Help with Coast Guard documentation

C-ya is a 1978 34T. I live and cruise around southeast AK year-round. Currently I am buying a handtroll permit for salmon. However, I am having a very hard time getting my commercial fishing endorsement with the coast guard because I don't have a 'build letter' which testifies that my boat was built in the U.S. Does anyone have any knowledge in this area? Were all Ericsons built in Santa Ana? Is there anyone out there who used to work for Ericson? The Coast Guard wants me to get a letter from someone formerly associated with Ericson Yachts testifying they were built in the US!
My name is Greg Steele, I used my boat's name here. I've been beating my head against a wall trying to deal with these documentation folks. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

They've got a database full of Ericsons already with their ERY - have your hull number put up against the others...? That's a bit crazy not accepting a 34T as an American-made sailboat...

What you need

The issue is that even with a ton of other Ericsons that were built in the US, your may not be, it could have been built on say Mars!!! (Seriously I am lead to believe that there were a few hulls that were laid up in Mexico).

Seriously though you need to contact the folks at Pacific Seacraft and talk to them. It used to be that while the Kohlmans were there, Don would write a build letter and fire it off for you for the cost of the notorery public bit that has to be part of it.

Call Pacific Seacraft, and they should be able to put it right for you.

If not, you will have to track down Don, or Gene, and buy them a couple of cases of beer, and then pay for the notery public bit.

Don wrote letters for both my last boat and this boat.
;-)

Guy

Greg!

I'm sorry I can't help ya with the docs. But we need to talk!!!

First, I also have a 1978 34T, which puts us in a pretty small club.

Second, I used to fish halibut, black cod, tanner and king crab out of Pelican part of the year, and the Bering Sea the other parts ('77-'81, inclusive).

Born and raised in Juneau.

Let's talk.

Mark

Thanks for the replies

In particular, thanks Guy Stevens. You were absolutely right and I was lucky enough to track down Don Kohlmann. It looks like he'll be able to hook me up. Thanks again everyone.