Depending on where you're at, I don't believe they have the authority to cite you. If you're on a State-owned lake, I don't know but the Great Lakes is a different story. How many federally-registered yachts navigate from other places into the Great Lakes each season? For that matter, your Federal registration is no differentthan an ore freighter or a container ship. I can't say I've seen the DNR boys flagging them down.

It was Lake Michigan in the New Buffalo area. No numbers on the side so they looked hard for the registration sticker. No sticker so they pulled me over.

in VA you cannot have both (doc, and state reg) as log as you have name and home port on the back with the reg numbers on the inside hull they can't ticket you,
but Shaun back to your ? , had ours done thru finance co. and was around 400$

why spend the money? I had a boat doc'd one time because lender required it. I have not done my last 2 boats.

so you have to renew documentation every year ? do you get something in the mail to let you know ?

If you document the boat you can avoid the state (sales) registration tax right??? But if the locality you keep your boat in knows it's there the majority of the year they are still going to want Personal Property tax though...correct?

renew it annually.... I did it by fax this year.

In NJ you also have to register the boat...every year.
Pay up sucka

I was told this by a coastie... if you buy a boat and CG doc it, you will have to skate a full year without incident (basically keep it in the garage for a year) then register it so they cant follow the paper trail to nail you for sales tax....

True on both. VA Beach did find me, but they currently do not charge property tax on boats. I get a bill from them for $0.00.