What is a CF Number? - Vessel Registrar LLC

A Permanent Registration Number for Undocumented California Vessels

In the state of California, vessels that are not documented with the Coast Guard receive CF numbers.

Use this link to contact the proper authorities regarding your vessel.

Use this link if, instead, you wish to apply for USCG vessel documentation.

More Than Just Help With Learning What is a CF Number

The Vessel Registrar Center is dedicated to helping vessel owners manage their Coast Guard documentation seamlessly. Whether it’s registering a vessel for the first time, renewing an existing registration, replacing lost documentation, or reinstating a lapsed certificate, we provide the expertise and support you need.

For those considering a vessel purchase, our vessel documentation search makes the research process easier. Learn more about the vessel’s background and ownership with our Abstract of Title service or obtain Certified Copies of Certificates of Documentation for added peace of mind.

After securing your vessel, we offer assistance with applications such as the Preferred Ship’s Mortgage or the Notice of Claim of Lien. With our guidance, you can navigate these requirements with confidence.

Below are legal details related to United States Coast Guard documentation that may be relevant to you:

Subpart M—Miscellaneous Applications

67.175 Application for new vessel determination.

(a) When a vessel has been constructed entirely of new materials, no application for a new vessel determination need be made under this section. Application for initial documentation must be made in accordance with subpart K of this part.

(b) When parts of an existing vessel have been used in the construction of a vessel and the owner wants a determination that the resulting vessel is new in accordance with this part, the owner must file with the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center;

(1) A builder’s certification, as described in § 67.99;

(2) A written statement describing the extent to which materials from the existing vessel were used in the construction and the extent to which those materials were torn down; and

(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints of the hull and superstructure which must identify, where practicable, components of the old vessel.

[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52191, Sept. 30, 1998]

67.177 Application for foreign rebuilding determination.

A vessel is deemed rebuilt foreign when any considerable part of its hull or superstructure is built upon or substantially altered outside of the United States. In determining whether a vessel is rebuilt foreign, the following parameters apply:

(a) Regardless of its material of construction, a vessel is deemed rebuilt when a major component of the hull or superstructure not built in the United States is added to the vessel.

(b) For a vessel of which the hull and superstructure is constructed of steel or aluminum—

(1) A vessel is deemed rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight, prior to the work, also known as discounted lightship weight.

(2) A vessel may be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes more than 7.5 percent but not more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work.

(3) A vessel is not considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes 7.5 percent or less of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work.

(1) A vessel is deemed rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.

(2) A vessel may be considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to more than 7.5 percent but not more than 10 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.

(3) A vessel is not considered rebuilt when work performed on its hull or superstructure constitutes a quantum of work determined, to the maximum extent practicable, to be comparable to 7.5 percent or less of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum.

(d) For a vessel of mixed construction, such as a vessel the hull of which is constructed of steel or aluminum and the superstructure of which is constructed of fibrous reinforced plastic, the steelweight of the work performed on the portion of the vessel constructed of a material other than steel or aluminum will be determined, to the maximum extent practicable, and aggregated with the work performed on the portion of the vessel constructed of steel or aluminum. The numerical parameters described in paragraph (b) of this section will then be applied to the aggregate of the work performed on the vessel compared to the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, calculated as if the vessel were wholly constructed of steel or aluminum, to determine whether the vessel has been rebuilt.

(e) The owner of a vessel currently entitled to coastwise or fisheries endorsements which is altered outside the United States and the work performed is determined to constitute or be comparable to more than 7.5 percent of the vessel’s steelweight prior to the work, or which has a major component of the hull or superstructure not built in the United States added, must file the following information with the National Vessel Documentation Center within 30 days following the earlier of completion of the work or redelivery of the vessel to the owner or owner’s representative:

(1) A written statement applying for a rebuilt determination, outlining in detail the work performed and naming the place(s) where the work was performed;

(2) Calculations showing the actual or comparable steelweight of the work performed on the vessel, the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel, and comparing the actual or comparable steelweight of the work performed to the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel;

(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints describing the work performed; and

(4) Any further submissions requested by the National Vessel Documentation Center.

