[Rhodes22-list] Michael? Capacity/weight regulations.

[Richard F Sheehan]

Ed;

A state can require that any boat with any type of motor, whether
documented or not, must be registered to reside within its waters.  In
some cases there is reciprocity between states: it can be full or
limited.  Example - Florida will permit a Massachusetts boat to sail its
waters for  60 days, then it must be registered in Florida also.  Example
- New Hampshire will not recognize Massachusetts registrations on their
lakes.  Example - Maryland requires that a fully documented boat requires
registration to reside within its waters.

It is all about revenue and taxes.  One of my boats, a 16' Daysailer, had
three stickers on it, Florida, Massachusetts, and the Federal "A"
sticker.  Of course it, like your Rhodes 22, was too little to be
documented.

Documenting a boat makes it an official United States vessel.  The USA
will go to bat for you  if a foreign nation seizes your boat, but it can
also conscript your boat into service during wartime.  It doesn't waste
time with vessels too small to sail blue water, which eliminates hundreds
of thousands of pleasure boats.

Dick
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 07:22:41 -0400 "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
writes:
> I started looking at all that information on the site Rummy sent.  
> And if a
> sailboat did not have a motor, I would completely agree with 
> Federal
> regulations.  But, while you may be right, it does not stop a quirky 
> law
> enforcement person from saying, but, 'you are operating with your 
> motor on,
> which makes you fall under the motorized regulations'.
> 
> I have seen that problem from South Carolina Department of Natural 
> Resources
> which interprets the laws here to mean that they have jurisdiction 
> over
> every boat including sailboats that is over 16 feet.  
> 
> If your boat is Federally documented you may win before a magistrate 
> here,
> but they will take you to court.  I guarantee it.  While there are 
> only two
> South Carolina DNR wardens who patrol Lake Hartwell, they have their 
> quotas.
> 
> They are nice guys, but they are very sticky on motors down here.  
> They say
> once you put a motor on anything that goes on water, they have 
> jurisdiction.
> That includes jet skis.  If a kid puts a trolling motor on a two log 
> raft,
> it must be registered.  Laugh if you will, but it is a PITA here.
> 
> Furthermore, what is your citation from the Federal Regulations that 
> say a
> sailboat under power is not a power boat?
> 
> Can we all assume since you were on the road, that you were towing 
> your new
> boat?
> 
> Ed K
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 


CPT Richard F. Sheehan
218 Pier D
Naples, FL 34112
239-793-0053
dickshee at juno.com

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