City, State Under Boat Name?

[dhillstrom]

Recreational boaters, having observed the hailing ports lettered on commercial vessels, now mimick that practice by lettering their own home ports, even though not required by law. That's fine. I do it myself. My home port is San Francisco.

I'm something of a purist and others will disagree, but I think it quite unseamanlike to use your city of residence unless your boat sits on a trailer. Use your city of berthing instead. Why? Because it's not about you; it's about your boat. And nobody cares how many miles you drive to get to the marina.

There is no justification to adding your state's postal code (for me that would be CA). Presumably, your berth city is recognizable by others in the areas you are likely to cruise. And if not, so what?

[markpierce]

I'm anxiously awaiting to observe a boat with a "home port" of Aurora, Nevada, a ghost town in western Nevada, or similarly, Searchlight, Nevada.

[Montanan]

As to the regulations for United States Coast Guard documented vessels with regards to the hailing port and the state, territory or possession thereof, while for recreational boats the transom is the typical location for displaying the boats name and hailing port the rules are not so restrictive.

§ 67.123 Name and hailing port marking requirements.

(a) For vessels other than those covered in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the name of the vessel must be marked on some clearly visible exterior part of the port and starboard bow and the stern of the vessel. The hailing port of the vessel must be marked on some clearly visible exterior part of the stern of the vessel.

(b)Vessels with square bow. For vessels having a square bow, the name of the vessel must be marked on some clearly visible exterior part of the bow in a manner to avoid obliteration. The name and hailing port must be marked on some clearly visible exterior part of the stern.

(c)Recreational vessels. For vessels documented exclusively for recreation, the name and hailing port must be marked together on some clearly visible exterior part of the hull.

(d) The markings required by paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section, which may be made by the use of any means and materials which result in durable markings, must be made in clearly legible letters of the Latin alphabet or Arabic or Roman numerals not less than four inches in height.

As to the "hailing port" it can be almost anywhere in the USA just so long as the place is listed in publication 55DC, which includes, cities, towns, cemeteries, schools, universities, airports, mountains, valleys, creeks, lakes, rivers, marshes, plains, buttes, coulees, mines, national and state parks, monuments, hospitals, prisons, churches, etc. The list goes on forever. The designated hailing port does not need to be anything associated with a navigable port, per say. The long list of places is organized by state or territory and then alphabetically thereof which aids in searching.

Reference link: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/8346

Each geographic entity listed in this collection is identified by a unique two-character state code and a five-character numeric place code. Areas of the United States covered are the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all outlying territories with significant self-administration (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Virgin Islands). An exhaustive list is included of incorporated places, census designated places (CDPs), primary county divisions, recognized Indian reservations, and Alaska Native villages and counties. The listing also includes unincorporated places, military bases, national parks, airports, and ground transportation points. The two-character class code distinguishes over 70 entity types. Each entity is identified by the county or counties in which it is located. All categories and military bases are identified by congressional district and, in most cases, by standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs). Incorporated places, CDPs, and Indian and Alaska Native areas are cross-referenced to United States Bureau of the Census files. In addition, ZIP codes are provided for all post offices.

§ 67.119 Hailing port designation.

(a) Upon application for any Certificate of Documentation in accordance with subpart K of this part, the owner of a vessel must designate a hailing port to be marked upon the vessel.

(b) The hailing port must be a place in the United States included in the U.S. Department of Commerce's Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 55DC.

(c) The hailing port must include the State, territory, or possession in which it is located.

(d) The Director, National Vessel Documentation Center has final authority to settle disputes as to the propriety of the hailing port designated.

(e) Until such time as the vessel owner elects to designate a new hailing port, the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section do not apply to vessels which were issued a Certificate of Documentation before July 1, 1982.

[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31604, June 15, 1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52191, Sept. 30, 1998]

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Comix Bay

Wonder what looks a person would get if they put "ALCATRAZ", CA as a hailing port??

As to looks - dubious and cautious. But I am pretty sure that it is in Publication 55DC, as are San Quentin and Sing Sing. Most major correctional institutions are listed.

[Captain Anthony]

If a vessel is documented, do you still need to register the vessel and pay a registration fee? So I have purchased a documented vessel in NJ, and have redocumented it with my NY address. Do I need to register the vessel in NY pay NY
sales tax and a registration fee? An old-timer has told me that when your vessel is documented, you do not need to register it in your home state. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

[CFS Klopas]

Most, but not all, states require registration for documented boats. The USCG specifically says documentation does not exempt a boat from registration. You may have the option of registering it in a different state depending on how you use your boat and New Jersey law.

