Documentation

Discussions about Cape Dory, Intrepid and Robinhood sailboats and how we use them. Got questions? Have answers? Provide them here.

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Steve Laume
Posts: 4127
Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 20:40
Location: Raven1984 Cape Dory 30C Hull #309Noank, CT
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Documentation

Post by Steve Laume »

Okay it has been a long winter and I am looking into documentation for Raven.

What are the advantages of, or would necessitate needing documentation?

Plans in the near future might include Bermuda and Canada. Would you be sent home with state registration? I have a feeling it might have more to do with coming home.

Raven was documented at one time but it was two owners before me as far as I know. I have the official CG bill of sale from my purchase. There is one transaction in between. I have a name and address but know nothing else about this owner. The way I understand the process is that I have to have bill of sales for each owner in the chain.

I suppose I should call and ask my questions to the people who ultimately make the decisions but I thought I would throw it out here first, Steve.
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CruiseAlong
Posts: 140
Joined: Mar 2nd, '06, 16:27
Location: CD31, "KAUNIS", #45
Seaford, VA
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Not Too Bad to Reinstate

Post by CruiseAlong »

Steve,
I had purchase a CD31 in an estate sale where the owners had passed away and the documentation had expired. A documentation agency had told me it would be a nightmare but it was not anything close to that at all thanks to the web. I handled it myself. Instructions are available at...
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/
The CG is very easy to talk to on the phone BTW for your specific needs.
I think you will only need a notarized bill of sale (Coast Guard CG-1340) and a reapplication for documentation using form CG-1258. The only problem I could remotely see is if a former owner had a marine mortgage and that bank did not send a release of mortgage to the CG (yep, it happens more often than one thinks..the owner gets the release but the CG never receives it...and it is the bank that the CG has to receive it from. I had to play catch up with my bank about this on a former boat after 7 years had passed...and the bank had been sold to another bank and the new bank had no record of the loan....but I had my receipts to the former bank. So the new bank took care of it.
The former documentation number will remain the same as the former owner. The whole thing will probably cost $84+$29.
Dana
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CruiseAlong
Posts: 140
Joined: Mar 2nd, '06, 16:27
Location: CD31, "KAUNIS", #45
Seaford, VA
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What advantages does it have???

Post by CruiseAlong »

Makes clearing a foreign port much easier
Provides clear ownership documentation of mortgage and liens
Makes resale documentation easier
In many states means no bow numbers or decals (each sate is different)
Dana
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Bruce Bett
Posts: 75
Joined: Apr 5th, '05, 07:48
Location: CD30 #326 Malinche Port Sanilac MI
Member # 1160

Either Works Fine

Post by Bruce Bett »

Steve:

When I bought Malinche she was documented, so I transferred the document. It was painless indeed the officials I talked to were very helpful delightful really. It cost a hundred bucks for the transfer, and has to be renewed every year. Renewal is free but you do have to send in a form. I've been sailing across Lakes Huron and Erie for years, both on Malinche and Sostenuto my CD 25. The Canadians can work just fine with a Michigan Registration or a document number. My brother has spent the last two winters cruising the western Caribbean. He's been to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. He says he has had no trouble with his Michigan Registration. Having said that he is talking about getting her documented, I'm not sure why.
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Joe Myerson
Posts: 2216
Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 11:22
Location: s/v Creme Brulee, CD 25D, Hull #80, Squeteague Harbor, MA

It's easy for a recreational vessel

Post by Joe Myerson »

Steve,

Like everyone else who answered has said, the Coast Guard's documentation office--in that salty, nautical state of West Virginia (thanks, no doubt to the late Sen. Robt. Byrd) is very easy to deal with.

Having a documented boat in Mass. means saving the registration fee, but in Conn. that doesn't apply. As for Bermuda and Canada, I don't think you'd need to be documented in either location, but it does give you an unimpeachable chain of ownership, should you ever need to sell or get a loan.

I renewed my documentation because the previous two owners had; it was easy.

--Joe
Former Commodore, CDSOA
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80

"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
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johnny of STORK
Posts: 97
Joined: Feb 7th, '05, 18:51
Location: Cape Dory 30 #240 STORK
Taos, NM
San Carlos, Sonora, MX
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Post by johnny of STORK »

Reason #?:

Those numbers look so cool, nicely carved into the woodwork around the companionway.

