Have you got your eye on a vessel, but aren’t sure if it’s right for you? Are you doing the research into a boat (or even some boats) but can’t find an information source you can trust? This is something that prospective vessel owners have been dealing with for a long time. The internet (and…
There’s nothing like boating in summer. Sure, when you go out on your boat in the winter, with the crisp wind in your hair, the leafless trees on the shore, white as far as the eye can see, that’s special. But it’s not summer. It’s not the warm sun, the cool air, swimsuits, suntans, and…
Do you have a small boat that you think might qualify you for a regulation waver? If you are looking for a MARAD waiver, then it is important that you understand exactly what this is, and how it can help you to manage your application forms. Also known as the Maritime Administration of the US,…
Every journey has a beginning. When you go out on your vessel, you could say the trip begins when you make that walk down the pier, when you get on the boat, or when you cast off from the dock itself. When it comes to vessel documentation, for many vessel owners, the journey begins with…
You’ve tracked down the vessel you’ve been searching for. It’s been a long journey to find just the right boat for your coastwise passenger transfer business, but you finally did it. You got everything together, only to discover that… the vessel was built outside of the United States. This might seem like the kind of…
Buying a boat involves interacting with the US Coast Guard, including obtaining certification for your vessel. When you are about to purchase the boat, one of the most important pieces of documentation that you can obtain is the abstract of title. This should be obtained prior to the purchase and is evidence of all of…
When you want to register your vessel in US waters, you need to contact the US Coast Guard. They are the people who document vessels operating from US ports. Anyone who owns a car knows that they have to sign a lot of forms to get the necessary paperwork to drive on the highway, and…
You have just bought a boat that has been previously documented with the USCG. This means that the hailing port of the boat might not be the same as that which is listed on the documentation, and this could lead you into serious difficulties with the Coast Guard. The same can also happen if you…
As of this writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on. This means that so many people are doing the right thing by staying home, in hopes of stopping the spread of the virus. While this is 100% the right thing to do, it’s taken a terrible toll on so many businesses. We’re still open…
Are you struggling to complete the Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center forms accurately, or do you not know which documentation you need to achieve the required outcome? The USCG website is notorious for being difficult to navigate, and you may have tried to find the documents you need without much success. You may have…