Realistic length measurements are needed.

[KGarwick]

Scratching my head here, why would anyone care what somebody else did with their own boat? I register mine as I see fit.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by KGarwick

Scratching my head here, why would anyone care what somebody else did with their own boat? I register mine as I see fit.

It’s not why people would care or not, it is about internationally agreed requirements for boats moving between countries. When you are not in compliance by not having the required documentation, you may still be able to clear in with countries that choose to ignore the failure of compliance. But that doesn’t mean that laws and requirements have changed and they can actually change their opinion of your documentation and even claim you entered illegally. These kind of events often happen after another event, like overstaying a visa, committing a whatever crime or breaking a law etc.

I do agree that a registration that must be renewed yearly by snail mail is a pita. Luckily my registration is good for life as it is.

[Cat38skip]

We were in a marina once where they came out and measured the boat from 'tip to tip', bow pulpit rail to stern ladder and our Catalina 38 measured out at 38' 8" and they pro rated our fees for the additional 8 inches and increased our fees.

[Redline452]

Going back to the original question (un-drifting the thread - what a concept), our Sy\un Odyssey 45.2 is the same hull as the previous year's Sun Odyssey 45.1, and as far as I can tell no part of it is exactly 45.2 (or .1) in any system of measurement.
A few years back our yacht club took a plumb line and measured exactly the overall length of every boat, not for the purpose of charging but in order to fit everyone in the yard for winter storage. Seems a 34' cruiser with a 4- to 6-foot swim platform just doesn't fit in 34 feet of yard. As far as I know, no one's dockage was adjusted, but the yard manager is really good at playing Tetris.

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

I know of quite a number of owners who change the model stickers to a lesser length; means cheaper marina berth fees.

In every decent marina I have ever been in the dockmaster knows, to the inch, the distance between pilings, and even the planks on the dock. If you believe this silly trick will fool him, you are just wrong. If you are cheating, he knows.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Redline452

Going back to the original question (un-drifting the thread - what a concept), our Sy\un Odyssey 45.2 is the same hull as the previous year's Sun Odyssey 45.1, and as far as I can tell no part of it is exactly 45.2 (or .1) in any system of measurement.

As a Wag that's modification 1 and modification 2 of the original Sun Odyssey 45.They are all probably in the vicinity of 45ft in some dimension.

[KGarwick]

Originally Posted by Redline452

Going back to the original question (un-drifting the thread - what a concept), our Sy\un Odyssey 45.2 is the same hull as the previous year's Sun Odyssey 45.1, and as far as I can tell no part of it is exactly 45.2 (or .1) in any system of measurement.
A few years back our yacht club took a plumb line and measured exactly the overall length of every boat, not for the purpose of charging but in order to fit everyone in the yard for winter storage. Seems a 34' cruiser with a 4- to 6-foot swim platform just doesn't fit in 34 feet of yard. As far as I know, no one's dockage was adjusted, but the yard manager is really good at playing Tetris.

Always a good idea to revisit the original post, thank you for the reorientation - it's actually what I probably should have done before firing off my last posting.

I strongly believe in honesty, dollars be damned. I have an Ocean Voyager 26 MK2, measures tip to tip at 31.5' when accounting for the pullpit and pushpit, bowsprit and boomkin and I am very happy to pay these fees because my harbor grants me the extra slip size to ensure my boat's safety. If I were unhappy with the fee, I would berth elsewhere.

I don't think I am getting cheated or taken advantage of, I am fully aware that deck length is only one factor in measuring a sailing vessel. My extra length provides my cutter with increased strength in the standing rigging, for which I am enormously grateful when sailing in the Pacific Ocean (gets rough).

Honesty can be a tough girl to accept, but in the long run it's cheaper to keep her.