[ohdrinkboy]

I'm thinking of using "Area 51, NV"

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, dhillstrom.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Maka

My boat is USCG Documented. I changed name and hailing port to reflect my preference for both after I bought the boat.
My hailing port is in Hawaii, where I am from. Another consideration for this choice was that not everyone in the world connects Hawaii with the USA.
I am a proud and patriotic veteran. But do not want to attract unwanted attention in some places in the world where the US may not necessarily be their favorite country.
My beloved Stars and Stripes finds a safe berth in my flag locker while I Fly my Hawaiian Flag, of which I am equally proud.

Anyone who doesn't know Hawaii is part of the USA likely wouldn't recognize Topeka or most other US cities as part of the USA.

Then again, I've found it to be 99.9% a myth that people don't like Americans in general (yeah, if you show up and are a jerk but it's not that you are American it's that you are a jerk.)

I'm thinking next boat to go with either Hell, Mi or Climax Mi.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Then again, I've found it to be 99.9% a myth that people don't like Americans in general (yeah, if you show up and are a jerk but it's not that you are American it's that you are a jerk.)

Ditto. Absolutely.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by ajaddeo

If a vessel is documented, do you still need to register the vessel and pay a registration fee? So I have purchased a documented vessel in NJ, and have redocumented it with my NY address. Do I need to register the vessel in NY pay NY
sales tax and a registration fee? An old-timer has told me that when your vessel is documented, you do not need to register it in your home state. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

State laws apply to vessels in state waters. States provide a short term grace period, e.g., 90 days for vessels that are transiting / visiting, but if your vessel is staying for a longer period of time, it will need to be registered. You will not need to have it titled by the State if it is documented by a national authority, e.g., USCG in the USA. Registration should be where the vessel resides.
Cruising permits are availed to vessels that are visiting State waters which boats are registered in another State or under another Country's flag.

Yes, NY will want all the money it can charge you, sales or use taxation, property tax, luxury tax, fees, etc., etc., everything that their laws provide for. There being not a lot of advantage to a USCG documentation when it comes to State expenses and State jurisdiction. USCG documentation is mostly beneficial to provide for financing your boat and for the lender to file a lien.

[hellosailor]

aj-
You apparently are a NY resident. The NYS DMV regulates boat paperwork, the NYS tax department has the rules on taxes, including sales and use tax. Both have web sites, both answer the phone (although phone advice is often not quite right).

As a NY resident who has made a major purchase out of state, you are liable for USE TAX on the purchase of the boat. This is at the same rate as sales tax. It is normally due and payable at the time that you register the boat, HOWEVER the use tax is due, IIRC, as soon as you have made the purchase and I'm not sure what the grace period to pay that is. Possibly just 30 days, and then you can be subject to penalties and fines on top of it.
NORMALLY the registration people ask you for a use tax payment along with your registration payment, but in NYS a vessel does not have to be registered unless it has spent 90 contiguous days in the waters of NYS. That's 90 contiguous days, IN THE WATER. So in theory you could hop over to CT or NJ for the night, once every 89 days, and you'll never have to register the boat.
But you'll still owe the taxes on it, and if you don't pay the use tax and the tax man figures it out (they get the documentation data annually from the USCG) they'll send you a nice note saying "Pay this or we'll seize your boat and assets."

So it very much pays to CONTACT THE NYS authorities and make sure to do whatever they say in the proper current procedure. Better still, to ask them what to do, then actually LOOK IT UP online and make sure they are not misreading the laws, because they've been known to do that as well. Any DMV office can process this, but the offices that are in big boating towns (i.e. Huntington) are more familiar with what to do, than the folks at 42nd street, who often get confused by words like "Boat".

And if you do cross the water into NJ? Be aware that you need a boating competency certification, even if you just cross for lunch, with an engine in NJ waters.

[Resolve78]

I live in New Hampshire (where there is no sales tax) and USCG documented my boat with a Maine hailing port (where I normally moor the boat.) I bought the boat out of state and later sailed her to Maine. The state of Maine asked for payment of use/sales tax a year later. Had I used a New Hampshire hailing port, I would have avoided the sales tax.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Resolve78

I live in New Hampshire (where there is no sales tax) and USCG documented my boat with a Maine hailing port (where I normally moor the boat.) I bought the boat out of state and later sailed her to Maine. The state of Maine asked for payment of use/sales tax a year later. Had I used a New Hampshire hailing port, I would have avoided the sales tax.

