Registering backyard built boats

[wallacethegreenmonster]

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So I built a 15.5 foot outboard skiff and it needs to be registered in Massachusetts and they tell me I have to start with the environmental police giving me a hull number. My question is that I am not a licensed boat builder and put no flotation in the skiff. Will I just fail any inspection? Does anyone know the order of who I need to have come by, where I need to go, who I need to pay to get this stuff done? I imagine there are several backyard boatbuilders who have come across this issue. Does the coast guard or EPD ever just come by and say your boat stinks, I'm failing you? Thanks.

[pipefitter]

Here in FL, you have to call the wildlife officers. The boat has to be 16ft or over and you have to provide proof you built it with materials receipts etc. Here, you don't have to add flotation unless the boat is built for sale to the public and the officers come to you. The info should be at your DMV site since that's where you register it. Go to the DMV first, they should give you an info packet on what to have ready for the inspection. That way, if you get an arrogant little pr__k for an officer like I got, you can shove the requirement list at him.

[kc8pql]

Here in Ohio it's done by the Dept. of Natural Resources. You take the boat to them, or they'll come to you if it's to big to move. All they care about is that the boat isn't stolen, it's never had a HIN and that you actually built it.

Everything starts with the HIN. Once you have that you can get a title, state registration, documentation if it's a big boat, insurance or whatever.

[George Roberts]

The Coast Guard has a pamphlet about the requirements. It is free.

But call the environmental police they will tell you their process. I expect they will drive to you. There should be no charge.

[Dave Gray]

In Oregon the boat has to be twelve feet or longer. You need to take it to an office so it can be inspected and registered. They suggest bringing receipts for materials as well as photographs showing your build. I forget exactly but trailers under a certain length do not need to be licensed.

[donald branscom]

In California make sure you keep ALL reciepts because they will try to tax you as if you had bought the boat.
Tell them you have already paid all the taxes and they will ask you for copies of all the reciepts but you don not need to make copies .Just give them the reciepts after you total them up. They send them to Sacramento and store them in a file cabinet.
If you have ANY trouble ask for a supervisor.The whole system is not set up for someone to build their own boat.

[Daydreamer]

Getting a hull number and passing a coast guard safety inspection are two different things. Different states will have different requirements.

I am just starting to go through the process here in Mississippi. They are mailing out some forms to me. I have to fill one of the out and mail it in to the Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks district office. Then someone will call me about coming out to look at the boat. Here is what got me. I asked about where and how to put the HIN on. They said that they will issue me a "high quality" sticker with the HIN to put on the transom. I though the number had to be permanently fixed in two places. Has anyone else heard of this?

Sorry to hijack your thread with my own question but it seemed appropriate and related.

[Lewisboats]

Most states do not require a Coast Guard inspection...unless it is a larger boat. Small skiffs are usually left to the local DNR people to check.

[nedL]

A friend of mine just went through something similar (also in Mass.). He had a mid 1960's 16' inboard skiff completely restored from a total 'basket case'. I believe the only paperwork he had was a letter from the previous owner and some sort of a cert. from the shop that did the restoration. It was a good bit of red tape, including a 2 hour trip to the beginning of the Cape for some sort of a C.G. inspection prior to a trip to the DMV, but he did it and it is now registered (only about ten days ago). The floatation thing wasn't an issue I guess as there is no way that it would float if swamped (16' boat with Chris craft 185hp V8). I would say it is certainly do-able, just follow the red tape & fill out the forms. Good luck.

[Thorne]

Home built is one thing, building for resale is quite different.

Just do what the DMV or whatever says...

[dpincus]

the environmental police need to see the boat to give it a hull number (HIN). either bring it to them or have them come to you (it's easier to bring it to them, just call them and they'll let you know how) and then bring your pile of receipts for the materials you used to build the boat to the marine cops place (right by North station) pay the tax and they'll give you numbers and your title will arrive in a few weeks.

dp

[willmarsh3]

In Alabama I called the Marine Police in Montgomery and got a form sent. I filled it out and mailed back. Then they called and we set up an appointment for an officer to show up and see the boat. He asked various questions and looked it over. Then he gave me two HIN stickers - one to put on back and the other inside somewhere toward aft. He also gave me some paperwork to take to the courthouse to get registered.

It sounds like a lot of states do it this way.

If I were building the boat to sell then it would have to undergo extensive testing including swamping the boat to see if it still floated.

[Daydreamer]

willmarch3, that sounds exactly like the Mississippi procedure. I'm curious to see what this sticker looks like and how long it holds up.

[ToddFwbf]

Willmarsh3,
If I'm not mistaken the stability and swamping tests are USCG for resale boats and not related to state registration . That would add another set of hoops either way though.

-Todd

[Ray Frechette Jr]

If I were building the boat to sell then it would have to undergo extensive testing including swamping the boat to see if it still floated.


Nope, no tests needed, no swamping necessary. If you are a builder to sell, heirinafter referred to as Pro builder. you need to certify thatthe boat meets all aplicable coast guard requirements at time of building.

