Cruising the World with a State Registration ?

[arjand]

That is a bit blunt indeed :-). I bought the boat here because I live here (not an overly weird concept in my view). That does leave me in the doldrums registration wise though but I am sure there is a solution to that.

[boatman61]

A Swiss friend of mine registered his boat in Anguila... he'd bought a Hunter Legend in the states... may be worth investigating... prettier flag as well...

[Kettlewell]

From what I see on the water lots of boats have registrations in countries other than where their owner's are legally citizens. How about all the yachts tied up in Florida that are registered in Panama, the Bahamas, the BVIs, or the Maldives?

[hellosailor]

"Create a small company, Inc. in the US (Delaware is perfect for that) with only purpose to own the ship. "
Bluntly? FORGET ABOUT IT. Call the Vessel Documentation Center directly, they have a toll-free number. They will tell you the same thing I'm going to tell you. If a corporation seeks US federal vessel documentation, then 51% of the corporation must be owned by US citizens.
Yes, the "owner" still needs to be a US citizen before the US government will extend the protection of vessel documentation to you. That's because, at least in theory, the government extends the protection of full diplomatic and military assistance to the owners of documented vessels, and they're not going to all that bother for someone they don't have any sovereignty over. I know, these days, that assistance is rarely given in any case.

If you want answers you can rely on, contact the appropriate governments of the countries you plan to stop at (and you WILL have to plan ahead to arrange visas and permits anyway, so you WILL need to enquire into these things with those same agencies) and ask them if they'll accept a US state registration and state title, or whether you'll need one from your own sovereign.

But setting up a sham corporation for the purpose of documenting a vessel? Even if you can slip it by them, not a good idea.

[cantxsailor]

I have a similar question. My boat(Pacific Seacraft25) is to small for it to be documented. Back in the late 70s early 80s this boat was all over the western pacific with nothing more than a state title and registration. I may want to sail away one day and would like to find a reasonable work around. I am a US citizen.........m

[arjand]

@ hellosailor. I am thinking about that option (checking with all governments etc). What I do not like about that is that in case of emergency of whatever kid or form that would become a consideration/issue. And I had already checked out the documentation center and the corp or llc or whatever should indeed be owned/controlled by US citizens. Thnx!

[Aussiesuede]

There are professional Marine Title companies which will help you with information to reach your ultimate goal of secure registry. They are your best source imho.

Boat Title & Vessel Documentation Information - MarineTitle.com



And there's always the option of Panama.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

I don't know why you bought your boat here, but once you leave, the US becomes a country you once used to visit. The requirement of being a citizen to register a boat in a nation is specifically to prevent the sort of "tax evasion" you propose to do.

I am sure OP was intending to pay taxes to everyone he meets with his hand out. Might even have enough left to buy a boat

Of course OP may also want to consider that being USCG registered means he has to get used to making his poop available for inspection 24/7. and to have had training on how to poop. Appreciate that opinions vary on the desirabity of showing your poop to the Govt (and if it makes someone feel safe under there bed, then who am I to criticise ).

Although I will leave OP to the mercies of Mr Google, I doubt the Netherlands has any boat taxes (initial, let alone annual) for vessels that never arrive in the EU. UK certainly doesn't. and if you want a Corporate Ownership (to acheive foreign residency) then UK (or one of their Offshore Islands ) would do the trick......downside is that no Navy left to keep you safe from furriners and it won't be free mind, but at least you wouldn't be giving yer money to Socialists and poop fetishists

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by arjand

@ auspicious: In order to register in the Netherland (I am Dutch) I will first have to import it and pay VAT.... That would set me back USD 20k....

Are you 100% certain of this? Sometimes you can ask the same questions to different people in the same government authorities and get different answers every time.

If the boat is not imported into the Netherlands then they must be estimating the taxes sight unseen which gives the possibility of creative valuating

It feels like many countries are happy to wait until the boat arrives before they sting you, so I am surprised the Netherland is different.

