USCG Documentation paperwork

BigJoeB

BigJoeB

Member
Jul 25, 2012
177
Staten island, New York
Boat Info
1992 Sea Ray Amberjack 310 with Tuna Tower Mod. Great Boat
Engines
Twin 7.4 Mercs.. Thirsty Girls
Hello fellow sea ray owners,

Maybe in of you will know this answer. I am in the process of the documentation and they need a certificate of build. I called Sea Ray today and spoke to someone who sent me a basic list of the boat information (HIN# , build date and ship date with all boat options) they told me there is not much more that they have since it’s a 1992 . I have an old copy of original bill of sale from dealership from the first owner . ‍♂️‍♂️‍♂️LoL
This boat since it’s over 5net tons it’s needs it for me to charter it. My last searay wasn’t this .

so, anyone have a direction opinion.? Thanks for any input
 

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You may need to clarify your question as I was not able to parse it. As far as build certificate, I would think the "HIN# , build date and ship date with all boat options" report would be sufficient. They basically just need to verify the net tonnage. That value can be calculated by taking some measurements and you can google how to do that.
 
Yeah I don't have the commercial endorsement, so it sounds like it may be more stringent. They do have documentation services that know how to wind their way through the red tape. Any decent boat broker should be able to put you in touch with an expert.
 
I think you’re a Little off track. Are you attempting to get your boat certified as an inspected vessel? If so it’s not possible as an inspected vessel must be built to a certain level. You can charter your boat up to 6 paying customers with a OUPV license.

You cannot have more then this without being registered as an inspected vessel (other then party boats, which I completely disagree with) and it’s not financially possible to get your boat inspected. When I say not possible I mean to have an inspected vessel is a build process conforming to standards and having inspections along the way. (Think ship building).

the CFR’s are challenging to read and finding the material is tough but it’s much easier if you have a printed copy so try the library or a marine Captain’s school.

Lastly, yes you can get your Master’s license which allows you to captain America inspected vessel but it does not allow you to take more than 6 customers on a non inspected vessel.

*Edit: I see you are simply looking for a fisheries endorsement on your certificate of documentation. A letter from SeaRay should suffice here. They specifically want to know your boat is built in the USA so that should be easy. This will allow you to bring fish back to the USA from international waters and notes that you have this endorsement backed by the federal government. Btw : there is a chat function on the nvdc website and the folks on the other end are top notch.
 
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NotHerDecision said:
I think you’re a Little off track. Are you attempting to get your boat certified as an inspected vessel? If so it’s not possible as an inspected vessel must be built to a certain level. You can charter your boat up to 6 paying customers with a OUPV license.

You cannot have more then this without being registered as an inspected vessel (other then party boats, which I completely disagree with) and it’s not financially possible to get your boat inspected. When I say not possible I mean to have an inspected vessel is a build process conforming to standards and having inspections along the way. (Think ship building).

the CFR’s are challenging to read and finding the material is tough but it’s much easier if you have a printed copy so try the library or a marine Captain’s school.

Lastly, yes you can get your Master’s license which allows you to captain America inspected vessel but it does not allow you to take more than 6 customers on a non inspected vessel.

*Edit: I see you are simply looking for a fisheries endorsement on your certificate of documentation. A letter from SeaRay should suffice here. They specifically want to know your boat is built in the USA so that should be easy. This will allow you to bring fish back to the USA from international waters and notes that you have this endorsement backed by the federal government. Btw : there is a chat function on the nvdc website and the folks on the other end are top notch.
Click to expand...
 
Hello,

I have my 100 ton masters, this and the nys dec permits for the boat. The issue is because the boat is over 5 net tons it needs to be documented. If the boat was smaller it wouldn’t be an issue at all. My smaller boat a few years back wasn’t a thought, I use my captains license more for work and this season figured to License this boat up to offset some running costs by doing some charting here and there. Thanks for your input
 
Boats over 5 net tons can be documented but it’s not required. What is making it required is the use of your license as a commercial fishing vessel. Regardless of your Master’s license you still can only take 6 paying customers unless the boat is an inspected vessel.

Congrats on your Master’s license btw. It’s great to have Captains on the site!

Josh
 
NotHerDecision said:
Boats over 5 net tons can be documented but it’s not required. What is making it required is the use of your license as a commercial fishing vessel. Regardless of your Master’s license you still can only take 6 paying customers unless the boat is an inspected vessel.

Congrats on your Master’s license btw. It’s great to have Captains on the site!

Josh
Click to expand...
Yes I am aware of the 6pack designation thank you
 
Update: I received the official build letter when in 2 hours after email was sent from an address I found searching this site. Thank you for the info
tkerr@searay.com Was the email address
 
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A little info for members who want to document a recreational vessel. What the OP needed is variously referred to as a Master Builders Certificate (CG form 1261) or if used to register a boat with a state, A Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MCO) or Manufacturers Statement of Origin (MSO) before the late 90's manufacturers did not routinely issue one of these to a buyer unless they new before hand the boat was to be documented. In that case they would give the new owner a CG-1261. However, as states started titling boats, the registration offices in the states began demanding (yes that's the right word) a MSO or MCO in order to register the boat. Now boat manufacturers routinely give you an MSO or MCO. For CG documentation see https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/NVDC/INITIAL.pdf?ver=2018-12-28-130935-913

Where this becomes an issue is older boats that have been registered with a state, but never documented with the Coast Guard. It is especially a problem when the manufacturer or builder is no longer in business. In cases like this it is best to hire a documentation service to handle all the paper work, and establish a chain of ownership of the boat since it was built. Fortunately Sea Ray has records and can issue you a Builders Certificate. But a lot, and I do mean a lot ,of manufacturers don't have those kinds of records. When i was working in the CG Office of Boating Safety we used to get questions like this quite frequently, and assisted many people to get the documents they need, even though we had no mandate to do so. Customer Service.
 
