CG Documented Hailing Port Question

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What if your boat is no longer federally documented and is just state registered, but it still has the hailing port on the back. Can you just change that to whatever you want?

I am a bit concerned that my hailing port might cause some friction in some of the places I will be visiting this summer. So I would like to just change it. Even if temporarily.

If not a nation flagged vessel, e.g., not USCG documented, and only State registered its name and its hailing port detailed anywhere on the boat is just for show. It in not an official marking.

Your proscribed display numbers and validation sticker are the official designations for a State registered boat.

Go ahead and have fun with your name and place. Just don't get crude or be confused with any emergency phrases that would broadcast on VHF.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by RobPatterson

Funniest one I've seen is Wall, SD

And how many miles was it away from Wall when you spotted it?

[David Mathis]

New York, compared to many other states, is reasonable with boating fees. The sales tax when first registering the boat is 7% then every three years the registration has to be renewed but, as I recall, is usually less than $100.00. Documented boats owned by New York residents who keep their boats in the state are required to register them. No registration number goes on the documented boat, just the registration sticker.

[slipaway]

Originally Posted by Trawler2016

Another interesting thing about US documented vessels.
They may only fly a regular US Ensign, if they hoist a flag, and not the Yachting ensign.
Lets see, US Ensign on the stern, Courtesy flag on the bow or yard, USCG Auxiliary Blue Ensign (I am a member), charter company pennant. Getting pretty colorful!

No such rule. The U.S. Yacht Ensign (a variation of the national ensign) can be used in place of the national flag by U.S. pleasure craft when operating within U.S. waters; this flag was legally required for licensed yachts from 1848-1980, and the practice continues among some U.S. pleasure craft in U.S. waters by longstanding historical use and custom. The requirement for federally "licensed" yachts (the term used in the statute) to fly the yacht ensign was repealed by the Vessel Documentation Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–594).

It is however, proper for a US vessel (whether documented or state registered) to fly the US national ensign when traveling internationally but there is no restriction on what flag it may fly.

The interesting history of the Yacht Ensign can be found at: https://fotw.info/flags/us~yte.html#legal

[Trawler2016]

Maybe I read it incorrectly, but I thought I remember it stating only US Ensign.
Oh well!
As long as they fly the flag.
That's all that counts in my book.

[Montanan]

U.S. Power Squadrons - Flag and Etiquette Committee

Flag Etiquette

https://www.usps.org/f_stuff/etiquett.html#updated-code

While the United States Flag Code, USC Title 4, Chapter 1, provides general guidelines for the display of the U.S. flag, nautical flag display is based on long-standing traditions that date back over 300 years.

The United States Power Squadrons, the worlds largest boating educational organization, developed an updated code for displaying flags on boats in 1998. This code, devised in consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, New York Yacht Club, and other yachting authorities, eliminates confusion and will help you show proper respect for each flag and pennant you fly.

This code is primarily for use on private vessels because small craft are so different from large ships; yet it is flexible enough to accommodate the wide variation in construction of most modern pleasure craft. The code applies to all boaters, but has specific application to members of groups such as yacht clubs, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the United States Power Squadrons.

United States Ensign

The U.S. national ensign, sometimes called "50-star" or "Old Glory," is the proper and preferred flag for all U.S. vessels. Your boat should wear it from 0800 until sunset, and when you enter or leave port during daylight or at night, weather and rig permitting. While in port, if you leave your boat and will not return before sunset, lower and stow the national ensign before you go.

The national ensign worn by a vessel must be the flag of her registry—not necessarily that of the owner or operator.

Generally, the national ensign should be displayed at the peak of the gaff, i.e., the outer end of the spar extending aft from the mast of your boat—if you boat has a gaff. If it does not, fly it from the flagstaff at your boat's stern. If your boat has an overhanging boom or an outboard motor, your flagstaff may be offset to starboard (preferably) from your boat's centerline.

On a sportfishing boat, where a stern staff might interfere with the gear, and vice versa, the practice is to fly the ensign from a halyard rigged amidships on the after part of the superstructure.

Marconi-rigged sailboats may fly the ensign from the leech of the aftermost sail (or from the back stay), approximately 2/3 the distance up its length. This puts it in about the same position it would occupy if the boat were gaff-rigged.

At anchor or made fast, the ensign should be flown from the stern staff of all boats. The U.S. national ensign has a 10:19 hoist/fly ratio.

United States Yacht Ensign

The U.S. yacht ensign [definition] features a blue canton (the rectangle at the upper corner nearest the staff) having 13 white stars and a fouled anchor. Originally devised as a signal to identify documented yachts to relieve them of certain customs formalities, it is now flown on recreational boats of all types and sizes instead of the national ensign in domestic waters. Traditionally, the yacht ensign had a 10:19 hoist/fly ratio like the U.S. ensign. Today it is found with a 2:3 or 3:5 ratio. However, the preferred flag is the 50-star national ensign, especially since the yacht ensign must never be flown in international or foreign waters since it has no standing as a national ensign.

[Trawler2016]

Thanks.

[MountainKing]

Originally Posted by ocean.jedi

I live in reno, Nevada. Ocean Jedi hailing port is Reno. Its not the only boat with a hailing port in a state that doesn't have access to any ocean.

I'm in Reno too. Where do you keep your boat? Mine is in Grenada.

[J. Greg]

Unless there has been a change in the regs., there is an exception to the "document your vessel anywhere you want theory" If your vessel is corporate owned, is must be documented in either the city where the corporate office is located, or the closest port. The USCG gave me only 2 options, Fresno or San Francisco. The vessel has never seen either location. I don't know if this applies to LLC's.