Registration in Maryland - you have to be kidding me....

Odayssea

Odayssea

New Member
Apr 10, 2008
102
Annapolis, MD
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2000
Engines
Mercruiser 7.4L
OK, so this is not really an exciting topic, but perhaps somebody can throw me a life line becuase I think I'm going nuts.

I bought my new-to-me 340 in Washington DC and moved it to Maryland. It was financed by eboatloans.com, which botched the USCG documentation paperwork big time, but I have finally sorted that out after several weeks. The substantial taxes have been paid to Maryland. Should be good to go.

Here's the rub: Maryland authorities will not issue the tax receipt/decal until after they have received the USCG documentation. USCG says they are running more than 2 more months to process the documentation. Maryland authorities emphasize the boat cannot be used in Maryland without at least a temporary registration. The DC history is not valid since it is from another state and a previous owner. Maryland will not issue a temporary registration withoiut a "USCG sealed original" of the Bill of Sale and the Satisfaction of the previous owner's mortgage. I have certified and notarized copies but they insist they cannot issue a temporary registration without the USCG seal, which the USCG says they will not be able to provide until they process the documentation paperwork sometime over the next 2 months. In sum: the boat sits on the water and I don't want to use it if it means dealing with watchful authorities who will not allow it to be used without paperwork that cannot be issued until July. In other words, dead in the water for half the boating season because of an absurd confluence of Catch-22 papers.

Is this crazy? I have been back and forth with all parties, by mail, phone, and in person, and they just keep going in circles: no "sealed" original, no temporary registration, no use, cannot get the "sealed" original for 6 more weeks, etc. Somebody must have run across this twist before. My next attempt will be to register it in Washington DC instead of Maryland and treat it as a visiting vessel.

Any real (as opposed to comical) advice or experience to share?
 
If you live in MD contact your state representative. He/she should be able to provide some incite into how to drill through the BS. Not sure who you should bitch to if you live in VA.
 
Just an idea...Maybe a letter from the different "agencies" stating that you have applied. I would think if you buried a water cop in paperwork showing that the registration has been "applied for" and is in "processing", you would likely not get a citation. Maybe the USCG could provide some type of documentation of the extended processing time. Gather it all up and find your local water cop/patrol and show it to them and just ask. That way you can "know before you go."
 
My original documentation didn't come until way after I bought my boat and I had a letter from the group that was doing the documentation that said it was "in process". I did get stopped by the CG once during that time and the letter was fine with them.... but if I was a jackass (or owned a Four Winns), I'm sure they would have give me a citation. I believe the penalty for running the boat without or expired documentation is like $10K/day.
 
I came from Ohio and went to Md. I ran into the same thing, so i reg. in Del. and Md. allows you I think 30 days as a temp. reg. After Md came in (2 months) reg. back in Md.

The state is screwed up...check your tax liability in Md. also...they wanted to tax me for taxes I paid in Ohio...
 
Four Suns said:
but if I was a jackass (or owned a Four Winns), I'm sure they would have give me a citation.
Click to expand...
...and I was just about to PM you about the Letterman tickets I scored for you :grin:
I'm actually in the same situation in NY right now. I'm told my certificate of origin and letter from the documentation company should suffice, but I probably can't attempt any of the NYS Canal locks until the registration comes through.
 
So I'm not the only one. The companies involved in the transaction - the lending, titling and documentation companies - all insisted that the papers they gave me would suffice, but I went to the Maryland registration offices in both Baltimore and Annapolis and they said no way. Getting boarded and ticketed is not my idea of a fun day. Let's see how accomodating Delaware is....
 
I also went through quite a mess getting things squared away with my 320. The only this was on the bright side that I bought it at the very end of the season. So, these creazy delays didn't effect me too much.

If it was boating season, I'd get copies of all documents showing the proof of ownership and get a letter, similar to what Gary described, stating that the paperwork is being processed.
 
It's not like delays with documentation aren't a known issue. Why go through the effort to document it?
 
I can't help directly with DC, MD or VA, but my experience in CT may help.

CT requires registration for documented as well as undocumented vessels. They require you to pay sales (or use) tax on both. A state registered boat gets a number that goes ont he bow of the boat plus a yearly sticker of a particular color. A vessel that is documented gets no state number but still has to display a sticker (different color). Both pay an annual fee for the registration.

When I bought each of my last 2 boats they were new and therefore had never been documented before. I just went to the CT DMV and registered the boat as if it had not been documented. All they really cared about was that I paid the sales tax. They gave me state numbers and stickers. I placed these on plastic boards hung with zip ties from the bow rail. Six weeks later, when the documentation came, I just went back to the DMV, showed them the CD paperwork and paid $5 to get new stickers with the right color for a documented boat.
 
ImpulseIII said:
If there is a note on the boat, lending institutions usually demand documentation.
Click to expand...

Not in Maryland. Probably not in other states that have actual boat registration systems, as some states do not. When traveling internationally there's certainly merit to having USCG documentation but for coastal and inland cruising? Doesn't seem to be worth the time, effort and expense.
 
Bill - I think you are blowing smoke again. I have never heard of a lender that does not require CG documentation on a boat that is eligible for documentation. Are you talking about a vessel of less than 5 tons? Or do you know something specifically about MD that would prohibit lenders from protecting themselves?
 
No smoke, just facts, at least as it applies in MARYLAND. So spare me your ill-informed insult. I'm sure other jurisdictions may have differing requirements. If the boat has a hull identification number Maryland registers those as it would a motor vehicle, with a title. That's what the lender gets, with the lender listed as having a note outstanding on it, just as it would for an automobile. I'm not arguing against documentation, just questioning the necessity of it for a boat being used here in Maryland. I mean, why bother with the delays and expense of documenting it if it's not necessary for where the boat's going to be used? You still end up needing to get a MD yearly registration permit anyway.
 
wkearney99 said:
Not in Maryland. Probably not in other states that have actual boat registration systems, as some states do not. When traveling internationally there's certainly merit to having USCG documentation but for coastal and inland cruising? Doesn't seem to be worth the time, effort and expense.
Click to expand...

The state has nothing what so ever to do with the documentation process. The requirement is not a state requirement but rather one of the lending institutions depending on their particular rules and underwriting guidelines. If you have a loan on a boat, and it is of a certain size, their is a better than average chance that you will be required to document your boat, regardless of where the boat is birthed.
 
wkearney99 said:
You still end up needing to get a MD yearly registration permit anyway.
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You get a registration in Maryland that is valid for two years...

I'm getting run in circles from the State of Maryland too. We've been trying since November to obtain a permit to build a pier on our property. Two permits; state and county are required. State comes first, then county. In order to figure out where to place your pier for the state, you need to know what a "lateral line" is between you and your neighbor and steer clear of it, or get his permission. The county can tell you where this lateral line is. But they refuse to talk to you until they have your permit application. But you can't do that until you get a valid state permit. but you need to know so that you don't fail the state permit! :smt101

So much for having our pier -ready- in May; we'll be lucky to get it done by the end of the year...

Gotta love Maryland....
 
ImpulseIII said:
The state has nothing what so ever to do with the documentation process. The requirement is not a state requirement but rather one of the lending institutions depending on their particular rules and underwriting guidelines. If you have a loan on a boat, and it is of a certain size, their is a better than average chance that you will be required to document your boat, regardless of where the boat is birthed.
Click to expand...

Stop picking on Bill. You know when you call a bank, they'll say "Maryland?! GREAT! We waive all of our underwriting rules for Maryland!!!" He does, as pointed out, have the "facts."
 
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