The internet's most comprehensive resource for Coast Guard Documentation,
Boat Registration, Preferred Mortgages, and Yacht Registry. A complete
gathering of articles, guidelines, forms, research tools, and affordable
online services for
Vessel Owners, Buyers, Sellers, Yacht Brokers, Boat Dealers, Marine Lenders,
and Maritime Attorneys.
Vessel Documentation
All you need to know about Coast Guard Vessel Documentation and more.
Boat Registration
Guidelines, forms, and
other online
resources
for state boat registration.
About Our Site
Introduction to our site
with details about its
content and features.
Vessel Forms
Forms and instructions
for Coast Guard vessel documentation and titling.
Vessel Database
Online databases for
federal, state, and foreign
vessel title research.
Marine Directory
A listing of resource
providers for boat owners
and the marine industry.
Federal ● State ● Foreign
COAST GUARD VESSEL DOCUMENTATION
PREFERRED SHIPS MORTGAGES
VESSEL TITLE RESEARCH
BOAT REGISTRATION
YACHT REGISTRY
BOAT TITLING
Recreational ● Commercial
Boat Owners Maintaining
ownership,
vessel documentation,
and titling for your boat.
Boat Buyers Guidelines for
Coast Guard documentation
and boat titling.
Marine Lenders
Information about securing
marine loans and
preferred mortgages.
Marine Attorneys
Reference material for
transactions involving documented vessels.
Yacht Brokers
Resources for research,
documentation, and titling
of brokerage vessels.
Boat Dealers
Vessel documentation,
and boat registration
for new
boats or trades.
Welcome to the
internet's most comprehensive Coast Guard vessel documentation, boat
titling, and yacht registration web site. Our pages are loaded with
valuable details that cover every aspect of documenting, titling,
registering, and encumbering a vessel. Here you will find a wide array
of articles, guidelines, instructions, links, tools, and other resources
for implementing almost any type of vessel recording. The subject matter
is more than just a dissemination of governmental titling requirements
for vessels. It is
structured for the layperson's benefit in
understanding the issues surrounding Coast Guard vessel documentation, boat
registration, and yacht titling in their simplest terms.
This
publication is designed especially for vessel buyers, vessel owners,
vessel sellers, marine lenders, yacht brokers, boat dealers, and marine
attorneys. It is our mission to address the specific interests of each
and every segment of this diverse readership. In doing so, we hope to
enlighten those who endeavor to overcome the seemingly insurmountable
complexities surrounding federal, state, and foreign vessel titling.
Given the ever changing nature of vessel regulatory policies, we have
structured our site as dynamic production rather than static. Our
readers are therefore invited to visit this site regularly and interact
with its content in a
rigorous manner.
Our Federal Page contains
an extensive amount of information about U.S. Coast Guard documentation
and the respective procedures or guidelines for documenting a vessel.
Our State page provides information about matters pertaining to state
level boat registration and how this relates to vessel documentation.
Our Foreign page represents a gathering of information about foreign
yacht registry and how it relates to Coast Guard documentation. Our
clients Page is devoted to various groups who will have a special
interest in vessel documentation and boat titling. Our service page
contains information and selections for a complete array of new and
innovative vessel documentation and state titling services. Our Database Page is
designed for those who wish to conduct research on documented vessels,
foreign registered vessels and state registered boats. Our Forms Page
has an expansive listing of vessel documentation, boat titling, and
yacht transaction forms and instructions which can be downloaded. And
finally, our Glossary Page compliments other menu items with a description of
vessel documentation and marine industry terms.
The scale of our
web presentation calls for a simple and logical interface through which
our readers can quickly and easily navigate. We have accordingly
foregone the distractions of flash presentations and extraneous dialogs
to facilitate a straight forward menu driven system. We do, of course,
hope you enjoy the maritime scenery along the way. Be sure to visit our
Clients page early on as this may be the best
starting point for your journey.
We encourage our
readers to bookmark this web site for frequent usage as an ongoing
resource for Coast Guard vessel documentation, boat titling, and yacht
registry information. This will allow you to remain current on the new
and exciting changes that will be forthcoming about our site, services, and the industry in general. Marine business entities may also
wish to join our link exchange program, which will allow mutual clients
to address questions or concerns about Coast Guard
vessel documentation, ships mortgages, and other boat titling issues.
It is our
pleasure that you have allowed us the opportunity of conveying our
message and we wish to express our gratitude. We sincerely hope you will
find the information contained herein to be meaningful and constructive.
Please contact us if
you have any comments or suggestions about how we may enhance this
publication to better serve
your needs.
Vessel
Documentation - Coast Guard vessel documentation is a
national form of vessel registration which is administered by the U.S.