If it is a motor or row boat under 20 ft you need to meat level floatation standards.

If the USCG picks up one of your boats that had an accident and you didn't meet the standards, or your capacity plate is not accurate, then you got problems...


The swamping test is to determine capactiy rating and to ensure you put enbough floatation in the right places and the USCG will perform this test for free for a builder and tell him if he got the numbers right or if he needs to make out the capacity plate different.

The other option is to do some engineering math and derate the capactiy to give oyu a margin, and to voer do the floatation.

No need to actually have the test performed. Pro builder just has to certify compliance.

Know why I like to build sail boats instead? No requirements on sail boats.

[jimmy lee]

Here in Illinois, we have to go to The Dept. of Natural Resources. In our State, building a homebuilt is not the same as building for resale. I'm sure when you contact them they will give all the info you need. Here, they asked for some building pictures and a picture of the complete boat, and I had to send in the mail with the application filled out and,let's NOT forget the money, to send, and in return, they gave a HULL number and the reg. number and decal that goes on the bow, on each side. Here the money was only. $22.00 dollars. For three years of registration. Not bad, in my opinion.

[ToddFwbf]

Here's a link that may be useful
http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/index2.html

[eastern270]

I talked to the massachusetts environmental police awhile back. They told me when I'm finished building the boat to contact them. Have all my receipts to prove I built it and also because you just like me live in taxachusetts they want to make sure that you paid sales tax on the supplies or else they will estimate a value and charge you sales tax when you register it. A form will be mailed to you and an appointment will be made for an environmental officer to come and check boat and receipts and then assign a hull identification number. I beleive from there you can go to their office in Boston and register and title the boat. You can also call them and they will explain the process to you. hope this helps.

[JimConlin]

I've recently had a similar interaction with the Mass. Environmental Police. I'm a USCG registered builder, so I'm the person who assigns a HIN to a boat and affixes it. My MA MEP officer seemed to be satisfied with my description of how I'd marked my boat and he did not actually see the boat. I think that in a home built boat, he'll need to see the boat , will assign a HIN and will advise you how to mark the boat.
He seemed to have no interest in the safety issues of flotation, stability, fuel systems or even MSD's.

YMMV,

Jim

[S B]

Here if you want to drown yourself ,with a home made boat, it is none of the gov's business. By the regulations they apply, you are probably better off not telling them about your boat anyway.

[willmarsh3]

willmarch3, that sounds exactly like the Mississippi procedure. I'm curious to see what this sticker looks like and how long it holds up.

The sticker is about 1 1/2" high x 2" wide. It's made of white plastic and reflective like a road sign. It says:

Alabama Marine Police
Hull Identification Number
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The state seal is in the background and light gray. After more than 3 years in the carportI don't see any deterioration.

[Tylerdurden]

I built a couple in Mass, if you get the numbers your good to go and can just register it. I had a strip of brass that they let me put the numbers on and attach inside the hull but I have heard some just want to get in there and butcher it themselves. Only issue I have with that.
In upstate NY I had one guy who insisted on doing it to a vacationer and botched it up badly. I took photos along on the next one and the officer let me do it on brass in front of him with apology's for the last A-hole. Just be nice and act professional and you will get by.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

...Have all my receipts to prove I built it and also because you just like me live in taxachusetts they want to make sure that you paid sales tax on the supplies or else they will estimate a value and charge you sales tax when you register it. .....


Hah, Maine was worse than that when I built my first home built boat before becoming a pro shop.

I had the receitpts and they wanted to give a valuation for labor! Yep they wanted me to pay excise and sales tax on the value of my own labor!

I told them to pound sand. Home built boats frequently sell on market for less than the cost of supplies and they had gotten enough of my money already.

I left the office and followed up with Secratary of State who called local tax office and advised them to back down.

[Peter Eikenberry]

The procedure is simple.

You go to the office in Massachusetts (that's where your profile says you are) that registers boats. Tell them it is a backyard built boat and you need a BYBB HIN. They will have you sign a certification that you built the boat. There may be some nonsense about it's value. That differs from state to state. Some states require a cop to look at the boat, solely to verify it exists. (too much fraud going on)

There is no Coast Guard inspection! You can have the boat examined by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and get a safety sticker but that is strictly voluntary. All this is only if you built the boat for your own use. If you built it for resale it's a different story.

Todd gave you a link to my web site but there is a better one.

http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/hin.html This page explains Hull ID numbers.

http://newboatbuilders.com/docs/backyardboatbuilders.pdf This is a booklet called Safety Standards For Backyard Boat Builders. It is in PDF format. The Coast Guard used to publish it but no longer does. It is only available from my site and a couple of other web sites. However, the info in it iis still valid. It has a section on getting an HIN from the state, and who to contact. I used to work at the CG office of Boating Safety and had some input into this book so if you have any questions e-mail me.

[George Roberts]

While there is no federal inspection of home built boats, there are federal requirements. The state has the right to require compliance with those requirements.

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Oklahoma requires compliance with the federal requirements. Inspection of home built boats us used to ensure that boats are not stolen.