Do I Really Need to Be Registered ?

[wannago]

My experience in Washington state is that they will charge you sales tax and about 1% annual tax (some excise / personal property tax). And they don't particularly care what the price as documented on the bill of sale is, they beleive they know how much you should have paid and will tax you accordingly. (apparently this is a big issue with the classic car folks when transferring titles on "classics" that have some date showing on them, i.e. missing engines, entire drivetrains, etc).

But homemade boats are not unheard of in most areas, and I'm sure wherever you are attempting to register it they have some way to assign a number to you, if they want to....

[Tarquah]

Good evening


Here is another question about registering a dinghy.

Recently our neighbour gave us his old dinghy "Sport Yak II" (went from fibre to inflatable) but it was not registered anywhere.
Our boat is registered in UK.
This spring we will be cruising from Spain to Sicily and Greece and should be going to the Caribbean for winter.
Do I have to register the dinghy in the SSR?

[boatman61]

Taquah...
No... you do not have to register the dink if your a UK reg boat...

[Tarquah]

Thank you for your quick response boatman

[callmecrazy]

I would agree that the hassle of always being a suspect is not worth the time and money you would save by not keeping things registered and updated.

You can find a state with a longer registration period. Ohio is 3 years, not very expensive (not counting sales tax), dinghies under 14' and without a motor only need a sticker (not an actual registration nor title) and you can do it all through the mail and renew online every three years. The downside is, You will have to pay sales tax initially.
Ohio DNR website
I had a sailing dingy registered there with nothing but a bill of sale. The HIN number wasn't correct (didn't exist, it was just a model number type of thing) but they let it go anyway. probably depends on the clerk. pretty easy process...

I just registered my boat in MD for the first time, very simple 2 year reg. Can renew through mail from anywhere. I did not have to pay sales tax, but did pay an 'excise' tax that wasn't too painful. $25 bux every other year to keep it updated...not bad.

[nautical62]

I believe that most states require registration (for cruising sized boats). Many have a period of time where they will have reciprocity with other states, but reciprocity is not the same as allowing unregistered boats.

[simonmd]

Jeez, you guys have to register your dinks? In Europe you could have a 3meter jet rib on the back and not need anything. What happened to 'the land of the free'?

[zeehag]

i donot register my dinks.

[capngeo]

My dingy is registered as a lethal weapon!... OOPS the thread is about a dinGHy... My Bad!

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by capngeo

My dingy is registered as a lethal weapon!... OOPS the thread is about a dinGHy... My Bad!

[Brent Swain]

In Canada, nothing under ten hp or under 15 tons requires any registration of any kind. My first two boats on which I crossed the Pacific several times did not exist on paper. Web Chiles had zero paper on the boats he sailed .In Canada there is no advatnage to federal registry over a K number except it makes it easy for someone to put lien on a federally registered boat.

[billyehh]

It's all very confusing. What in the US is called registration, everywhere else is called licencing. To add to it what is Documentation is called registration everywhere else.

Sigh!!

[lorenzo b]

Boy, are you in for a hosing. Don't forget a full set of running lights and a frigging little whistle, legal life preservers etc, etc. They will get you for something. Every state is screaming for money. And good luck getting papers on a old boat that was never registered, if the computer says it was stolen some time before you were born, your going to jail.