You are very excited at the prospect of finally owning your own boat. All the time it took for you to visit showrooms, talk to manufacturers, haggle over pricing, and more was well worth it to you now that the deal is done. Before you take your boat out for its initial time on the water, there are some details you will need to take care of. No doubt, if you are familiar at all with documentation, you know there are different numbers associated with boats. Familiarizing yourself with the Coast Guard numbers for boats and where they must be displayed is something you must do, so you are sure that you have everything in the right place before you leave the dock.
Coast Guard Numbers for Boats
When you submit an application for Coast Guard documentation, and it is approved, you are assigned a Certificate of Documentation (COD). Each ship with documentation has a unique number to it so that the information can be accessed in the Coast Guard database. When you document a boat, your boat is not identified by displaying the number on the outer hull. Instead, you need to place your vessel name and hailing port on the outer hull. Since many vessels have the same name, having the hailing port displayed helps to give your boat a more unique marker.
Displaying Boat Numbers
The Coast Guard numbers for boats that come with your documentation does need to be posted on the interior of the vessel. According to Coast Guard regulations, you need to place the numbers, beginning with the letters NO, in block numerals that are at least three inches in height. The numbers must be affixed to the interior of the hull, and they need to be fastened so that they are permanent, and it is noticeable if they have been altered or removed. Many people purchase wood signs or signs made of other materials and attach them to the boat. Failure to have this on the ship is a violation and could subject you to fines if your vessel is ever inspected.
How to Get Documentation Numbers
Obtaining the Coast Guard numbers for boats means going through the documentation process. To make use of the easiest way for you to get your COD, you want to work with us here at the Maritime Documentation Center. As an outside firm that hands processing work that goes to the Coast Guard, we offer you the applications and forms you need online at our portal. You can fill out your paperwork, upload files to our secure portal, and we will take care of sending them to the Coast Guard for you. We have a team of professionals available to read your application to make sure it is free of mistakes that could slow down an approval by the Coast Guard. Try our website out today so you can get your documentation numbers the faster way and spend time enjoying your boat.