Johnny
House
Posts: 52
Joined: Mar 11th, '09, 22:27
Location: CD28 #346, Miss Evelean

Documentation

Post by House »

Steve,

Miss Evelean had also been documented by her previous owners, although she was no longer current when we bought her. We just had to fill out a renewal form, send a notarized copy of our bill of sale, and pay the appropriate fee. USCG will send you a notice at the end of each renewal cycle; if you still own the boat and all the original information is the same, you just return the form. There's no charge for this. For us, USCG documentation made more sense than paying a yearly fee for NC registration. Good luck!

Richard
Ken Cave
Posts: 176
Joined: Nov 6th, '10, 21:17
Location: CD 28#227
Anacortes, WA

Documation is right!

Post by Ken Cave »

In the State of Washington, they seem to "lose" the papers needed
to register the boat. I am documented, but when I tried to pay my
fees to the State of Washington last year (after owning the boat
since 2000!!) they had the hull number completely wrong!

If this happened when I was going to Canada, I don't know what
would have happened, but I am sure happy that I had documented
the boat when I bought it from the previous owner.

Ken Cave
CD 28
Dragon Tale
trapper
Posts: 445
Joined: Jun 5th, '07, 21:14
Location: "Saga Blue" #180
CD25D, Lake Murray SC

Post by trapper »

SC is a nightmare registering boats. I have seen grown men in tears at the DNR. I felt like it myself when I found that a Ty daysailer that I bought had been registered in SC in 1976 and I had an out of state bill of sale yet title had never been transferred out of SC. It was a nightmare. It took multiple letters and in the end, 17 exhibits.

CG Documentation is a breeze. It is a little more expensive on the front end but it is a one time cost. Also no numbers on the bow just a name and hailing port on the transom. If they would let me document my Ty, I would!
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12Sail
Posts: 27
Joined: Feb 20th, '11, 22:46
Location: Ellie, CD 31 Hull #2
Urbanna, VA

Post by 12Sail »

Agree with al posts. Easier to do than it sounds, no numbers or letters to clutter the bow, and the carved numbers really are quite "yachty". Aalso kinda goofy, but the document itself gives a more substantial feel to owning such a fine boat. You wont regret the process or the results.
"Oh God, your ocean is so vast and my boat is so small."
okawbow
Posts: 28
Joined: May 1st, '09, 11:47
Location: Corinthian 19

processing time

Post by okawbow »

I called the CG doc, office a couple weeks ago to find out about documenting my Cheoy Lee 31. I was told they are at least 4 months behind. They also said I could ask for them to expidite my application if I had a good reason. I sent my ap. in with a letter stating I was leaving soon, on a several month trip that my take us to at least 2 other countries. I got my approved document back in less than 10 days. Got my numbers carved into a mahogany board that will be permanently glued to a bulkhead. Cost was $139.00 for a first time documentation.
trapper
Posts: 445
Joined: Jun 5th, '07, 21:14
Location: "Saga Blue" #180
CD25D, Lake Murray SC

Post by trapper »

The CG will send you a renewal form every year. Don't forget to send it in otherwise your documentation will expire. Also, be sure to abide by all of the regs re: documentation (documentation numbers permanently affixed to the hull, documentation certificate on board, name and hailing port placed correctly and correct size), Failure to follow regs can resuslt in up to a $10k fine.
trapper
Posts: 445
Joined: Jun 5th, '07, 21:14
Location: "Saga Blue" #180
CD25D, Lake Murray SC

Post by trapper »

The CG will send you a renewal form every year. Don't forget to send it in otherwise your documentation will expire. Also, be sure to abide by all of the regs re: documentation (documentation numbers permanently affixed to the hull, documentation certificate on board, name and hailing port placed correctly and correct size), Failure to follow regs can resuslt in up to a $10k fine.
Ken Cave
Posts: 176
Joined: Nov 6th, '10, 21:17
Location: CD 28#227
Anacortes, WA

Numbers on hull?

Post by Ken Cave »

My numbers are located under the front bilge cover attached to the
floor of the bilge. The former owner used regular stick on numbers then epoxied over them for permanency.

Was boarded last year, and the feds were happy with the numbers.

No need to scratch!

Ken Cave
Cape Dory 28
Dragon Tale
Jim Walsh
Posts: 3340
Joined: Dec 18th, '07, 13:04
Location: CD31 "ORION" Hull #27 Noank, Ct.

stick on also

Post by Jim Walsh »

I also used stick-on's and epoxied over to make them permanent. They are discretely applied in the head on a bulkhead. I didn't care to make the numbers an integral part of my decor. To each his own.....
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