As previously suggested, try the BVI, Panama and other countries who have minimal requirements for their shipping registries.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by cantxsailor

I have a similar question. My boat(Pacific Seacraft25) is to small for it to be documented. Back in the late 70s early 80s this boat was all over the western pacific with nothing more than a state title and registration. I may want to sail away one day and would like to find a reasonable work around. I am a US citizen.........m

Yes things change over the years regarding registration!
Is just a USA thing that a Seacraft 25 can't be documented (by being too small)?
AFAIK, size doesn't enter the equation is most parts of the world.

[hellosailor]

Wotname, "Is just a USA thing that a Seacraft 25 can't be documented (by being too small)?"
Size is not an issue in the US. At least, not for vessel documentation. Fronm imprecise memory, it is the vessel's displacement volume that is the criteria,not the size. Size is, however, a practical rule of thumb to say "If it is that short, there's no way it can have that volume." Unless you've got one very tall, wide, short boat.<VBG>

Things sure have changed since the 1970s. In 1970, I think we actually still had a couple of battleships in commission and the concept of "Somali Pirates" would have gotten a rather abrupt resolution. Yachtsmen still were greeted as welcome tourists in most of the world and the only "papers" that really were important, were the ones spent locally. Chile wasn't charging incredible fees to visit the Galapagos. Schengen Visas and the EU didn't exist, so hopping around the med without 90 day worries was the norm. Well, unless you needed to pay for anything in lira, which made for good wallpaper and Monopoly games.

And of course, there were no live webcam feeds from McMurdo Station.

Size? Smaller, much much smaller. There's cellular service from the Mt. Everest base camps now, I hear.

[arjand]

Ecuador that is...... never mind.

[Misiu]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Wotname, "Is just a USA thing that a Seacraft 25 can't be documented (by being too small)?"
Size is not an issue in the US. At least, not for vessel documentation. Fronm imprecise memory, it is the vessel's displacement volume that is the criteria,not the size. Size is, however, a practical rule of thumb to say "If it is that short, there's no way it can have that volume." Unless you've got one very tall, wide, short boat.<VBG>

Right. It's 5 net tons.

From FAQ on CG Documentation Center website:

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY VESSEL MEASURES FIVE NET TONS?
Net tonnage is a measure of a vessel's volume. It should not be confused with the vessel's weight, which may also be expressed in tons. Most vessels more than 25 feet in length will measure five net tons or more. For information about how tonnage is determined, including a web-based interactive form that calculates tonnages, visit the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center's web site at the Marine Safety Center's Tonnage Page.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by arjand

@ barnakiel: FP is French Polynesia?

Yes. It was in the Society Islands which are somewhat more central to the capitol (Papeete) and thus tend to be somewhat more demanding. In other areas (we sailed in from Gambier Islands) there was much less bureaucracy and we were never bothered in any way. But we did get boarded in Papeete and our passports got confiscated by Papeete harbour master who, at that time, was some sort of drunkard and generally a very rude person. There was no basis whatsoever for the boarding and all the mess yet it happened and at that time it cost us some nerve. But today it is only one more pink in our bouquet of French cruising flowers.

However, the US couple, were not quite that lucky. They were boarded in (as far as I can remember) Moorea or Huahine. We had a good laugh, but they had to go all the way to Papeete (which is to the windward) to claim what was theirs. But they did not come back the next day and we only met them later down the chain of islands and we learned that the harbour master questioned their boat's papers and had them fax some extra pieces of documentation via US Embassy. Now, today to them it is probably just a memory from the trip. But at that time they were unhappy like hell, swore aloud at anything French and wanted to depart from FP as soon as possible.

So, everyone has their adventure, and I say: get the boat registered properly - in your country (Deleware is not a country ;-) then make sure your passport is not expired, and you will be fine!

Cheers,
b.

[savoir]

Take a look at BVI.

Step by step guidance on ship registration

You will have to appoint a local agent but everywhere else in the Caribbean has the same requirement.