To get a commercial endorsement for a US registered boat you have to have proof that it was built in the US. Since the Pearson company who built our boats is not a currently existing legal entity and since Pearson Composites does not have any records from "Pearson Yachts, Bristol RI"; Does anyone have any ideas??
Joe
Ok, I'll bite -- what's a commercial endorsement?
Ask BoatUS. They do boat documentations.
It means that I can legally engage in commerce; e.g. charter, moving cargo, commercial fishing, etc.
Joe
there is an Ariel I've seen advertised as available for Charter in Maine, they must have been down this track.
One other thought, would a copy of the vintage Ad and Brochure from this site with a Bristol RI. return address suffice as evidence (if so to whom)??
bill
I have been told that there is a way around it if the builder is defunct, and since it is now Pearson Composites and not Pearson Yachts, Bristol, RI., Legally, the Pearson that built out lovelies is defunct. But, I do not give up easily. That is a common trait of Submariners.
Documentation
338 is in the midst of Coast Guard Documentation thru BoatUS. When I got the paper back for signatures, there was a space asking for maker and numbers (I think) that Judy had typed in "unknown". I called her and asked about it, saying that certainly we knew it was a Pearson Ariel built in Bristol RI. Didn't matter, as there is no paper accompanying the boat. In officialeze that's 'unknown', as if it could be a oneoff homebuilt. Except that the plate number IS recorded on the document.
Sorry I'm so vague, but I sent the papers back without making copies.
We'll see if it goes thru. It should, Mike Goodwin did it. It also costs a bomb.
What makes the boat possible to be documented is the official way the boat is measured for tonnage. Boats our size with a fin keel could not make the tonnage rule You can find the docs on the net. I feel that doing it thru BoatUS is like hiring a lawyer: expensive, but worth it.
It would be interesting to find out if a little boat like ours can legally be used to carry passengers. Would think not. Insurance, for one thing. And stringent CG regs. Legally leasing out the boat might be possible. Guessing only.
Remember in the old days, the builder got his official numbers and was ordered to carve them into a major non-removable beam in the boat. Wonder what we must do now???
Last edited by ebb; 04-26-2007 at 10:03 AM.
My experience with a registered boat was that you did pay taxes. Registration gets you no discount
Yes, taxes were paid at time of purchase. Most other talk about personal property tax is about boats bought on time and boats as a second home. Like other property a boat is accessed on purchase price and current resale value including upgrades. "A recent arm's length purchase of a vessel is considered to be a good indicator of true market value."
Considering the information gathering that goes on around here by annoymous "spy ders" for the fun and profit of other entities, my contribution to this discussion is obsolete. Thanks.
If you have your documented vessel in a slip, the local taxing authorities will asses it as personal property annually. It is, however, depreciated over time
They do not tax boats that way here. Here, they tax tehm more like cars. THe taxes on my boat are $21.00 per year.
Non documented yachts in Calif are registered with the DMV and pay a $7 annual fee. The county where in the boat resides assess a property tax. Documented vessels are subject to the property tax. Avoidance by mooring out is an option, but they usually catch up with those that try it.Originally Posted by joe
Last edited by Bill; 04-26-2007 at 02:48 PM.
Boy, I'm glad they don't do that here in OK.
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