NotHerDecision said:
I think you’re a Little off track. Are you attempting to get your boat certified as an inspected vessel? If so it’s not possible as an inspected vessel must be built to a certain level. You can charter your boat up to 6 paying customers with a OUPV license.

You cannot have more then this without being registered as an inspected vessel (other then party boats, which I completely disagree with) and it’s not financially possible to get your boat inspected. When I say not possible I mean to have an inspected vessel is a build process conforming to standards and having inspections along the way. (Think ship building).

the CFR’s are challenging to read and finding the material is tough but it’s much easier if you have a printed copy so try the library or a marine Captain’s school.

Lastly, yes you can get your Master’s license which allows you to captain America inspected vessel but it does not allow you to take more than 6 customers on a non inspected vessel.

*Edit: I see you are simply looking for a fisheries endorsement on your certificate of documentation. A letter from SeaRay should suffice here. They specifically want to know your boat is built in the USA so that should be easy. This will allow you to bring fish back to the USA from international waters and notes that you have this endorsement backed by the federal government. Btw : there is a chat function on the nvdc website and the folks on the other end are top notch.
Click to expand...

Curious about this. Are you saying that, for example, your boat (460DA) could not qualify to be an inspected vessel and carry more than 6 paying passengers? That's what it sounds like. So why not? There are a crap ton of T boats that don't seem appear nearly as well made as a large Sea Ray. Wondering if anyone has tried.

It caught my eye because I've been considering it to be able to ferry guests out to a local light house or for short learning tours. I volunteer for a local non-profit, and while the passengers would not be paying me, their support of the lighthouse and museum can be viewed as "consideration".
 
Correct. You cannot get your searay certified as a t boat. It’s a build process thing. It has to meet tons of standards in build materials, quality, fire rating... etc.
 
My boat was documented when I bought it.
I filled out the paperwork myself and submitted it to the USCG to transfer ownership to me. Very easy to do.
 
Ike said:
A little info for members who want to document a recreational vessel. What the OP needed is variously referred to as a Master Builders Certificate (CG form 1261) or if used to register a boat with a state, A Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MCO) or Manufacturers Statement of Origin (MSO) before the late 90's manufacturers did not routinely issue one of these to a buyer unless they new before hand the boat was to be documented. In that case they would give the new owner a CG-1261. However, as states started titling boats, the registration offices in the states began demanding (yes that's the right word) a MSO or MCO in order to register the boat. Now boat manufacturers routinely give you an MSO or MCO. For CG documentation see https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/NVDC/INITIAL.pdf?ver=2018-12-28-130935-913

Where this becomes an issue is older boats that have been registered with a state, but never documented with the Coast Guard. It is especially a problem when the manufacturer or builder is no longer in business. In cases like this it is best to hire a documentation service to handle all the paper work, and establish a chain of ownership of the boat since it was built. Fortunately Sea Ray has records and can issue you a Builders Certificate. But a lot, and I do mean a lot ,of manufacturers don't have those kinds of records. When i was working in the CG Office of Boating Safety we used to get questions like this quite frequently, and assisted many people to get the documents they need, even though we had no mandate to do so. Customer Service.
Click to expand...
Ike that is great information. I am in the same boat as the previous Captain. I have a Charter business and ran up on a 1986 390 Sedan Sportfisher with Cat Diesels. Looks to be a great charter boat and it is documented and at present is at the USCG Documentation Center being exchanged into my name. I am trying to contact Sea Ray to get the Builders Certificate. I assume this is all that will be required to obtain these endorsements? Hopefully I am not missing something. According to the site they are only in November for exchange of Documentation so hopefully when and if I get this Builders certificate I can get this transferred to the commercial stack which is moving along pretty quickly. I normally when buying a new boat ask for Priority Handling at the top of CG-1258. Any advice would be welcome.
 
First the good news. Sea Ray is usually very helpful with things of this nature. And they might be willing to send you a CG form 1261 if you send them the form or the link to download the form. https://unitedstatesvessel.us/CG_1261.pdf. Or if the boat was documented before then the CG-1258 https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/NVDC/CG-1258.pdf?ver=2017-05-09-113142-067.
Now for the bad news. 1n 1986 recreational boats were not titled and so manufacturers did not issue Builder certificates (or Certificate of Origins). So, they won't have one on file. If this is a bareboat charter or six pack (OUPV) then the boat only needs to be registered or documented as a recreational boat. If you want to carry more it will be difficult. Carrying more than six requires an inspected vessel. Most recreational boats cannot meet the inspected vessel requirements and the cost of bringing them up to the inspected vessel requirements is usually so much it just isn't worth it.

I hope all goes smoothly and Sea Ray helps with the CG_1261. Last I heard the documentation center was very back logged because of COVID.
 
This is going to be a six pack state water boat in Florida. It was a concern that I may not be able to place a Florida Charter license on the boat without the commercial documentation/Fishery designation. Should this be a problem?
 
I honestly do not know what Florida requires. If you don't want to talk to Florida Fish and Wildlife at this point (you will have to eventually) you might get some answers on another forum https://www.thehulltruth.com/ Most of the folks on that forum are in Florida and some of them are commercial operators. However, be prepared, it can at times be a rough and tumble forum.
 
Im an old school Captain......I can be rough back :) Thank You for the assistance.
 
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