Documented?

Ok, an old salt informed me that all 35-3's were documented vessels from the get go. The previous owner says, to his knowledge it never was, however he owned the for 12 years and there was one owner b-4 him. Anyone care to help me on this? I am not even sure what "documented" really means but it must be good because owners that have their boats "documented" seem to be happy about it. Some friends got their boat "documented" last year and I thought they were going to hand out "documented" Cigars!!!!

A vessel longer than about 28ft. may or may not be documented. If documented the U.S Coast Guard number must be carved in a permanent piece of wood in the cabin. Search for this number. The only advantages of documentation appear to be the elimination of the ugly numbers on the bow and it is claimed that you can clear into foreign countries more easily.

Yeah - basically it means you're 'registered' with the USCG - and can pass into/outof the country with more ease (important for around here). My boat was/is documented - has her USCG ID glassed into the inside of the hull on the inside of the upper starboard combing (I was careful not to paint over it when I did the sail locker).

//sse

There are a couple threads on this site where the "pros" of documenting is discussed. I recommend a search. The process involves picking a name for your boat and marking a USCG assigned identifying number permanently on the boat, if one doesn't exist already. You might want to do a little research and look around the boat for a number if you think it may have been documented before. It costs over $300 (one-time fee) to register with the CG, if I recall correctly.

You will probably still have to register your boat with your state, but usually a documented vessel will NOT have to display the state ID numbers on the hull or superstructure. In Washington we only have to display the current year state sticker.

My boat's id number is carved in the gelcoat on the forward crossmember of the engine compartment. This id requirement may be a leftover from before Hull ID Numbers (HIN) were required, or maybe it's because people build boats in their backyards. My 1980 also has an Ericson HIN on the starboard side of the transom.

Thanks everyone, now I know.