You wanted that yacht you saw for sale online. Every day you would spend time looking at the pictures, reading the description, and imaging yourself sitting on the deck of the ship enjoying the breeze off the water. You could go fishing, take exotic vacations, or just enjoy quiet time on the lakes and ocean waters. Today is the day you finally decided to pull the trigger and make an offer. Lo and behold, the owner accepted it. You spend the next few days scrambling around in excitement, getting money together to pay for or finance the purchase, as well as putting your final signature on pages of paperwork. Now that it looks like the boat will be yours, you also might want to think about the registration of the vessel. If you are wondering how much is it to register a boat, there are a few answers for you that might help.
Who to Register With
There can be two layers to registration for you when it comes to your ship. Different states have different types of licensing or registration, and the regulations can vary based on where you live. The costs can also vary widely for what you need to do. In some states, there may be no fee at all, while others can cost over a hundred dollars. The second layer can be if you decide to seek out federal registration with the Coast Guard. Coast Guard registration is not mandatory for recreational vessels like a yacht. Still, you can gain certain benefits from seeking it out. Also, if you are financing the purchase, your lender may require that you get Coast Guard certification.
The Cost to Register
When you ask how much is it to register a boat, the Coast Guard has a fee table that you can examine on their website so you can see what the costs are for each transaction. Initial registration of a boat so you can get a Certificate of Documentation is listed at $133.00. The fees naturally are subject to change, so you want to pay attention to what the charges are at the time you finalize your purchase. Keep in mind that when you register with the Coast Guard that you need to physically mail everything, including payment or credit card information, to their facility.
A Safer Way to Register
Now that you know how much is it to register a boat, you may want to think about finding a safer, more secure way to handle this transaction. At the Maritime Documentation Center, we provide boat owners with the most secure method to go through registration. We are an outside agency that assists with the process of the Coast Guard. We give you a secure website to use for your application and payment information so you can send it to us on our encrypted server, so you know your data is safe. We transmit it to the Coast Guard for you so your application can go through, and you can get the documentation you want.