USCG Documention Under 5000 Pounds

[colo.sail]

I've been to the USCG site, plugged in all the numbers for documentation and my boat comes up well short of the minimum 5,000

What do small boat cruisers do in this case? State registration only? Is that acceptable to those pesky officials in other countries?

thanks

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by colo.sail

... State registration only? Is that acceptable to those pesky officials in other countries?
thanks

Yes indeed.

[Tempest245]

Are you using Gross Tonnage?

[colo.sail]

Plug in all the numbers on the USCG form, 22.5 length, 8 wide, roughly 6 height (from keel to toerail, mid boat)
It all comes up well short of the 5000 required for documentation.

I guess I could lie about the numbers and get the online approval

[Tempest245]

Well, I would not encourage lying to the CG, but maybe a phone call to them could help.

[osirissail]

I have heard but not actually seen anybody do it - but supposedly if you explain that you are sailing around the world in the boat, they will make an exception and document the boat. Help from you Senator or Congressman can also sometimes solve this problem.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by colo.sail

Is that acceptable to those pesky officials in other countries?

Believe it or not, some of the officials in "other" countries will actually be smarter than you. And when they pick up the Ugly American attitude that you consider them "pesky," there's a good chance they'll make you wish you'd left that pesky 22-footer home.

A 22' "documented yacht" is not going to fool anyone. The sooner you learn to respect the officials of the host country, the more likely you'll be welcomed as a visitor, regardless of whether you're documented or registered.

[daddle]

Why do you want documentation? Really? They use the same cheap paper as the states. It makes no difference anywhere you go. The most I've ever heard is "Hmmm, never seen a California registration..." And in California it's far cheaper....$5/yr or something.

[PAR]

Agreed, I've found host country officals don't really care, so long as things are in order, nothing seems as though you might be trying to fool anyone and most importantly, you're a reasonable person.

They've seen the usual suspects, Florida, Delaware, New York, Texas, California, etc., you may want to have some fun and get her registered in Iowa, Kansas or some place they realllly haven't seen before.