Documentation FEES

H

Hoo'sdave

Member
Dec 4, 2007
241
Mechanicsville Va/Deltaville, VA
Boat Info
340 Sundancer Garmin touch screen Garmin HD radar
Engines
454 Mercruiser
Buying a used boat. What do the Sea Ray brain trust think about the fees listed below.

Here is the breakdown for the Documentation:

Application: $133
Abstract of Title $25
Bill of Sale $8
Mortgage: $166?
*Administrative Fees: $218

*The administrative fees include preparation of all docs, Fed-Ex overnight
fees to the Coast Guard and in order to do documentation, we also have our
own fees we have to pay such as E & O Insurance and our Fees to the
underwriter

Has anyone ever heard of a mortgage fee? Doesn't the administration fee sound to high?
 
I think I paid $450.00 for the documentation on my boat.. The mortgage needs to be recorded and an original sealed copy is needed. I don't remember the breakdown, just writing the check.

Barry
 
I don't remember the breakdown either but I do know it cost $450.00 by the time it was all said and done.
 
Same here, about $350-$400 buying from broker.
 
If you are a a member of BoatUS, they have a program (at least used to have a program) that would help you through the documentation process. I don't remember the cost but I seem to recall that it was a lot less that what your dealer is looking to get. Lots of their fee is "hidden profit". Just my $.02.
 
When you consider tha USCG Documenattion can cost $600-$750, your total doesn't seem bad.

Documentation with my dealer on our boat was a $39 charge for his clerk (no lender involved) and another $275 to Boat/US for USCG Documentation several years later when we decided to take the boat to the Bahamas.
 
Why are some of you boaters that are well within the USA documenting your boat?

In our marina I see only 3 documented boats. They are the three that don’t have numbers on the side. I talked to one of the owners. He still has to pay the same state fee as I do; he just needs to place the two state stickers on his stern.

Something I’m missing?
 
Presentation said:
Why are some of you boaters that are well within the USA documenting your boat?

In our marina I see only 3 documented boats. They are the three that don’t have numbers on the side. I talked to one of the owners. He still has to pay the same state fee as I do; he just needs to place the two state stickers on his stern.

Something I’m missing?
Click to expand...

I don't like the look of registration numbers on the hull. The state decal goes on the windshield for a cleaner look.
 
I think there is a fair amount of profit in those fee schedules. The cost to document Bella with the CG was only slightly higher than registration in Mass. What tipped it for us was that renewals are free. Frank stated $ 600 to $750, ours was about $ 300. Is it length weight based/pro rated?

As for CG documentation, my friend who bought a new 320 last year was required to document by his insurance policy. We did it because we can hit Maine and New Hampshire and both states have been persnickity with out of state boaters in the past.

I wouldn't want to suggest this to anyone, but CG documentation allows you to state a home port where you do not necessarily live (like Dover Delaware). Doing something like that can obscure things for people trying to track you down to pay personal property taxes.......
 
Last edited:
Not sure if the original poster is talking about USCG documentation ($450) or the fees associated with all the documents related to the loan/purchase.

Esteban
 
Coast Guard vessel documentation is not required for pleasure or recreational usage. However, there are several reasons for which vessels are documented with the Coast Guard. First, a vessel can not engage in commercial activities within the United States unless it becomes documented and attains the respective trade endorsements. Second, marine lenders usually require vessel documentation in order to acquire a Preferred Mortgage which grants the ultimate contractual lien against any vessel. Third, owners who venture into international waters usually elect to document their vessels in order to attain certain protections afforded by the US flag. A certificate of documentation makes it easier for passage into foreign ports and is widely accepted by customs officials. Finally, some owners elect to document their vessel just for the prestige of owning a vessel which is said to carry the U.S. flag. From a visual perspective, vessel documentation also precludes a vessels operating in the United States from having to display state registration numbers.

Vessel documentation provides a more universally recognized certificate of ownership that is recognized worldwide and is supported by a detailed abstract reflecting all vessel ownership and lien transactions.
 
Plus it saved me aprox. $1500.00 in sales tax...
 
In MO. for a documented vessel you pay a "In leu of tax" instead of sales tax. Which in my case happened to be less than half of what I would have paid in sales tax. It doesn't get you out of personal property tax though...
 
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