Documents to keep on the boat?

[Tuna Colada]

I should be picking up my boat tomorrow and was wondering what documents should be kept on the boat vs. kept at home.
I know the title should be kept at home. What about other documents?

[Harpoon]

Recreational boat - the only document you need is your registration.

If you have FAA stuff for your radio/radar/epirb keep that as well.

Good luck.

[backman]

Sea Tow or other towing membership papers.
Insurance papers.
Boat/engine manuals.

I have a plano dry box jammed full of all manuals for my boat. Having the transmission manual aboard saved my butt at Atlantis canyon when a shift coupling pin sheared and I had to jury rig a means of shifting for the ride in.

Actually - jury rig was for the shift out of gear, I shifted in by hand...

[diger]

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species permit.

[TowboatUS Beaufort]

Personally, I try to keep my passport and list of countries that do not hold extradition treaties with the US!

[Kamper]

I kepp manuals and charts on the boat in a zipped binder.

Registration and keys are in my tow-vehicle.

My state doesn't use titles for boats but they changed the law a couple year's ago. A bill of sale isn't enough to show proof of purchase anymore. There is now a place on the back of the registration where you sign the vessel over to a new owner.

If a thief gets your registration they can turn it around to a new buyer who won't know it's stolen until attempting to re-register it. If it goes to another state without title they may never find out. There's also no guarantee the DMV will know it's been stolen either so there's a good chance you'll never see the boat again.

--
Easy does it.

[Mumblerone]

A stack of papers with pictures of dead Presidents on them...leave out Washington and Lincoln!

Boston Whaler, "MUMBLER", 24' Outrage, twin 175 HP Evinrude Ocean Pros. Snowball, the cat...

[SeaJay]

I was asked to produce my NY state registration for my boat the last time I was stopped by the coast guard for a safety inspection. They were extremely nice and in fact didn't actually ask to see every last piece of saftey equipment. I think they would have just given a warning if something minor had been missing.

However the boat registration was used to complete the paperwork on their inspection report. I'm not so sure they would have let me go if I had not been able to produce the registration.

[Blue C's]

Registration, fishing license and HMFS Permit, then go to Kinko's and get them all laminated. I got mine laminated and keep them in a compartment in the center console and nothing can hurts them at all. I also got the "heavy" lamination and it cost about $1.50 each.

[Cooper]

i keep my registration, fishing license, and the manuals for my electronics. I put them all in a ziplock, then put that ziplock in another ziplock. The whole bundle goes into a tupperware container in my console where I keep other things like tools and what-not.


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