Temporary Markings for boat name

[lisasmit]

A friend of mine bought a new boat. Its port is Jacksonville, FL, but it's currently in Ft. Lauderdale for some work. We will take the boat out on Saturday, but due to Hurricane Irma, the boat markings have not been done and the signage company doesn't know if they will be able to do it in time, as they're without power. Will it legally be acceptable to use some form of temporary markings, like electrical tape to display the required markings?

Thanks.

[Calif.Ted]

You could tape a nameplate of some sort if you wish but I don't think it's necessary, nobody is going to know, care or check if the name matches papers.

[hellosailor]

I'm guessing you are talking about a federally documented vessel, which requires the name and hailing port ot be on the stern and not state registration numbers, which would be on the bow.

Technically, the law is the law, and if the watercops or USCG stop you and the boat is not properly marked...they might not have any discretion in the matter, they might have to write a citation.

You could just buy a couple of feet of Contac or other self-adhesive vinyl at WalMart or a craft store. Get an inch-wide magic marker, and in fifteen minutes you'd have signage that would meet the legal requirements. Cheap. And durable enough so you could just relax and take it off when the real thing arrives.

Or, just make sure everything else is in compliance. I suspect everyone on the water in Florida knows about Irma and they'd gladly ignore this--as long as the boat passed a safety check for everything else.

[lisasmit]

Thanks for the advice!

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I suspect everyone on the water in Florida knows about Irma...

Yeah, somehow I have a feeling they do.

[basssears]

Buy legal height (4" IIRC) stickers at hardware store, stick to 2x4, drill holes in 2x4 and zip tie to stern pullpit... had this setup for 2 years before finally get name stickers made (epoxied over letters so they would stay... zip ties failed first).

Remember also supposed to have documentation number permanent somewhere below.

-- Bass

[design360]

Personally, I would do whatever I could do to avoid being stopped or boarded and inspected by the Coast Guard. Once on board, they tend to go through everything. It can be quite a lengthy visit especially if they discover issues you may or may not have been aware of.

[lisasmit]

All good advice, thanks!

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by lisasmit

A friend of mine bought a new boat. Its port is Jacksonville, FL, but it's currently in Ft. Lauderdale for some work. We will take the boat out on Saturday, but due to Hurricane Irma, the boat markings have not been done and the signage company doesn't know if they will be able to do it in time, as they're without power. Will it legally be acceptable to use some form of temporary markings, like electrical tape to display the required markings?

Thanks.

Electrical tape sounds fine. An initiative idea. :thumb

[jmschmidt]

I don't really understand what you are asking. If it is a US flag documented vessel the name and hailing port on the stern must be the same as on the certificate. The physical location of the boat is irrelevant. The hailing port can be whatever you want it to be. Your boat can be in a marina in Florida and the hailing port painted on the boat can be Honolulu HI as long as Honolulu hi is the hailing port stated on the documentation certificate. As far as I know you could use Fargo ND for a hailing port and the boat could be in Mexico.

[lisasmit]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

I don't really understand what you are asking. If it is a US flag documented vessel the name and hailing port on the stern must be the same as on the certificate. The physical location of the boat is irrelevant. The hailing port can be whatever you want it to be. Your boat can be in a marina in Florida and the hailing port painted on the boat can be Honolulu HI as long as Honolulu hi is the hailing port stated on the documentation certificate. As far as I know you could use Fargo ND for a hailing port and the boat could be in Mexico.

Thanks for your response. The question was not about the ports, more about the physical markings. What legally DIY is there to mark the hull and stern until the sign makers can do it professionally?

[jmschmidt]

I thought I did answer your question. The vessel name and hailing port markings must be on the stern and must be identical to those on USCG Form 1270, Certificate of Documentation, if the boat is US flagged. The "hailing port" does not have to be the "home port" where the vessel kept.

If the vessel is not US flagged (i.e. documented as a vessel of the United States) but is only state registered, then state regulations in which the boat is home ported would apply, if any. "Home port" is not the same as the "hailing port". If not registered or documented anywhere you can put whatever you want on any part of the boat or nothing at all if that suits you.

[Thumbs Up]

A non- commercial documented boat doesn't need to have the name and hailing port on the stern. These are the requirements for uscg documented boats:
The name and hailing port of a recreational vessel must be marked together on some clearly visible exterior part of the hull. The vessel name of a commercial vessel must also be marked on the port and starboard bow and the vessel name and the hailing port must also be marked on the stern. All markings may be made by any means and materials that result in durable markings and must be at least four inches in height, made in clearly legible letters of the Latin alphabet or Arabic or Roman numerals. The "hailing port" must include both a place and a State, Territory, or possession of in the United States. The state may be abbreviated

[PPLepew]

The hailing port must have its own zip code. For my USCG documentation, I wanted North Eastham, MA(ssachussets). Was denied as its zip code is Eastham. So that's what it is.

[donradcliffe]

A temporary name and hailing port done with electrical tape is way more likely to get you pulled over than no name or the wrong name. The odds of being pulled over are about once every ten years. If you have a good explanation for why the wrong name/port is on the boat, and your papers are in order, it is very unlikely you will be cited even if they do pull you over.