I am expecting my (new to me), 2000 35' Lightning Classic to arrive here on the Left coast next week. I have been thinking about getting it Documented rather than a state registration, but I don't really know the advantages/disadvantages. Any information will be appreciated. If you document a boat is it a one time thing or does it need to be renewed? If I end up with state registration I would probably use Arizona, as they are easier on the personal property tax. Can a vessel be documented in a state like AZ or do you have to be on an ocean? Thanks in advance.
David

I have mine Documented in Indiana and they use the place that I keep it a majority of the time as the hailing port which is Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I don't have to renew the Documentation, but still need to register it in the State of Indiana. I do not need to display numbers on the boat since it's documented. Not sure of any pros and cons. Congrats on the new boat!

Thank you, Needles to say, I am beyond excited. How much did it cost to document the boat? and did you use a service or did you do it yourself? Thanks.

I have documented two baots and both times went through a documentation service. I think it was around $400.00. I would think you could do it yourself for less.

Documented my Baja. Pro's it is Federally registered to any port that you wish. No ugly stickers on the side of your boat. Registration renewal is cheap.

CONS, expensive at first. If ever the NAVY ever needed a boat the can comandier your boat. Otherwise thats it.

I live in CA. and the real main reason was to by pass the CA Luxury Tax of 1% of the purchase of the boat. Fees on tiop of boat registration and trailer registration costs. I will say this though. If you Coast Guard register the boat then its your responsibility to notify the Tax Board to let them know you own a boat so they can charge you the Luxury TAx. It doesn't matter if you register it Mexico. It matters were you reside at. I'll admit I'm guilty. I never said anything and my boat is Coast Guard registerd in Havasu. Its the DMV that sends all info to the Tax Board. So being Coast Guard registered there is no paper trail of you owning a boat. Only risk is if the DMV ever says "Why does this person own a trailer without a boat" and reports you to the Tax Board. Then the Tax Board can get you for past taxes and late penalty fees. My trick is I made sure the title on the trailer said "Carrier" not "boat trailer" so if ever asked I can say its for carring junk. I owend previous boats and registered them too in AZ as an out of state reisidence. Same princibles apply. But I never been caught. But from personal experience Coast Guard Registration is a whole lot cheaper in the end. If I ever am to get caught I would get out of boating since CA charges to much and would put me over the edge. Are boats today are easily over 100K. That put a yearly Luxary Tax over 1k a year added to other boating expenses. Not cool. Time to move out of CA. Hope this info helps

If the bank does not require it or you're paying cash, don't waste the money. Banks like it cause it is registered federally and easier to repo.
Also, you must have a name on the back in big letters I think. You then need to mount the documentation number in the bildge. In WI, you still have to display the state stickers on each side of the name on the stern.

http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/CoastGuard/index.html

River Rat, thanks, that is what I was looking for. My situation is the same. I will keep the boat in Havasu and use it in AZ except for an occasional trip to Avalon or the Channel Islands. I think I will do the same thing.

If the boat you are buying is documented it's not a bad idea to have a service do a search to make sure it is clean, done much like a title search, they will provide proof that the boat is clean. If you document for yourself it is worth using a service just to speed it up and make sure it's all done right, normally 400-500 will do it, the search fee runs about 150 I think. I sell some for a marina and our documentation service gave me a deal on the search at 75.

My boat was documented when I bought it. It was registered in NY. All I did was call the coast guards main office, which I believe was located somewhere in Ohio, and request a transfer. They sent me the paperwork to fillout, along with a copy of the bill of sale, and I think there was a $50 fee included.
It took about 4 months to go through and get my boat into the system.

In Illinois, you don't have to have a name on the back of the boat, but you're required to have the state sticker on each side on the back transom.

When I purchased our last boat, I wanted to pay cash, and have no trace back to me. I have my 85 yr old mother as the owner of it. Was kinda funny one day when we pulled it out of the water in the harbor, there were 4 DNR officers checking everybodys paperwork at the ramp. The one cop asked me for my paperwork, and I handed him the plastic envelope with all the boat doc, ins, etc, etc. He called everything in from his truck, walked back to our boat, now on the trailer, with my wife up in the boat, handing me all the coolers out of it, and said, Gee, "Alice" (who is my mom) looks pretty good for being 82 years old.
I laughed and said no that's my mother, she just owns it, and we just use it for her. He handed me the paperwork back, rolled his eyes, and walked away.

The boat was registered in Ohio, not documented. I am buying it from the bank that had financed it, so I know it will have a clean title, but I will probably use a service because it sounds like they know the ropes and I don't.
Thanks,
David