uscg registration

[petrified89]

odd questions, cant necessarily find the answer.
i've searched the forum for it. found a few threads about this, but not this answer.
I've read the uscg vessel documentation site, and a ton of the regulations, but just cant seem to find the answer.

can a recreational vessel get inspected and become a commercial vessel?

[requiem]

I'm not an expert on this, but based on what I've seen previously here and other places, the answer is "technically yes, practically no". That is, the cost of required modifications will likely make it completely untenable.

Example thread: https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/coi-57-carver/60873/5

[George_SD]

YES, it can as long as it passes all inspections and has appropriate licensing, insurance, gear, licensed captain


1 - commercial passenger vessel I assume, because most common type is commercial fishing (and regs are different for them)
2 - They only kick in for activities of certain types on a federal level (for example 6-12, or more than 12 people on an international voyage, etc). One can be an "uninspected" vessel caring out commercial activity as long as you are not taking more than a certain number of people and operating a smaller vessel.
3 - other types of regs are managed differently and have more to do with the captain having a proper license and insurance
4 - domestic voyaging vessels of certain size and capacity are encouraged to participate, but are not required by USCG
5 - checklist
6 - inspection guide sample for navigational and comms equipment
7 - small vessel guide
8 - there are additional state requirements that you must follow

You can contact USCG vessel compliance department and ask them directly
Contact the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance:
Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC)
U.S. Coast Guard, Stop 7501
2703 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20593-7501
202-372-1217
E-mail CG-CVC; cgcvc@uscg.mil

More information here:
https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organiz...el-Compliance/

[petrified89]

thanks requiem, the 100+ page read of subchapter t was interesting

georgesd, Thanks as well, that was the info i had found. not a no, but not necessarily a yes either, just pass the inspections.
and yes i was referring to fishing, I should have mentioned that, just some of the threads that ive read of people mentioning it have been hounded.
I will email the cg and see what they tell me.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by petrified89

thanks requiem, the 100+ page read of subchapter t was interesting

and yes i was referring to fishing, I should have mentioned that, just some of the threads that ive read of people mentioning it have been hounded.
I will email the cg and see what they tell me.

What requiem said.

A local fishing charter captain/owner wanted to upgrade to more than 6 passengers. He found it less expensive to find and buy an already inspected vessel... instead of attempting to modify his existing boat. By several gazillions of dollars, apparently.

-Chris

[HeywoodJ]

Originally Posted by petrified89

...and yes i was referring to fishing, ...

Then the critical factor in making this happen will be 46CFR67.21(b):

If eligible for documentation and not restricted from the fisheries by paragraph (c) of this section, the following vessels are eligible for a fishery endorsement:

(1) Vessels built in the United States (§ 67.97);

(2) Forfeited vessels (§ 67.131);

(3) Vessels granted fisheries privileges by special legislation(§ 67.132);

(4) Wrecked vessels (§ 67.133); and

(5) Captured vessels (§ 67.134).

AFAIK there is no MARAD exemption for fisheries, so you are looking at a US-built vessel unless you fall into one of those other very small categories. Not worth diving down deeper rabbit holes if the vessel doesn't meet that requirement. If it does, then start looking at the items that can disqualify a vessel from being "US-built" after-the-fact.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-4.../section-67.21

[Shrew]

The question is do you need to be an inspected vessel? Commercial vessels can be Uninspected as well. If I recall the vessel requires Inspection if there are greater than 12 passengers or the vessel is over 300T.

http://www.vaughnlawoffice.com/UNDER...ER_VESSELS.pdf

To be an inspected vessel, it will need to comply with the Jones Act or have a waiver.

[petrified89]

what i've found for carrying passengers is they are very strict on the rules for that.

for fishing i haven't found much besides us built. and as long as the vessel is under 36 feet it has to have been built within recreational vessel standards, which i would assume would be what they are built to.

[petrified89]

Originally Posted by Shrew

The question is do you need to be an inspected vessel? Commercial vessels can be Uninspected as well. If I recall the vessel requires Inspection if there are greater than 12 passengers or the vessel is over 300T.

http://www.vaughnlawoffice.com/UNDER...ER_VESSELS.pdf

To be an inspected vessel, it will need to comply with the Jones Act or have a waiver.

to receive the fishing permit it must be inspected.? pretty sure

[HeywoodJ]

Originally Posted by petrified89

to receive the fishing permit it must be inspected.? pretty sure

To receive a fishing permit it must carry the fisheries endorsement on its certificate of documentation, or, if too small for documentation, meet all the requirements for that endorsement. In very, very general terms these requirements boil down to US-built and US-owned.

Inspected vessels is a whole other can of worms, this gets into safety equipment, construction details, emergency plans, and a whole host of other things. Vessels subject to inspection are summarized in 46CFR Table 2.01-7(a). For the most part small fish-catching vessels are not required to be inspected, although fish processing and tender vessels (not the dinghy meaning of tender) may be required to be inspected - these vessels generally have people working aboard who are not professional mariners and thus in some respects get treated as if they were passenger vessels.

46CFR28 addresses fishing vessel requirements, and describes both uninspected and inspected fishing vessels.