(f) Regardless of the extent of actual work performed, the owner of a vessel currently entitled to coastwise or fisheries endorsements may, as an alternative to filing the items listed in paragraph (e) of this section, submit a written statement to the National Vessel Documentation Center declaring the vessel rebuilt outside the United States. The vessel will then be deemed to have been rebuilt outside the United States with loss of trading privileges.

(g) A vessel owner may apply for a preliminary rebuilt determination by submitting:

(1) A written statement applying for a preliminary rebuilt determination, outlining in detail the work planned and naming the place(s) where the work is to be performed;

(2) Calculations showing the actual or comparable steelweight of work to be performed on the vessel, the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel, and comparing the actual or comparable steelweight of the planned work to the actual or comparable steelweight of the vessel;

(3) Accurate sketches or blueprints describing the planned work; and

(4) Any further submissions requested by the National Vessel Documentation Center.

Note:

A statement submitted in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section does not constitute an application for a rebuilt determination and does not require payment of a fee.

[CGD 94-040, 61 FR 17815, Apr. 22, 1996, as amended by USCG-2009-0702, 74 FR 49230, Sept. 25, 2009]

Subpart N [Reserved]

Subpart O—Filing and Recording of Instruments—General Provisions

67.200 Instruments eligible for filing and recording.

Only the following listed instruments are eligible for filing and recording:

(a) Bills of sale and instruments in the nature of bills of sale;

(b) Deeds of gift;

(c) Mortgages and assignments, assumptions, supplements, amendments, subordinations, satisfactions, and releases thereof;

(d) Preferred mortgages and assignments, assumptions, supplements, amendments, subordinations, satisfactions, and releases thereof;

(e) Interlender agreements affecting mortgages, preferred mortgages, and related instruments; and

(f) Notices of claim of lien, assignments, amendments, and satisfactions and releases thereof.

67.203 Restrictions on filing and recording.

(a) No instrument will be accepted for filing unless the vessel to which it pertains is the subject of:

(1) A valid Certificate of Documentation; or

(2) An application for initial documentation, exchange of Certificate of Documentation, return to documentation, or for deletion from documentation, which is in substantial compliance with the applicable regulations, submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center.

(b) An instrument identified as eligible for filing and recording under § 67.200 may not be filed and recorded if it bears a material alteration.

(c) An instrument identified as eligible for filing and recording under § 67.200 (a) or (b) may not be filed and recorded if any vendee or transferee under the instrument is not a citizen of the United States as defined in section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, (46 U.S.C. app. 802) unless the Maritime Administration has consented to the grant to a non-citizen made under the instrument.

(d) The restriction imposed by paragraph (c) of this section does not apply to a bill of sale or deed of gift conveying an interest in a vessel which was neither documented nor last documented pursuant to these regulations or any predecessor regulations thereto at the time the instrument was executed, nor to an instrument conveying an interest in a vessel identified in § 67.11(b).

[CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, Nov. 15, 1993; 58 FR 65131, Dec. 13, 1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31605, June 15, 1995; USCG-2016-0531, 82 FR 43864, Sept. 20, 2017]

67.205 Requirement for vessel identification.

(a) Every instrument presented for filing and recording must contain sufficient information to clearly identify the vessel(s) to which the instrument relates.

(b) Instruments pertaining to vessels which have been documented must contain the vessel’s name and official number, or other unique identifier.

(1) The vessel’s Hull Identification Number assigned in accordance with 33 CFR 181.25; or

(2) Other descriptive information, which clearly describes the vessel. Such information may include length, breadth, depth, year of build, name of manufacturer, and any numbers which may have been assigned in accordance with 33 CFR part 173.

67.207 Requirement for date and acknowledgment.

(a) Every instrument presented for filing and recording must:

(1) Bear the date of its execution; and

(2) Contain an acknowledgment.

(b) No officer or employee of the Coast Guard is authorized to take such acknowledgments unless the instrument is executed on behalf of the Federal Government of the United States.

67.209 No original instrument requirement.

A copy of the original signed and acknowledged instrument must be presented. The original instrument itself may be presented but is not required. The copy may be delivered to the National Vessel Documentation Center or transmitted by facsimile or in portable document format (.pdf) in accordance with the procedures in §§ 67.218 and 67.219 of this part. Signatures may be affixed manually or digitally.

[USCG-2007-28098, 72 FR 42312, Aug. 2, 2007]