title verses doctumentd vessel

[faraway]

I am really having trouble figuring this one out.
Faraway was purchased as a documented vessel but still has to pay state sales tax and regerstration.
Is it really better to maintain her as a documented vessel or better to aquire a state of Fl title and be done with it.

[paul marko]

I registered my Documented 1977 CD28 in Englewood Florida last year after playing cat and mouse with the local environmental police for about 6 years. I sailed the boat down from Vermont and kept it registered there until I was given a warning that I had to change the registration. I bought the boat new in California and payed the sales tax at purchase.

Since the boat is a 1977 model I registered it as an antique. The registration cost 8 dollars a year( Antique vessels should not have to pay , but the local Engle would tax collector said it was 8 $ so I did not complain.. Since its been documented before registration I don't have numbers on the outside of the hull,simply a decal in the window.

I hope this is useful info.
Paul Marko

[barfwinkle]

I think that even if a vessel is documented, the state of residence (or at least some of them) still gets their paws into your pocket by requiring that the vessel be registered with the state as well. At least that is what our local water gestapo say.

Fair Winds

[Steve Kuhar]

Faraway,

What Paul said is basically correct. Regardless of whether a vessel is documented or not, states may still require that sales tax be paid at the time of purchase and that vessels pay annual registration fees, Florida (and probably every other state) does both. The advantages of documentation are proof positive of ownership and nationality when at sea or in foriegn ports. Documented vessels are not required to display state registration numbers, but must display name and home port.

If you have not already documented the boat in your name the process is not all that complicated and you can find all the necessary information and forms at the USCG Vessel Documentation Center homepage. Don't pay one of the documentation services company to do the work for you, it is not that difficult. A fee is charged for a change in ownership, use, or vessel name so do it all at once. Subsequent renewals are free and easy; the Coast Guard sends you a reminder form, if there are no changes you send it back, and they send you your new documentation certificate.

Steve Kuhar

[Boyd]

Documented boats purchased out of state and kept out of state for 6 months are exempt from Florida sales tax. The boat must be in the U.S. and not in a foreign country such as the Bahamas. During the stay in another state you need to have receipts proving your stay.

I bought the boat in a state that had no tax on used boat sales and moved her as a "vessel in transit" to a anther state.

They dont like it at the local Florida license bureau but its legal. I called and verified it before I went that route about 10 years ago.

Boyd
s/v Tern
CD30 MkII
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

[miguel mascaros]

Hi Boyd....
Is your boat registered in Florida...

[Boyd]

Yes it is.

[faraway]

Thank you all for your help.
I guess though I did not say it right, what I am trying to figure out is should I leave her a documented vessel or get a state title.
I really do not think I will be bouncing around the world anytime soon and will be 99% coastal us.

[barfwinkle]

I guess it will come down to paying one fee or two. Even if the boat is documented, you will have to pay the FL registration fee. If you just bought the boat I guess there will be "document" transfer fees as well or can you let the CG Documentation expire?

fair winds

[Steve Kuhar]

I purchased a documented 1985 CD30 in Texas last year. The fee for a change of ownership, homeport, and name was $92.00. This is a one time fee, annual renewal is free if there are no changes other than address. The process is simple for a currently documented vessel, but I understand that it is a real hassle if your documentation is allowed to lapse.

Sales tax must be paid at the time of purchase, either in Florida, or in the state that you bought the boat in, pick the cheapest. If you happened to buy in a state that does not charge sales tax you are home free, but I would sure like to know what state, if any will still let you get away with that.

Florida registration for a CD30B is $55.75 a year, and you will have to pay that regardless of documentation status. As suggested above Florida does have a reduced registration fee for antique vehicles, and it never occured to me to ask if it applies to boats as well, that was a nice piece of information to get. I don't know how old the vehicle or vessel has to be but it is not that old, my 74 MG has been getting the reduced rate for a number of years.

Steve Kuhar

[Jim Davis]

Many states follow Maryland's example. If the state has a reciprocity agreement with the other state, you only pay the difference. If no agreement, you pay the full tax.

If you keep it registered/doccumented with an "out of state address", how long can you keep it in the desired state before they come looking for you. Here in Maryland the penalties are worse than the tax.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Delaware is one state that I know with no sales tax, so it is a popular place to register, boats, planes, etc. However to be legit you would also need to follow the laws of the state where you actually use your boat. Having a Delaware home port on a boat in Maryland is probably similar to putting a target on it. Maryland is very aggressive in pursuing sales tax. I bought a used Avon RIB from a dealer in Annapolis last spring and got a letter asking for the sales tax from the MD Dept of Rev about six weeks later. As the dinghy was going to be used in Maine I paid the sales tax there so it was no problem. But they were very detailed in the questions they wanted you to respond to.

[Clay Stalker]

Rhode Island has no sales tax on boats, and New Hampshire has no sales tax on anything. Documented boats in these states are still required to be registered, but it is not strongly enforced. Because I live in New Hampshire and sail in Rhode Island, my documentation home port of Keene, NH has worked and I have never actually registered any boat I have ever owned. This has been on the advice of various brokers I have used who told me that these states will gladly take your money if you want to register your boat, but won't chase documented boats because it takes too long to nail down where they actually sail....especially boats like mine that sail in NY, CT, RI, Mass, NH, and Maine. Apparently the sales tax is the big thing....some states (Maine for sure) use the Coast Guard documentation site to track down boats and try to determine if someone is skirting the sales tax....they can be pretty determined to get their money!!