One topic we’ve touched on from time to time in these blogs is how to register a boat with the Coast Guard. We’ve mentioned this a few times for many reasons, not the least of which is that it’s very important. This is one of the most commonly accessed forms at our site; you can go to the middle of our homepage to see which forms are used the most, and this one is right up there. If you follow the advice mentioned here, you will know, not just how to register your vessel, but how to update and renew that registration too.
How to Register a Boat: Where to Go
Obviously, you want to first be at our site. Once you’ve done that, you have two routes to take that will lead you to the same place. You want to look for the word “initial.” If this is the first time you’re registering your vessel, this is where you’re going to want to go. You can click on this in the center of our homepage, or you can click on it on the left side of the screen, too. Do that, and you’re already one-third of the way done!
Second Step: All of the Little Details
Many vessel owners are doers – we’re used to getting our hands dirty, working on our vessels with our own hands, getting everything in order just the way we like it. If you’ve been putting off registering your vessel, you might want to just jump right into filling out the form. However, we do recommend reading all of the words in capital letters (and in some cases, red type) at the top of the form. That will let you know definitively whether or not you have to register your vessel. We can’t tell you how many vessel owners we’ve talked to over the years who simply thought they had to get registration for their vessel, only to read this form and realize that they didn’t have to. Alternately, we’ve also had people who realized their vessel was already documented. It pays to look at the small details.
Third Step: Fill Out the Form
We know it’s a pain, which is why we made it as easy as possible. You can just click through the different forms, pressing “tab” to go from section to section. Unsure of whether or not you have to fill out a form? Look for the red asterisk. If you see it, you have to fill it out. Worried that you might have made some errors on the form? Don’t be! Our boat document processors will catch them and fix them, so you don’t have to worry about it.
We’ve Got Your Back
Once you’ve filled this form out and sent it to us, we’ll pass it right along to the relevant authorities. You can also renew for multiple years! To start the process, and know how to register a boat you can head to our site or call us at (800) 535-8570.