Coast Guard's National Vessel Documentation Center. It is one of the
oldest functions of our Government, dating back to the 11th Act of the
First Congress. Vessels that meet the required qualifications are issued
a Certificate of Documentation that serves as evidence of ownership and
entitles the vessel to engage in certain commercial activities. Although
vessel documentation is optional for vessels that operate exclusively
for recreational purposes, it is required for vessels that will engage
in commercial activities within U.S. waters. Certificates of
documentation for commercial vessels must be endorsed for the respective
types of usage. Reasons for Vessel
Documentation - Coast Guard vessel documentation is not
required for pleasure or recreational usage, which includes bareboat
charters. However, there are several reasons for which vessels are
placed into Coast Guard documentation. First, a vessel can not engage in
commercial activities within the United States unless it becomes
documented and attains the respective trade endorsements. Second, marine
lenders usually require vessel documentation in order to acquire a
Preferred Mortgage which grants the ultimate contractual lien against
any vessel. Third, owners who venture into international
waters usually elect to document their vessels in order to attain certain protections
afforded by the US flag. A certificate of documentation makes it easier
for passage into foreign ports and is widely accepted by customs
officials. Finally, some owners elect to document
their vessel just for the prestige of owning a vessel which is said to
carry the U.S. flag. From a visual perspective, vessel documentation also precludes a vessels operating in the
United States from having to display state registration numbers. In
summary, vessel documentation provides a more
universally recognized certificate of ownership that is recognized
worldwide and is supported by a detailed abstract reflecting all
vessel ownership and lien transactions. Vessel
Qualifications for Documentation - In basic terms, a vessel must measure
in volume at a minimum of five net tons. Depending the length beam, and overall
depth, most vessels will need to be at least approximately twenty five
feet in length to qualify. Vessel tonnage is determined by a measurement process rather than by calculating the vessel's weight or
displacement. Depending on a vessel's length, the Cost Guard will
require either a simple declaration from the owner, or a formal detailed
measurement by an approved agency. Although the place of build is not an
issue for recreational vessels, evidence that a vessel was built in the United States is required
for a vessel which is to be used in a fisheries or coastwise trade. This
is usually provided by the builder who will issue a Builder's
Certificate, which also serves as the vessel's first evidence of title. Ownership
Qualifications
for Vessel Documentation - As a general rule, all owners of a documented
vessel must be US Citizens. This also applies to legal entities such as
Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Partnerships.
Corporations must be registered in the U.S. in order to own a documented
vessel. Principals who own and operate corporations other legal entities
that own a documented vessel must be
U.S. Citizens in their own right. An individual person who owns all or
part interest in a documented vessel must be native born, naturalized,
or a derivative U.S. citizen. Cost Guard documented vessels may be
operated or placed under the command of a foreign citizen only if the
vessel is used for recreational purposes. Requirements
for Documented Vessels. -- The Coast Guard
assigns a unique documentation number when each vessel is first placed
into documentation. The owner must also designate a name and hailing
port to coincide with the documentation number. These items must be
affixed to the vessel in a certain manner before it commences operation
under a valid certificate of documentation. The certificate of
documentation and any mortgages recorded against the vessel must be
carried on board at all times. A replacement certificate of
documentation must be applied for if there are any changes in the
vessel's ownership or the documentation's status. Certificates of
documentation must be renewed on a yearly basis at no cost to the
vessel's owner. Vessel
Documentation Process - Vessel documentation procedures can vary in
complexity with respect to the type of transaction and a vessel's
intended usage. Documentation requirements and procedures are based on a
set of federal rulings known as the Code of Federal Regulations. These
are administered by The National Vessel Documentation Center in Falling
Waters, West Virginia. This facility implements all vessel documentation recordings and issues the Certificates of Documentation.
Vessel documentation forms, guidelines, and instructions may be found on
our web site or by visiting the National Vessel Documentation Center's
home page. This agency also administers all subsequent vessel recordings
and changes to the certificate of documentation. Vessel
Documentation Costs - Vessel documentation fees for initial
documentation, changes of ownership, mortgage recordings, and other
miscellaneous transactions have increased over the past
several years. However, the basic cost of vessel documentation in itself
is not prohibitive when compared to the expense of employing the
assistance of a documentation professional. On the positive side, there are no yearly renewal fees or ancillary
taxes associated with documentation. In most cases, the benefits of
documentation outweigh the expenses involved placing a vessel under the
U.S. flag. The National Vessel Documentation Center obtains a schedule
of fees which can be viewed by visiting its web site. Vessel
Documentation Information - You will find our web site to be one of the
most informative resources on the internet with respect to Coast Guard
vessel documentation. Our Federal Page is a good starting point
for those who wish to learn more about the documentation process. Although
most of our pages contain references to Coast Guard documentation, our Federal Page,
Forms Page, and Database Page cover most aspects of documented vessel research and
the vessel documentation process. You may also wish to visit
the National Vessel Documentation Center's home page where you will find
additional forms and basic information about Coast Guard vessel documentation.
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