Probably not. While it made it easier to determine your intent to keep the boat in Maine, most states will require you to register and pay any applicable taxes if the boat is primarily housed in the state regardless of where you live or where the registration says it lives.

Assuming you keep it at a marina or in a mooring field, they likely just went thru the list and anyone with a permanent spot got sent a bill.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Resolve78

I live in New Hampshire (where there is no sales tax) and USCG documented my boat with a Maine hailing port (where I normally moor the boat.) I bought the boat out of state and later sailed her to Maine. The state of Maine asked for payment of use/sales tax a year later. Had I used a New Hampshire hailing port, I would have avoided the sales tax.

The State law that applies to a vessel is the state in which the boat resides, be that based on presence on state's waters or on the state's land. State law applies the moment the vessel is located within the state [waters or land]. The hailing port does not define which state law applies, nor does the state of residency of the owner(s). States typically allow for short periods of time before requiring registration in the state, so as to allow for visitation and transiting from another state where the vessel is registered. Similar situation applies to land yachts [i.e., cars and trucks]. The State of Maine requested use tax to be paid because the vessel resided in the State of Maine. If the vessel had resided in a state which does not have sales or use taxation then such tax would not have been applied, i.e., avoided but not evaded. [Tax avoidance being lawful, tax evasion being unlawful.] The state where the vessel resides and which it should be registered will assess that state's applicable taxations, e.g., one time sales/use tax, annual property tax, annual excise tax, or other "fees".

As to Maine: If you want to operate watercraft on Maine waters, you may need to register it with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW).

ME Vessels Requiring Registration
The Maine IFW requires all motorized boats, including personal watercraft, used on state waters to be registered, with the following exemptions:

Vessels currently registered in another state OR country with a properly displayed decal, not operating on Maine waters for more than 60 consecutive days.
Ship lifeboats.
Vessels displaying a current boat number from a recognized racing association that are strictly used for racing.
Vessels owned by federal, state, or local governments and used only for official purposes.
Military or public watercraft, except recreational watercraft.
If you're not sure if your vessel qualifies for registration, call the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at (207) 287-8000.

Boat Registration in Maine
PRIOR to submitting a registration application, you'll need to pay excise tax on your boat unless your vessel is:

A lifeboat or raft carried by another vessel.
20 ft or under AND isn't motorized.
Exempt from property tax.
The amount of excise tax you'll owe will depend on your vessel's length and your ME county of residence. You can submit your payment and direct any additional questions about excise tax to your municipal tax collector.

Complete the registration process by presenting the following items at the IFW's main office OR at a participating municipal/town clerk's office (call ahead to confirm they process vessel registrations):

A completed:
ATV, Boat, and Snowmobile Registration (REVISED 7/17).
Boat Excise Tax Exemption if your vessel meets any of the qualifications for excise tax exemption.
Proof of use tax paid, such as:
Use Tax Certificate (Form S.T.M.V. 6U).
Bill of sale with the purchase price and amount of sales tax paid.
The applicable boat registration fees and taxes.
Maine boat registrations are valid for 1 calendar year and are valid through December 31 of the year the registration was issued.

ME Boat Registration Fees & Taxes
The fees associated with registering your boat with the ME Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are as follows:

Boat registration/renewal fees (depend on the horsepower of your boat AND if you have a lake and river protection sticker, also known as a "Milfoil" sticker):
0 to 10 horsepower: $16 ($26 with Milfoil).
11 to 50 horsepower: $21 ($31 with Milfoil).
51 to 115 horsepower: $27 ($27 with Milfoil).
More than 116 horsepower: $35 ($45 with Milfoil).

Personal watercraft registration/renewal fee: $35 ($45 with Milfoil).

Excise tax: Varies according to your county of residence.
NOTE: All fees (not taxes) include a $1 agent fee. Agents may also charge an additional $2 fee for new, transfer and rollover registrations.

Maine Boat Registration Renewals & Replacements
Maine vessel registrations are valid for 1 calendar year and expire on December 31 of the year the registration was issued. Like applying for an original boat registration, you'll need to pay excise tax on your vessel BEFORE renewing its registration. Once you've paid the excise tax (if applicable), finish renewing your boat registration by submitting information about your vessel AND payment for the appropriate renewal fees:

Online using the IFW's boat registration renewal portal (in participating counties).
By mail to the address listed on your renewal notice.