I read recently, somewhere out on the internet...

What, if anything, allows a boat to be refered to as "M/V" other than the fact that she's not an S/V or an F/V? (Sailing or Fishing). Are we talking "rule", "law", or, as I suspect, "convention". At least in the modern sense. Can I call my boat the M/V Sonny IV? Would I have had to document her that way? Does size matter? Country? Usage?

Just wondering...

[Bidgood]

Doug,

The USCG CoL Regs has the answer to this question. I do not have them at my current location but the term motor vessel refers to a power boat over a specific length I believe it is 66 or so feet. I will check when I get home. Or another group member can check in the meantime.

Tom L.

[DougSea]

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the reply. I did search the rules and they do define a number of vessel types insofar as the hierarchy of privileged and burdened vessels go but I can't find anything that defines the use of the designation when identifying a vessel. I can't even find a guideline or definition of a convention. My Google powers are failing me today!

[joe.baar]

As far as I know this is only a convention, not set in law, at least for boats of this size. The "motor" part refers to the powerplant. This designation allowed diesel-powered vessels to be distinguished from the more common "steam"ships, possibly because of differences in the way the insurers viewed them, beginning during the 1920s when large diesels began to appear in marine use. For a while back then the diesel's comparative lack of soot and cinders fouling the afterdecks was a very attractive feature to the traveling public and the m/v designation called it out.

I suspect this is only a convention related to insurance partly because the categories aren't mutually exclusive: a f/v is very likely also an m/v, for instance. This would make enforcement of a law a little difficult.

Possibly Lloyd's of London, Bureau Veritas or the American Bureau of Shipping has an archive that would shed some light on this subject.

Another possibility is "m/y" "motor yacht" but personally I think this is a little foo-foo when referring to Albins. We refer to ours as "m/v".

[Bidgood]

I found it in my ColRegs.

Here is the designation:

"Motor vessel means any vessel more than 65 feet in length, which is propelled by machinery other than steam"

Here is the link to 46 CFR 24.10-1

http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/24-10-1-definitions-19846321


Hope this helps.

Tom L

[DougSea]

Thanks again Tom! Guess I'm just a "motorboat"...

(I may cheat and call her an M/V just the same...)

[Bidgood]

That is true. But you are an ALBIN motorboat.

[Fogg~Dogg]

I've seen M/W a lot in Maine. What does "T/T" mean? I see that on tenders and dinghys.

[DougSea]

I've seen M/W a lot in Maine. What does "T/T" mean? I see that on tenders and dinghys.

I'm not sure if it's the exact definition but the T/T is "Tender To" and should be followed by the name of the "mother ship".

While reading a cruising forum I saw several references to NOT using that name as the precence of the tender at the wharf would let evil doers know that the main boat might be unattended and therefore a target for theft.

On the main topic - M/V - I actually sent a note to the USCG NavCen on the question. They responded pretty quickly but they seemed focused with the "Power Vessel" designation, which I think we can all agree everything from our outboard dinks to the mighty Albins all qualify as. I thought about sending them Tom's Colreg link. May still do that.

[Yearwood]

There are is a confusion of conventions with reference to these definitions.
Some:
MV - motor vessel to distinguish from a steam vessel
SS - Steamship to distinguish from a motor vessel
MT and ST - motor tanker and steam tanker respectively
TT - turbine tanker
RV - Research vessel
TS or TV - Training ship or training vessel
NS - Nuclear ship (not naval)
CS - sometimes container ship
SV - sailing vessel
It goes on and then there are the naval designators (e.g. USS, USNS, DE, AS, etc.), other commercial categories by size such as Panamax, Suexmax, LR 1, VLCC, ULCC, Handysize, etc.